Opinions needed – Ice Wear

Trying to decide what kind of ice wear I want to go with. I want something that stays warm/dry… needs to be waterproof…padded knees preferred for pulling up them eyes through the ice…

What is the best suit to go with… Some I have heard are Ice Armor, Arctic Armor, Mustang Survival Suits. Anyone have any experience or opinions? At 300 per suit… I don’t want to end up with the wrong one. I am not so concerned with bouyancy as I do not do much “early ice”… I prefer to walk on ice that others are driving ATVs or sleds on… Not as much afraid of falling through as I am losing the gear I have… toys do not come easy for me. Anyway, what are your opinions on what is best… what are the pros and cons of each.

I have put the Vexilar Cold Snap suit to a severe beating the last three weeks. I have been extremely happy so far.

Cabelas insulated Guidewear gets then nod from me!!!!

Quote:

---

Cabelas insulated Guidewear gets then nod from me!!!!

---

I don’t have the insulated Guidewear, but my uninsulated Guidewear fills all my needs.

WOW..not bad Derek the whole suit for under $200…..I see it has the padded knees how about the rear….?

Sorry to jump you post with a idea, but how about having a good set of bibs and buying a over sized pair chaps used for upland hunting

I have been using Carhartt Arctic Extreme gear ever since I moved to Alaska in 2000. I have worn them while working on the North Slope, while chasing fish and game all over the continent and still wearing a set of them today back here in WI. Its breathable, very warm, well padded, but not entirely waterproof. In the end I don’t think any gear is 100% waterproof. They stay dry for about the first three or four hours of a saturated rain, then you can expect to start feeling moisture inside, but your still warm. I made it all day in the rain with no shelter twice in the past two weeks on WI lakes. The Arctic Extreme varies from your typical Carhartt bibs and jacket using a different material in the outer shell and even more blanket insulation. The best feature is in the bibs. They have a split zipper front which comes in very handy for those warm days and cold nights. Instead of shredding clothing while being mobile and working up a sweat I simply open the jacket and the front of the bibs and keep the perspiration down. The other nice thing is they are alot less expensive than the mustang suits or the ice armour. You should make sure though that if you purchase these that they say Arctic Extreme on the label.

Quote:

---

WOW..not bad Derek the whole suit for under $200…..I see it has the padded knees how about the rear….?

---

The seat is not padded but the material is very strong. Vexilar states the suit is water resistant but my findings have found it waterproof. My buddy Craig fished in the rain/slop on mille lacs last Sunday. He came in soaked from head to toe. He stayed bone dry in the suit. The knees are really tough. When kneeling down on the ice, your knees can freeze to the ice and when you go to stand up you can tear the fabric in some bibs. The Cold Snap knees are very tough. I always swore by my Guidewear, now I have a new set just setting in my closet.

I’ve put the uninsulated guide wear to the test this year the stuff is awesome. The one down fall is the knees are not padded. waterproof with gore tex.

I will put my plug in for the insulated guidewear…

Only in my opinion- nothing comes close to the warmth, wind blocking, and waterproofness of the insulated guidewear. I own the float suits, and the ice armor suits…I wear my guidewear day in and day out. I have fished many days where it poured all day…and I have always stayed warm, and dry. And in the event that anything should happen to guidewear, cabelas STANDS behind their product!!

I really wish they would add padded knees/seat….

I have owned Cabelas Insulated Guideware for 4 years now and love’m..I bought my wife a set last fall for Mille Lacs Fall Full Moon too…

I’m sold on them

Wow… Sounds like Cabela’s guidewear (insulated or uninsulated) is the way to go. I am very surprised… I thought for sure I would hear opinions on ice armor… Guess they are not as great as I have heard… or… they just don’t compare to Cabela’s guidewear. Thanks all! More opinions welcome.

