Arctic Armor

[Lisa Almquist]

Do any of women on this forum own that Arctic Armor jacket/pants combo for ice fishing? I am thinking of investing in them and I wonder how they fit on women and if they think it was money well spent?!

Lisa

[harvey lee]

I dont know any women that have used them but all the gents that have purchased them seem to think that it's a great suit. The fact that you will float in it is also a big plus.

[Lisa Almquist]

Thanks for the response Harvey. I guess maybe a better inquiry should've been what ice fishing gear do all the other forum ladies use, right? I wear a Columbia jacket and nylon bibs with UnderArmour underneath but still seem to get chilly. I want to have a more comfortable fishing winter so just wondering what works for other women. Anyone want to share warmth secrets since my husband NEVER SEEMS TO GET COLD even though he wears a lot less than me?

Lisa

[Hotspotter]

Keeping warm is always a challenge, and even moreso for women, who for several physiological reasons get colder faster and stay colder longer. It has nothing to do with being "tough" or "used to it."

That said, I can only offer the male perspective, though hopefully it helps and is applicable for women also.

1. Know your body - Experience might be the best judge here, but you really need to know what temperatures you can withstand, for how long, with how much wind/precipitation. All the fancy clothing in the world won't do much at all if you didn't bring enough of it. Under-dressing is one of the biggest reasons I see for folks getting cold quickly.

2. Eat something - Your body and metabolism is like a furnace, keep it well-fed, and it will supply more heat.

3. Core heat is key - it's one thing to get cold fingers/feet. These are annoyances we must all deal with, or cover them. You can usually ride this out a few hours unless it gets extreme. However, if the central part of your body gets cold, the trip will be over in a hurry. Use layers....see next.

4. Layering - Everyone says, layer, layer, layer, but that doesn't mean much to most folks; especially if we're piling on sweatshirts. At that rate, you get bulky, uncomfortable, and immobile. Start with a high quality pair of long underwear.....silk, underarmour, some poly blend for wicking purposes. Then move to another lightweight/medium-weight set of long underwear shirt. Next, if it's really cold, I'll put on the army weight poly, top and bottom. Then, it's a windproof shell to protect your investment in long underwear. The Arctic Armor works so well as a shell, I doubt you'll need the third layer of poly. Think lightweight in many layers, not bulky. It'll keep your core temp much better off.

5. Something warm for your head - So much heat loss is out of the top of your head; in fact, I'll put on a baseball cap to thermoregulate when I'm too hot out on the ice. I really like wool or fleece when lined with a wind-stopper material.

6. Other exposed skin - This is tricky, because for many folks, it starts in the hands/face. If it's windy and outside for awhile, you'll need some sort of facemask. It doesn't need to be much, but it'll save you from windburn and cold. For gloves, as much glove that will permit you to be flexible and dexterous.

7. Boots/Socks - The newer Sorel and LaCrosse pacs are pretty nice. However, I think it starts with a quality sock or two. Poly base, then to a smartwool or other high quality merino wool or wool blend.

8. Tricks - Hot chocolate, coffee, or tea works well for many people, but not all. Booze is no good to keep you warm (physically). Handwarmers are great, especially when used in unison with a handwarmer muff. Do yourself a favor and use the great big pouches in one of these, rather than two smaller ones, one per glove. The bigger ones put out much more heat, usually longer. For deer hunting, I don't even wear gloves......barehands with a warmer packet in a handwarmer muff. I use a snowmobilers facemask also....it's some stretchy windproof material that works great. I win no style points, but stay warmer longer. Which brings up a good point, esp. regarding women's winter clothing. Much of the stuff I've seen women in our family buying or looking at over the years is junk. "Cute" sells but it rarely seems built for doing anything but walking to the car from work. Even much of the fancier REI or high-buck gear marketed towards active women in the outdoors; "pretty" sells before "practical." Keep that in mind I'd say when purchasing serious cold-weather gear.

