Clothing Advice/ suggestions

[Dakota Iceman]

Hey guys...the temps are right about where a person wants them to be, near zero here in the dakotas. I have a hundred dollar gift certificate left over from christmas at cabelas. Here is my predicament: really need a good cold weather glove. 2). I need a good pair of cold weather socks. 3). Some type of head gear/ hat. Keep in mind I will be out on the ice this weekend in south dakota...predicted temps will be zero to 10 degrees. Im set as far as boots and snow-pants and coat. Using silk long johns and the boots are rated to a hundred below. Anyone got any good tips and still try to keep me under the hundred bucks? please advise, im heading over to the mecca of ice fishing and clothing on my lunchbreak today. thanks, Dakota Iceman.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Iceman,
It's hard to beat a good thinsulate stocking hat for warmth on the ice! Be sure to take along a reg. baseball type hat for walking out or for warm days. A 3" or 4" wide head band works great for keeping your ears warm on warmer days too!
A good pair of Gortex/insulated gloves will cost you $30 to $60 but are worth every cent!
Cliff

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Cliff's Guide Service
CliffsGuideService-LakeVermilion.com
Lake Vermilion
Phone: (218) 753-2005

[huskminn]

Wishing I was going with you to Mitchell!

Hats and gloves have so many options and are left so much to personal tastes that I won't even try to advise. However, you may want to look into a "neck gaitor". They are normally made of fleece and do a great job of keeping your neck warm and sealing up your jacket. Even with a mediocre hat on, the neck gaiter can almost instantly warm you up. Mine is in my truck all winter.

Socks: I would recommend starting with a couple of pairs of polypropylene sock liners. They aren't too expensive, but make a world of difference. They wick moisture away from your feet and dry very quickly. Follow the liner with a good wool sock. How heavy your sock needs to be depends a little on how much room you have in your boot. A very heavy sock that makes your boot tight is almost worse than no sock at all.

I would think a medium weight wool sock would suffice, but if you've got the room, you can go with a heavy pair. If you've got the money, get a pair of each.

SmartWool makes a very good quality sock and it is fairly expensive because of that. It is a wool/synthetic blend. Wigwam is beginning to improve their sock quality and now has a fairly wide selection. There are probably other comparable brands. I love the Smartwool and have put many miles on them backpacking, snowshoeing, hunting and icefishing. They also don't pill like lesser quality socks.

Whatever you do.....don't purchase a sock that has any amount of cotton in it. Cotton is great for playing basketball, but is horrible for holding the moisture that makes your feet cold.

Good luck!

[Guest]

I am a Carhartt kind of guy, relatively cheap, warm, not as bulky as some other brands. You cant beat a good ol pair of choppers, I picked up some gauntlet style neoprene gloves that are great and under 30 bucks. Get yourself a brown Carhartt stocking cap. IMHO socks are only as good as the boot. And remember warm clothes work better when they are just a little bigger, maybe a size bigger to keep warm air in.

morriscode

[Jim W]

I second the smart wool socks. As far as hats, they ain't perrrty, but the rabbit fur lined "bomber style" hats are very warm. If you go with a bomber hat,make sure it is a tad too big so you can have a fleece style hat underneath if need be or baseball cap.

Gloves, mitten style period. Gloves with fingers won;t keep your hands warm at all.

I open air fish(no shelter) so the main areas need to be kept warm norder(for me) are feet and head then hands.

Good luck in your decision. I wish I had an extra "c" note floatingaround to spend!!LOL

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[BLACKJACK]

Good advice by all, a good stocking cap and choppers get my vote. Also have something with a hood, either your outer coat or hooded sweatshirt that can go over the top. On the socks the guys are right, polypro socks on the inside, then wool. I'd like to add, get multiple pairs of wool socks, most thin and one thick, then when you're putting them on, keep putting them on until you have a snug but not a tight fit. I've had up to 4 socks on one foot. If you have a long ways to drive, put your socks/boots on at the landing. Also think about polyproplyne underware both top and bottoms, thats a must! Any kind of sweat buildup next to your skin and you'll be cold. On your outerware, make sure the pant legs have zippers so you can put them on over your big boots.

Have fun!

[Mr. Nailz]

Get Smart Wool socks for sure. I sell them and they have been unbelivable. They are expensive, but are worth it. I started carrying them after I bought my first pair 2 years ago.

