Arctic Armor

[herefish101]

Is the Insultex insulation in the Arctic Armor suits as warm as Thinsulate or polar fleece that the other brands use. I know Arctic Armor floats, that said, is it as warm as say Ice Armor, or Strikemaster's Hard water wear. I'm buyin a new suit this year and there are just to many good products out there. Please help me narrow it down, right now i'm leaning slightly toward Arctic Armor with the Strikemaster suit coming in a very close second. Any info will help, thank you.

[harvey lee]

I have been very happy with all 4 of my AA suits. To be very honest, it is a very warm suit but in the extreme cold, one will need to wear a little something underneath.

I also owned the Ice Armour suit from a few years ago that had the 2 jacket system suit and that was darn warm. I do not believe the regular Ice Armour is as warm.

If you are looking for a suit for the extreme temps, be sure to check out the Sno Suit brand. Throw in some stiff winds and it Sno Suit all the way.

I was on Rainy Lake last winter and the high for the 4 days wer from -34 to -37. We went for a long ride on the sleds in the early am in these extreme temps and I never got cold at all with this Sno Suit.

I do not believe there is a warmer suit out there anywhere.

If I am fishing in anything above 15 below, its my AA suit. I really love the fact that if I were to break through, this AA suit could save my life. Thats worth alot to me.

In the extreme. its either my AA with something good underneath or the Sno Suit.

[Jim Almquist]

Everything that harvey lee said about the AA is right on. If it is cold enough for me to wear my Arctic Armour jacket then I will usually have a hooded sweat shirt on as well but that means the temp is close to zero. I find myself wearing the bibs without a jacket most of the time unless the wind picks up.When I am flying across the lake on my sled the only thing that gets cool is face.

[Carpenter]

I agree. I really like my AA suit.

[Northlander]

I love my AA suit and will be getting a new one this year. I think I have had mine 4 or 5 years and it gets worn a lot. Al spring and fall in the boat and all winter on the ice. Mine is still as warm as day 1 and in good shape except where I got too close to the Mr. heater when bringing in a 31" eye. It was a sacrifice I was willing to take.

Like others have said I very seldom where the jacket unless snowmobiling or its real cold or windy when hole hoppin.

The fact it floats you is worth gold to me because I do a lot of early ice fishing.

I have introduced many people to AA and several have now purchased a set and nobody has complained.

If your a big snowmobiler the Sno Suit would be better for warmth but wont float you and tends to be a bit bulkier but not as bad as my Carharts used to be.

[McGurk]

I've got a set of AA (the green "Plus" ones) and I have been happy with them so far. I did a lot of slush-kneeling and running and gunning last year and they worked well. My knees did get wet after many hours of doing so, but not on the inside. The bibs are great, but the coat is just OK in my book (as far as coats go). I'd like better and warmer "hand pockets" and less other pockets, if you know what I mean. Fewer (but more useful) pockets are better than more, smaller pockets.

The sizing is a bit different as far as AA goes. I thought a large bibs/jacket set would be good for me (5'9" 180 lbs), but after trying them on the medium bibs and jacket are perfect. If money is an issue get the bibs and layer up for your upper body. One thing, though: If you are just wearing just the bibs and go through, prepare for your feet to float above your head!

I can't comment on the comparison between other brands and AA, as the only other thing I've had was Carhardts. Anything is better than those if you are kneeling, drilling lots of holes, and kicking slush. A good set of leg gators will help with that, though.

[DTro]

I fish all winter and I've never worn more than thermal underwear and a sweatshirt. Most times a sweatshirt is enough.

I can't comment on other suits. I've heard good things about the SnoSuit, but I LOVE the fact that AA floats. Chances are that I will never use that, but that's fine with me.

I also like the fact that the AA is light enough to wear even on cool June nights. I literally wear the coat all year long.

You do have to be careful to not overheat in the AA. You will find that sweating can be an issue. I notice that if I'm out snowblowing, or trudging through deep snow you can get some moisture inside the coat.

[Steve Foss]

I also fished last winter with my first set of AA. I got the Plus, with the extra liner. I'm mighty happy with it, and my wife is mighty happy that it floats!

Can't compare with other suits mentioned, as I was using Cabelas extreme GoreTex waterproof duck blind bibs/parka before I picked up the AA.

[crappiebuster]

Got a set of green and black Arctic Armor Plus last year. Im 5'8 170lbs and I got the large. When it arrived the box was so incredibly tiny I couldnt believe my suit was in there sure enough coat,bibs and gloves were all In there. The extreme lightweight of the material and the packability is unmatched. Fished in temps close to -30 last year and with just a good base layer and jeans/longsleeve shirt I was toasty as can be. Great product.

Arctic_Armor

[PerchJerker]

Another fan of Arctc Armor here.

I've used the Snosuit and it is really nice and really warm --- it's also heavy and bulky, and a lot warmer than I would use in a lot of situations.

On the other hand, I wear my Arctc Armor in the boat in late fall, winter, and early spring, plus ice fishing. I like how light and comfortable it is, and it's definately warm enough for me. Usually I wear only thermal underwear and a fleece vest or fleece jacket under the Arctc Armor, although if it's really cold I might add a heavy sweatshirt too, but never any more than that. I don't snowmobile in the suit so I can't comment on it for that, but for fishing I am really happy with Arctc Armor.

If you want, you can check it out at Pro Fishing Supply

[luv2fish]

Got my first set of Arctic Armor last year, and I went with the plus (Green) set. I loved it, most days I wore a sweatshirt with the bibs. Especially while running and gunning, the jacket just made me sweat too much. On real cold days I wore the jacket. The wife really likes it cause of the safety factor. win/win for me...