I spend quite a bit of time in a deer stand, then ice fishing, and finally, pre-season and early season scouting for turkey hunting. The best advice I could give is truly point #1. It's your body, and you have to know it better than anyone. If you start to get cold, you need to know what to do, and have the materials/means necessary to do something about it. Otherwise, it's a shorter, less enjoyable trip.

Good luck!

Joel

[walleyedan]

Lisa,

It is now made in xs and also comes in an awesome Mossy Oak Duck Blind pattern. You will love it.

Walleyedan

[Craigums]

Do They sell the Ice Armor jackets separetly or do you have to get the whole suit?

PS: Try a bottle of whiskey to help keep warm

[walleyedan]

It's a better value to buy the complete suit.

Walleyedan

[Lisa Almquist]

Thanks for the advice Joel! Dan, I think it's great that Arctic Armor comes in XS and that you might assume I could buy that size!! Tactful-I like that!

Lisa

[McGurk]

Wow, jnelson; where is that post in the ice fishing section? I would make a formal request that you do a bit of writing over there and get it put up with a sticky. There are some great tips for men and women alike! Maybe Walleyedan could add a little more insight too, I know he had quite the thread going on artic armor there last winter. Thanks!

[irishwalleye]

My wife and I purchased a set each last winter. She was always cold outside prior to the purchase. They were an absoutly terrific purchase (except for the spring dry cleaning bill) for both of us.

I can speak for her that they are just about perfect.

[Powerstroke]

From personal experience, the Arctic Armor suit is fantastic. I used it in many configurations and frankly I was usually too warm. Part of the problem is I bought it late season. My wife used mine (were the same height) and liked it alot. She is also afflicted by being cold all the time and found the siut to be great. Obviously my suit was a bit big on her "girth-wise", but it helped protect her by blocking the wind and keeping warm.

I agree with jnelsons comments about having proper footwear and having layers. I do winter camping and its amazing the temps one can endure with the proper layers and not just throwing on all of your clothes. Most people get coldbecause they sweat in their clothes rather than being under-dressed.

Underarmor, Cabelas and other major retailers have fantastic lines for womens clothing. The best thing you can do is get a quality poly-based base layer. Something to help your skin breath and keep moisture away from the skin. Its better to have 5 thin layers than 2 thick layers.

As far as my artic armor, I love it and can't wait for winter. Its money well spent and the fact that it floats adds a extra feeling of security.

[SomethingFishy*]

I have not personnaly used the Arctic Armor, however both myself and my girlfriend have been using Ice Armor for the past 2 seasons. I have been very happy with the setup. We both also have the Rocky Blizzard stalker boots, I have been using mine for a few years and am very pleased. We just picked up a ladies pair from her this past winter, she always got cold without this combo. After purchasing it we spent a week on URL last february when the temps were brutal cold. The boots along with wool socks and some sort of thermals top and bottome and we are both good to be out in all winter weather.

[Lisa Almquist]

Here's my gear rundown:

Feet: Blizzard Stalkers and Ice Kings(when it's super cold), Smartwool sox

Hands:Gore Tex mitts from Gander or Choppers for the ride out and Ice Armor Gloves when actually on the ice

Body: Underarmour leggings and top (used to use silk but doesn't wick as well)

So I think my inside layers are sufficient so I think that Arctic Armor will be the icing on the cake so to speak...

Lisa

[french_lake_kid]

Is that the same as Ice Armor? I'm confused

[Powerstroke]

They are NOT the same. The names sound similar, but the products differ in a couple ways. Most notably is that the Arctic Armor floats. There are a couple other small diferences but you'd have to have them side by side to notice.

[french_lake_kid]

Sweet how does it float?

[Lisa Almquist]

FLK,

It's something about the Insultex stuff inside. Multiple layers of it makes the suit bouyant or something like that. It's also windproof and waterproof.

Lisa