Ladies … what do you wear to stay warm?

I would love to hear from the ladies out there that hunt and what is your secret to staying warm when sitting in a stand / blind, etc.???

Brands, layers (inside to outside), head to toe!! I get cold … even in 40’s, 50’s if I sit in a stand for 3 or more hours and I don’t have the sun shining right on me. I admit I don’t have anything special, just layers. I do have a heater body suit as well … it does help but feel this to be a bit cumbersome if sitting in open tree stands, not to mention the movement needed to get out to take a shot with bow or gun should that opportunity pose itself.

I have been reading comments on this topic from the guys … it is helpful and I will take into consideration when I am ready to upgrade! I would specifically like to hear from those (male or female) that know they get cold easily and what you are wearing to withstand extended amount of time sitting out in mild temps to the nasty below zero / wind chill temps!

As I have grown older I’ve noticed that my circulation system does not do as good a job as it used to in all respects. I need to keep my feet warm with a “not too tight” boot which will allow better circulation. I also need to keep my head covered. Stocking cap or knit face mask is good for this and can be worn in conjunction with an oversized billed cap (to shade the eyes) if so desired.
Another very good option for keeping your head warm is a “liner” usually worn under a hard hat for construction workers. just google “hard hat liner”. The one I have is green but I’m sure there are a variety of color options available. The liner is thin yet warm, has ear flaps and buttons under the chin. It turns with you when you turn your head, rather than screwing with your vision like a face mask can.

Hard hat liners can be gotten with Thinsulate too. I have several and wear them when blowing snow.

As for staying warm, I have always paid attention to what part of the body gets cold first. That’s where I pay attention to clothing to stay warm. Once any portion of a body starts to chill, the rest of the body will follow. I keep my upper body/torso very warm and can hunt in just jeans, a stocking cap, maybe some good gloves on real cold days and of course boots that both stay dry and keep the toes warm and I can sit for quite a while. If I know its going to be brutish outside I’ll wear the insulated bottoms.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Hard hat liners can be gotten with Thinsulate too

Very good info to have, thanks

My wife gets cold also, she usually has a sweatshirt on when it’s 70 degs out.
Here’s what she worn last night when it was 19 degs out and snowing.

Feet – a sock liner, wool sock, then 600 gram insulated boots
Bottom – Heavy weight Under Armour long underwear, Fleece leggings, Nomad Harvester pants
Top – Heavy weight Under Armour long underwear, Sweatshirt, Down vest, then Nomad Harvester jacket
Neck warmer, wool hat and a glove muff with hand warmers.

broth82 … Thank you! How long did she sit and did she stay warm, was she in an open tree stand or enclosed stand / blind?

First night was on the ground, then the next night she was in an elevated platform box blind that has no roof and maybe 3′ side walls. She sat both nights from 3:30 till dark so a couple hours.

I just had this conversation with a friend that has a wife that hunts also. He said her favorite thing now is that she has “stolen” his Milwaukee heated jacket. He works construction and loves it. Uses batteries and has adjustments. She loves it and has it on HIGH all the time to keep her core warm. I think then make other products also and now have a full blow BIG jacket that uses the same system. He has offered it to me when I ice fish, but I tell him, I don’t really need it ice fishing as I move enough and my Striker bibs keep me warm enough, but for sitting in a stand, I think it would be awesome !

I’m a guy, but what has worked for me in the really nasty conditions sitting on a hang on stand in December is heavy black Ovis merino wool base layers that fit pretty tight. On top of that I run a pair of sweatpants and then a pair of discontinued scent lock fleece insulated pants. On the top I run a Sparton sweatshirt, with a built in gator that zips up to just under your eyes, which is meant to be a base layer as well but fits over the wool nicely. Then a fleece vest and the matching Scent lock jacket. I also run a hat over the top of the hood of my sweatshirt. For my feet it’s a pair of light merino socks and Cabelas inferno boots. Those boots are so warm I can’t even wear them unless it’s really cold. If you get cold feet make sure you don’t tie them very tight.

I had a ex girlfriend try the hand warmer trick when she would hunt, plus good heavy merino base layers, and it made a huge difference. Thats saying a lot since she was always cold. I normally run 2 warmers in the inside pockets of my jacket and one in each pocket of my sweatpants depending on how cold it actually is. You burn through a lot of hand warmers if you do it all the time, but I normally buy a few bulk packs in the spring when they are on sale. This was the best alternative I’ve found to getting to many layers and struggling to get the bow pulled back.

I would second the Milwaukee electrically heated clothing. BTW they make women’s models and sizes.

Absolutely nothing is going to keep you warmer than something that produces its own heat. These jackets use Milwaukee’s battery packs so it’d be easier to have spares to keep the clothing going. They also make gloves that are heated.

For hands, I’ve tried everything. IMO, there are only 2 real options to keep hands warm. Military surplus mittens with the trigger finger or a hand muff with a heat pack inside.

I’ve had the trigger finger mittens for decades and with wool liners, they work well for me but they are leather and canvas, so they need to be kept dry. The muff works better, but it’s not as easy to use when walking.

For boots, it is worth considering a pair of “Bunny Boots”. These are double-lined military boots for extreme cold. And they mean it. Everybody who works above the arctic circle has a pair. They are heavy, but very, very warm. Sizing can be an issue as you will have to convert your size to a men’s size.

Best of luck.

Grouse

My wife, like me, loves merino wool. She probably has as much if not more than me. Almost always has a layer of it on in the colder months. There are a ton of different styles, weights and colors from numerous manufacturers.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

For boots, it is worth considering a pair of “Bunny Boots”. These are double-lined military boots for extreme cold. And they mean it. Everybody who works above the arctic circle has a pair. They are heavy, but very, very warm. Sizing can be an issue as you will have to convert your size to a men’s size.

Why would she need to convert a women’s size to a men’s size? Doesn’t the military provide a ladies sizing chart for their women in the military? Just asking, as I honestly don’t know.

Biggest things for my wife are a hand muff with 2 or more hand warmers in it and the boot booties. She wears Steger MukLuks and loves them, but on the really cold days, she wears the booties (Arctic Shield) and puts 2 hand warmers in each.

The mukluks, or similar type boot are key in the boot booties, IMO. The soft leather foot allows for the heat to circulate and breathe better, overall staying warmer. The mukluks do very well without the booties too, but they will be better than a pair of rubber boots once inside the booties.

My wife hasn’t said much about it, but I have found more and more that I am constantly adjusting to keep the wind off my neck. That is a big annoyance and source of cold. I’m thinking about sewing velcro strips to the balaclava and inside of my jacket so the thing stays put.