[nunzio]

Another vote on the Smart Wool socks!!!
I got a wool stocking hat that has a Gore tex/ Thinsulite liner in it, VERY warm!!! can't remember who makes it tho. I'm still looking for a better mitten/chopper myself.

[widetrack]

Smart wool socks are worth the 1,800 pennies!

A balaclava (sp?) is great under a stocking cap/bomber also.

Thermacare wraps around the kidney area will keep you warm too! Not too expensive either. I usually only wear these in extreme cold, and need to stay out in it for extended periods of time
[This message has been edited by widetrack (edited 01-14-2003).]

[This message has been edited by widetrack (edited 01-14-2003).]

[Thumper]

Just anoether vote for the neck gaiter. My wife gave me one, I did not know I needed it. After useing sure am pleased with the difference it makes.

[This message has been edited by Thumper (edited 01-14-2003).]

[Guest]

As for boots...nothing is better than Mickey's, and for head warmth I've used what they call a Balaclava Hood. It's a military cold weather hood and you can get them cheap for about $10. Not very pretty but are they warm! For further cold you can get the extreme cold weather masks that are for use when temps dip into the -20's and more for about $8 Never once got cold with these guys, check out Military Surplus for Extreme Cold Gear...you won't find any gear that keeps you warmer. Flight Pants to -50, Cold Weather Parkas. hsolist's a great source and also found great prices at ljtrading.com

[Minnetonka]

Here are my personal cold weather clothing choices.

1. Hat- I love the bomber style rabbit fur hat when it is very cold, otherwise I stick with a thick stocking hat.

2. Bib-style artic Carharts. As another person said, get the slightly big so you have room to move around in them.

3. I am also big on neck gaters. I use a thin spandex one that I got from a running store. It keeps all the cold air off you neck.

4. Gloves/mitts. I go with a thinsulite mitt that flips open so the fingers can be used. If I am using my hands a lot or it is slightly warmer, I use wool fingerless gloves. make sure the thumb is exposed as well.

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[Guest]

There is nothing that works better than a bomber hat for keeping your head and cheaks warm. I wear i baseball hat underneath it for warmer activities. That rabbit fur works great and they go down far enough in the back to cover your neck. Never had the smart socks, but I swear by those propylene socks covered with some wool ones.

[Steve Foss]

Dakota Iceman:

Gloves, socks, hat. You've just hit the big three keys on staying warm on the ice, given you've got decent boots and clothes.

Hands, feet, head, all the extremities that are hardest to keep warm, and more heat is lost through the head than anywhere.

Gloves: The simplest way I've found to stay warm is to put hand-warmers in my pockets, one on each side, and simply buy a pair of the leather choppers with the wool inserts. Keep your hands in the mittens until you get a bite. After you've landed the fish (usually with at least one bare hand, most often two) and rebaited and put your line back in the water, dry your hands on a towel, and put them back in the mittens if they're not too cold and into your pockets to warm them before using the mittens if they're really cold.

Hat: The bomber hats are wonderful and inexpensive. They keep your ears warm and go well down your neck in the back. Two notes -- get a neck gaiter to keep you warm from the mouth down, which can also be pulled up over the mouth and nose when needed, and if sun is an issue, make sure your bomber is just a little big, so you can wear a baseball cap under it to keep off the sun.

Socks: Never, ever wear cotton socks. They hold your foot's sweat against the skin, robbing your feet of warmth. Use two socks, a thin polypropylene, thermax or nylon liner sock, and a pure wool or wool blend outer thicker sock. The inner synthetic sock pulls the wet away from your foot, and the outer wool sock retains its insulating properties even when it becomes damp. Also, make sure your boots are loose enough so your foot doesn't bind and is easy to wiggle around in the boot. Tight boots cut off circulation, making your feet colder faster. If you are hiking in somewhere and require tight boots for ankle support, loosen them before you start fishing.

And lastly, fuel your own engine. Eat a meal with lots of carbohydrates to keep your motor running warm.

Good luck. I'd say stay out of the wind, but since you're in the Dakotas that's not possible.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-14-2003).]

[FreeFlySpy]

The best piece of clothing I ever bought was a black mesh vest with 4 pockets in the front and 5 on the back. Fill them with Myco large pocket warmers and you can cut down on the bulk to stay warm.Maybe on a warm day even heat up a hot dog. Best $20.00 I ever spent!