I agree with the rest. I wear Cabelas Insulated Guidewear. I have tried a lot of things but it has been Guidewear for me for the last 5 years. Like Dave said, I just bought a set for my wife this year. Worth every penny..and then some

just got the insulated guidewear this year and have been blown away. driving 35mph in 20 degrees and i can’t feel the wind through the suit. if my feet are warm (little hot pad feet warmers are the way to go for me) and my hands, i can stay out all day in this stuff.
it’s an investment, but it’s totally worth it.

If I was going to spend $300 on a suit for ice fishing, It would definately buy the Grey Ice Armor suit. Besure to try that one on before commiting to Guidewear for ice fishing.

I will check it out before committing. Thanks!

Hi everyone. I’m new to this site and I look forward to joining in the discussions.

For outerwear, I use GameHide’s uninsulated StormHide like the banner ad to the left. This is probably the best outerwear I have ever owned. It doesn’t have the padding that some like, but after that rainy weekend we just had, I can say it is completely waterproof. For warmth, I just layer with some fleece and I’m good to go.

Good luck.

I wear the Tech20 Guidewear from Gander Mt. I have been very happy so far. I also have the underarmor coldwear that i layer with. I have not had to brave the extream elements this year with the Guidewear but is is very wind resistant, breaths well and has all the pockets and storage you could want. Bibs are great. I am tall so i needed to find this type of wear in a tall and the Gander Tech20 fit the best hands down. Plus they are only around 150.00 for the set.

Quote:

---

For outerwear, I use GameHide’s uninsulated StormHide like the banner ad to the left. This is probably the best outerwear I have ever owned.

---

That’s what I’ve been wearing this winter and so far its been fabulous. One thing I REALLY like is the fit of the pants. I don’t miss that low hanging crotch that you get with a couple of the other’s mentioned so far.

Quote:

---

I don’t miss that low hanging crotch that you get with a couple of the other’s mentioned so far.

---

James… There are just so many things I could say about this…

Oh, and welcome to the site, Caster!

And I changed the wording like 3 times… lol

That’s just a hard concept to share with someone without making yourself look a little… dumb.

I’ll be putting the typhoon gear to the test next weekend at the GTG. The little I’ve worn it riding sled and working outside around the house, it’s been awesome. I’ve always been a little warm blooded, so I layer accordingly. One minor, minor issue is the anti-slide material. It’s great for riding the sled, but when I slip into the truck I gotta make sure I get the proper lift or I stick to the seat. I wonder it looks anything like a dog draggin his on the carpet??

My previous suit was by Stearns. It had the padded knees and rear. I personally didn’t like that feature simply because I use this gear year round. In the boat it seemed to add the extra bulk. I also didn’t like the “low hanging crotch”. The typhoon bibs do fit alot nicer in my opinion.

I went with the convertable bibs from Ice Armor because they are water proof and have the knee padding. If you just want to wear them as pants raterh then bibs you can just zip the top part off.

As for a jacket I went with the StrikeMaster Parka. I like the fact that the parka is longer then normal and you have to love the over sized inside and outside pockets.

Quote:

---

For outerwear, I use GameHide’s uninsulated StormHide like the banner ad to the left. This is probably the best outerwear I have ever owned. It doesn’t have the padding that some like, but after that rainy weekend we just had, I can say it is completely waterproof. For warmth, I just layer with some fleece and I’m good to go.

---

Ditto. I have the uninsulated Guidewear and used to wear that in the summer and Winter. I know have replaced that with the Typhoon suit by Gamehide. If it is colder, I just add another layer accordingly. I have a Gamehide Rubline jacket I wear for extreme conditions under the Typhoon Bibs and jacket. I have yet to be Cold or Wet and I have been in some nasty stuff.

Hopfully my new gear will get here before the GTG. Then you guys can see the new Mustang HX Extreme Cold Weather bibs and Ice Rider Jacket.

This gear is over $500 so may not be an option. Plus it sounds like flotation was not a major concern.

I run with Cabela’s insulated XCR Gore-Tex bibs, 4 years now and never let me down.

Travis