My only issue is my size. I bought an XL last year when I was 6'1" and 235lbs. Today I am 6'1" and 195 lbs (on my way to 190). I haven't tried it on yet, but I am guessing I am going to want to go to a L. I might have to try to get rid of that set and order a smaller... I should have lost the weight last year

Luv2fish

[Northlander]

Just for sizing I am 6'6" and 275 and wear the 3xl bibs and 2xl jacket. Im thin in the shoulders though. A big shouldered guy my size would want the 3xl. I could also do the 3 xl but it would be a bit looser than I like.

[herefish101]

Got a set of green and black Arctic Armor Plus last year. Im 5'8 170lbs and I got the large. When it arrived the box was so incredibly tiny I couldnt believe my suit was in there sure enough coat,bibs and gloves were all In there. The extreme lightweight of the material and the packability is unmatched. Fished in temps close to -30 last year and with just a good base layer and jeans/longsleeve shirt I was toasty as can be. Great product.

this is exactly what i'v been waiting to hear. Thank you.

[palisade1kid]

I've had a few different suits...Artic Armor has always been just what I needed....especially when I'm working hard with drilling and gunn'n holes.

I also know it does a great job of cutting the wind.

I've never been real cold in my AA

[DTro]

Like I said, I can't compare it to anything else really, but the fact that it floats is nice tradeoff where it might lack in warmth.

-30 is pretty extreme. If you fish in the metro area, you haven't seen -30 in the past 3 years, and if you fish Red Lake, you've only seen it 11 times, which is about 2% of the winter days.

If you are out in the open fishing in -30, I say more power to ya, I'm in a heated house, or staying home.

[Steve Foss]

I fish in -30. It's lake trout country up here on the Shield. A few years back I opened winter laker season at -38 and 10 mph winds. I WISH I'd have had AA-plus then!

Almost always, I just wear the AA-plus bibs and go with less up top. The times I've worn the AA-plus parka when also wearing the bibs, I've been sweated out. I don't know anything about the other systems that have been mentioned here. Just sayin.

People who live in extreme regions have been fishing at these and much colder temps long before space-age fabrics/technology came along. Reckon they found a way to stay warm and catch enough fish to survive.

Likely if one of those old-school subsistence fisherman saw this thread, he'd just shrug and say: Shut up and fish! Eh?

[Northlander]

I cant see fishing outside in -40 weather no matter what you have on. I have fished in some dang cold weather with my AA suit and didnt have a problem. As with anything make sure you dont have a bunch of cotton on for under wear and layer a bit and you will be fine.

In really extreme weather the Sno Suit would be better but I like my AA better because its way lighter and not as bulky. If its too cold for the AA im in the warm Otter anyways.

[Mrs Boilerman]

Eric let me wear his AA last spring while we were out in the boat. It was a cold, windy day. His stuff is too big for me, but he just wore a work suit. By mid day I ws happy to keep fishing, but he was ready to pack it in. I need to get my own set of AA, but havent to ponied up yet, so usually wear my old snowmobile suit - it is so big and bulky I can barely move.

[DTro]

If I lived and fished in Ontario, I would buy a Sno Suit too. It's heavier and bulkier for a reason

I can tell you this, I've fished a few -30 days in the past 5 years. I've never froze my butt off, but mostly I was just drillin holes and setting up a portable. Had I been actually shelterless, I would've been sitting home. Not only did I stay warm on those -30 days, I was sweating by the time I had the heater going.

Next thing you know, it's sweatshirt only time inside the Otter.

[DTro]

Well, mostly I like the advantage of the floating aspect in the late fall/early spring open water season, and also early/late ice. Not only that, but I do a lot of fishing from my sled, and we all know that no matter the time of the year there are spots on any lake that can be iffy. I had a cousin die on Vermilion going through the ice on his sled. Maybe AA could’ve made a difference, maybe not.

Yes, people will keep pounding the fact that AA floats, and that is because it’s a great thing. Sure you can throw on a life vest or blow up some floaties and put them on your arms, but you know what, I’m lazy and I don’t want the extra bulk of a vest, plus the pink Spongebob floaties don’t go well with the mossy oak camo pattern of my coat.

Dress right, and any of the big name suits out there are going to keep you warm. There is no magic formula or material.

[McGurk]

At least if you do go through, there is a better chance that you are getting out. After that it doesn't matter what you are wearing; you are soaked and in freezing conditions. You need to get dry, and you need do it quickly. Tough to do that while still treading in the lake.

While I own an AA Plus suit, I had no expectations that it would perform on its own in -40 deg weather. I am planning on wearing it on early ice and late ice where flotation is important. But in the depths of winter on really safe ice, layering and employing other options come into play as well.

[Northlander]

I jumped off a dock with my AA on to check and see how it works. I jumped and the dock was 2' off the water and Im 275#. Only spots that got wet were a bit around my ankle because I had tennies on and a bit around my neck. I floated for about 10 minutes before swimming and walking out.

That made a believer out of me.

AA has been great for me.

[DTro]

I jumped off a dock.

Nice try. LOL

[herefish101]

I love the fact that it floats, especially for early and late ice.

[harvey lee]

The AA suit is one of the warmest for that style suit. For the money, one cannot beat it. I use mine for the boat both spring and fall, archery hunting and ice fishing unless it gets to the really cold -40 temps when I should be at home.

The fact that it floats, is light and is so warm under normal conditions is a huge selling point.