Originally posted by Pullersboy
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I learned a few things when I had the opportunity to go to cold weather mountain warfare school while in the Marine Corps.
One of the things that's not been mentioned (at least that I've seen) about dressing for cold weather. Clothes and footwear need to be LOOSE FITTING; as do gloves. One if the big keys on here is loose fitting; especially on the extremities.
The body has to work extra hard to keep you warm. It's much harder on you than being hot. The body goes into a survival mode of sorts and begins to supply more blood to your core (vital organs) to keep you alive. It begins to restrict blood flow to extremities so more blood supply can reach those organ. This is why your fingers, toes and ears get cold first.
So, that means a couple of key thIngs must be done.
1. Keep the core warm so blood flow is as normal as possible and you stay out of this "survival mode"
2. Keep heat loss to a minimum. This will help keep you out of "survival mode." The main places the body dissapates heat is the top of the head, the neck, under arms, and crotch area. Obviously the underarms and crotch are arm more naturally insulated. So, focus heat retention on the head and neck. Get a heavier beanie and either a scarf or LOOSE FITTING neck gator.
Moving on:
Hands:
Mittens are best as they allow any body heat from your fingers to help heat the others. I use the kind that you can fold the part over your fingers back. This allows my hands to stay warm and have the most dexterity when it comes tin for the shot. Plus, they are naturally loose fitting. Loose fitting allows for blood flow in your capillaries to be as unrestricted as is possible. You'd be surprised how little pressure it takes to restrict blood flow just a little. I also tend to put one of those littLe "hot hands" disposable hand warmers in each of my coat pockets right before I get into my stand. I keep my hands in my pockets most of the time. With those little hands warmers in there and the rest if my body dressed properly, I usually don't even need the mittens on and will have sweaty hands, even in sub-freezing temps.
Feet:
My cold weather boots are 1/2 size too big. This maintains the "loose fitting" rule and keep blood flow good to the extremities. I have a pair of 400 gram Thinsulate boots that I wear if temps are above freezing. If it will be below freezing, I wear my 800 gram Thinsulate boots. Ever notice when your put you boots on and you're heavy winter socks that they fit kind of tight? This is a problem when it comes to staying warm. Also, many of the "heavy duty" winter socks out there suck. Thick does not equal better. Look at the label. Check the percentage of merino wool. Mine have 73% merino wool and cost about $24 per pair. They are only slightly thicker than a normal sock. They are high quality and work great. Most of these winter boots socks you see will be in the 15-30% range and are just built very thick. This makes your boots fit tight and still doesn't insulate as well, hence you are still cold. One more tip on feet... when you put your socks on, tug a little slack into the toe area. Make sure before you slip your boots on, there's enough slack that you can wiggle your toes freely in your socks.
Body:
Again, Merino wool I'd king. There are no synthetics on the market that can beat this natural product at insulation and moisture wicking. But, there are some good products that will do a good job.; in particular fleece. The "loose and layered" rule still applies here. Wool works best directly against the skin. However, it's not the most comfortable against the skin. Honestly, I personally do not wear wool on my body. However, if I was going to an extreme environment (sub zero temps) I would. I wear one loose fitting set of fleece long johns, top and bottom under my insulated bib overalls and matching jacket. Make sure that any underear you wear are as unrestricting as possible. Personally, I don't wear them under my long johns. This, in combination withe the other techniques I've already mentioned keeps me warm down into the teens. If it's going to be colder than that, I'll add one more layer.
Dang, that turned into a long resonse. Hopefully it'll help. Maybe I should've just started a new thread about dressing for cold weather.
Good luck on your hunt!
One of the things that's not been mentioned (at least that I've seen) about dressing for cold weather. Clothes and footwear need to be LOOSE FITTING; as do gloves. One if the big keys on here is loose fitting; especially on the extremities.
The body has to work extra hard to keep you warm. It's much harder on you than being hot. The body goes into a survival mode of sorts and begins to supply more blood to your core (vital organs) to keep you alive. It begins to restrict blood flow to extremities so more blood supply can reach those organ. This is why your fingers, toes and ears get cold first.
So, that means a couple of key thIngs must be done.
1. Keep the core warm so blood flow is as normal as possible and you stay out of this "survival mode"
2. Keep heat loss to a minimum. This will help keep you out of "survival mode." The main places the body dissapates heat is the top of the head, the neck, under arms, and crotch area. Obviously the underarms and crotch are arm more naturally insulated. So, focus heat retention on the head and neck. Get a heavier beanie and either a scarf or LOOSE FITTING neck gator.
Moving on:
Hands:
Mittens are best as they allow any body heat from your fingers to help heat the others. I use the kind that you can fold the part over your fingers back. This allows my hands to stay warm and have the most dexterity when it comes tin for the shot. Plus, they are naturally loose fitting. Loose fitting allows for blood flow in your capillaries to be as unrestricted as is possible. You'd be surprised how little pressure it takes to restrict blood flow just a little. I also tend to put one of those littLe "hot hands" disposable hand warmers in each of my coat pockets right before I get into my stand. I keep my hands in my pockets most of the time. With those little hands warmers in there and the rest if my body dressed properly, I usually don't even need the mittens on and will have sweaty hands, even in sub-freezing temps.
Feet:
My cold weather boots are 1/2 size too big. This maintains the "loose fitting" rule and keep blood flow good to the extremities. I have a pair of 400 gram Thinsulate boots that I wear if temps are above freezing. If it will be below freezing, I wear my 800 gram Thinsulate boots. Ever notice when your put you boots on and you're heavy winter socks that they fit kind of tight? This is a problem when it comes to staying warm. Also, many of the "heavy duty" winter socks out there suck. Thick does not equal better. Look at the label. Check the percentage of merino wool. Mine have 73% merino wool and cost about $24 per pair. They are only slightly thicker than a normal sock. They are high quality and work great. Most of these winter boots socks you see will be in the 15-30% range and are just built very thick. This makes your boots fit tight and still doesn't insulate as well, hence you are still cold. One more tip on feet... when you put your socks on, tug a little slack into the toe area. Make sure before you slip your boots on, there's enough slack that you can wiggle your toes freely in your socks.
Body:
Again, Merino wool I'd king. There are no synthetics on the market that can beat this natural product at insulation and moisture wicking. But, there are some good products that will do a good job.; in particular fleece. The "loose and layered" rule still applies here. Wool works best directly against the skin. However, it's not the most comfortable against the skin. Honestly, I personally do not wear wool on my body. However, if I was going to an extreme environment (sub zero temps) I would. I wear one loose fitting set of fleece long johns, top and bottom under my insulated bib overalls and matching jacket. Make sure that any underear you wear are as unrestricting as possible. Personally, I don't wear them under my long johns. This, in combination withe the other techniques I've already mentioned keeps me warm down into the teens. If it's going to be colder than that, I'll add one more layer.
Dang, that turned into a long resonse. Hopefully it'll help. Maybe I should've just started a new thread about dressing for cold weather.
Good luck on your hunt!
Thanks!!! I really appreciate the feedback!!
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