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Staying Warm

I have not, but if you buy one I want a review. After this past weekend and with the late season coming up I'm looking to invest in some new gear. Sick of being so bulky and still getting cold.
 
I'm going to be doubtful on breaking wind. If its like the Milwaukee jacket save your money. Alright on mild mornings but you don't need it then anyway.
 
Gerbing heated clothing has been a leader in the motorcycle / snowmobile crowd for heated clothing for years. Have many friends that have the stuff and swear by it . They hook right in to the bike / sleds 12 volt system though. I bet it is good stuff but wonder how noisy it is?
 
I have the Sitka fanatic jacket and bibs. A little bulky, but works great down. I haven't worn them lower then 20 degrees yet. The morning it was 20 degrees I wore an under armor base layer. Then a layer of mid weight scent blocker. Then a pull over fleece. With this set up I rarely get cold. Once I get the therma cell heated insoles I should be good for 0 degree weather! Good luck with your search.
 
I looked at Gerbing a couple years ago but was a broke college kid at the time, have always been intrigued by them since. Def want a review if you pull the trigger on em.
 
X2 on therma cell insoles! just make sure you have room in your boots. Only need one pair of light socks. Were a little tight in my light boots first time I tried them. So took off boots and just put them in my Arctic shield boot warmers in 30 degree weather, kind of like being bare foot, but felt great!
 
I'm in the same boat too. I like to hunt cold weather but when you're like Ralphie off of Christmas Story in his winter suit it makes it difficult to get an accurate shot off with the bow.
 
I never seem to get cold. I have two sets I wear. The first is artic shield onyx pants and a cabelas berber fleece windshear pull over. I wear normal hunting pants, sweatshirt and underarmour as a base layer. I have not tested the waters too much with this outfit. Hunted down to 15-20 degrees and never got cold.

For when it does get cold I wear cabelas whitetail extreme mt050 bibs and parka. I have hunted to 20 below in this with no issues. Can shoot my bow fine as the parka is not baggy at all. I still wear the same underarmour base layer and normal hunting pants / sweatshirt. I may throw on my berber fleece vest with windshear if extremely cold out.

I carry all this to my stand and do not wear my underarmour top as I will sweat.

For feet I wear 1000gram leather boots with a liner sock and wool sock. When it gets 20 below out I throw on artic shield boot covers. I also wear goretex gaiters whenever it gets below 40 as it keeps my legs up to my knee warm and does not let any drafts in and keeps the heat in my boots.

For hands I wear a mt050 with windshear handmuff with those instant heater packs in them.

I never feel bulky in these setups. I could lose some weight that would help more than the clothes would.
 
Liv4Rut said:
I never feel bulky in these setups. I could lose some weight that would help more than the clothes would.
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A few years back I lost a lot of weight. I was cold all the time. I don't think fall hunting season is the time to lose weight/restrict calories.

Happy Thanksgiving! :D:way:
 
JNRBRONC said:
A few years back I lost a lot of weight. I was cold all the time. I don't think fall hunting season is the time to lose weight/restrict calories.

Happy Thanksgiving! :D:way:
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Great Motivational Speech!! :D Well now I have an excuse to being overweight. I simply do not want to get cold in the treestand. :way:
 
If I've said it once I've said it 3 dozen times on this site, since I bought my gray wolf woolens my ability to sit longer has increased exponentially. Down to 15-20 degrees I can hunt all day with only 1 or 2 layers of under Armour cold gear on. This season had really tested my resolve with chillier temps and the Dang WIND!! I am about ready to toss the under armour and get wool base layers. Adding a heater body suit or warm bag is the next step.

I also was able to stay warmer longer when I was fat, I get colder faster now that I'm in the 180 range.
 
I went with the Heater Body Suit and love it. Another bonus is since you wear lighter clothes underneath it's much easier to draw and shoot a bow when it time to consummate the deal. The two things I don't like about it is that I can't wear my binos when it's below about 30 degrees because they fog up when I pull them out and getting in and out of it creates a lot of movement on stand which can be dicey depending on the situation.
 
muddy said:
If I've said it once I've said it 3 dozen times on this site, since I bought my gray wolf woolens my ability to sit longer has increased exponentially. Down to 15-20 degrees I can hunt all day with only 1 or 2 layers of under Armour cold gear on. This season had really tested my resolve with chillier temps and the Dang WIND!! I am about ready to toss the under armour and get wool base layers. Adding a heater body suit or warm bag is the next step.

I also was able to stay warmer longer when I was fat, I get colder faster now that I'm in the 180 range.
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I have a Warmbag it has been great, going to sell to a buddy though and I think try the Iwom. None of these systems are great if you have to physically turn all the way around in your stand (Can be done, but a bigger platform where the cables don't interfere really helps). I have easily stayed warm so far this season in to 5-10* range. I wear my normal hunting clothes for the walk in. Overall, I have been pretty impressed, again like anything there are small drawbacks, but you learn to deal with them. The reason why I am going to sell it I think is I'm not a very big guy and the shoulders are so wide it just really feels like there is a bunch of material and weight on my shoulders when I reach for or draw my bow. I wear my 1400g thinsulate Irish Setter rubber boots and still put a warmer in and I am beyond toasty.

All these systems are expensive, but actually cheaper than what my last pair of bibs and jacket from Cabela's cost. Also, overall, they just don't get as much wear because 90% of the time it isn't being used for your walk in or "hunt" in general. Lately, I have worn the Warmbag in with my arms through the holes and then just cinched the bottom around my waist. It isn't getting the every hunt use of like a pair of bibs or jacket where you are constantly crossing fences, going through briars, etc. Very much used in a still hunt setting. It also got me thinking of how great it would be for like goose hunting as well!
 
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Wait till after the season is over and buy cabelas mt50. They usually have it for close to 50% off. I wear that anything under 20* Anything above that I wear my sitka fanatic bibs n coat and wear my 4.0 under armour and stay plenty warm all day
 
My wife bought me the Gerbing heated vest for XMas a couple of years ago and I've used it several times while ice fishing and hunting late season. It's a valuable tool to have in the arsenal - I recommend it.

Battery life is a concern - I bought an extra battery and a charger for my truck which helps keep a fresh battery on hand.

One quirk with this vest is that it needs to be your second or third layer for you to really feel the heat. However, the battery is in the vest pocket so you end up digging thru your layers to turn it on/off or adjust the heat level. Not a showstopper, but something you just have to deal with.

It's worth that minor hassle - I don't turn the heat on until I've sat a while and maybe even begun to feel a little chill, but when I do Oh Boy is that nice to feel the warmth. It has 5 coils - 2 in front by your collarbones, one between your shoulder blades and one on each of your kidney areas.

I was in my ladderstand up here in Houghton Co Sunday morning with the windchill below zero. I pulled out everything in my bag of tricks - merino wool layers under the heated vest, MT050 parka, Stand Hunter bibs, Saskatchewan boots with heat packs under the toes, handwarmer muff with heat packs (hey, what says warm better than "muff"?), neck gaiter, facemask and beanie all under the parka hood. I sat 4 hours till dark thirty with no problem. Heck a cold beer back at the cabin even tasted good so I couldn't have been too cold

I'm hoping all of this will serve me well when I'm hunting late muzzleloader in your great state of Iowa come January...
 
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