Cold Weather Archery Clothing

[panfried]

I am looking to get some nicer cold weather Archery clothing this year. I primarily do all day hunts throughout November and early December. The gear i have now is OK but i find that on some of the colder days and the lack of movement from being on stand all day i get cold. If you throw in some rain or wet snow then i am truly miserable.

I am seriously considering the Bowhunter Extreme SST Parka and Bibs from Cabelas. Upon reading the reviews it sounds like some very good gear. There were a few complaints of the Dry Plus Membrane being too noisy for bowhunting but other than that it sounds like some good stuff.

Looking for opinions on the above gear and or comments and opinions on whatever else may be out there.

Thanks for the info.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I got a camo Arctic Armor suit last year and LOVED it.. Shot a deer the last day of bow season in WI which is like Jan 7th or something like that.. cant remember the exact date, but it was cold.

[harvey lee]

I also shot a deer with the Artic Armor camo last fall. The suit worked very well for me. The material is pretty quiet. As far as rain goes, it's not rain proof but I was in the rain for 1.5 hours in a tree last fall and the coat got wet and somewhat heavy but I did not get wet inside.

I will be using it again this fall in the cooler temps.

[Powerstroke]

Artic Armor camo As far as rain goes, it's not rain proof but I was in the rain for 1.5 hours in a tree last fall and the coat got wet and somewhat heavy but I did not get wet inside.

In order to be quiet the fabric has to be soft with a slight thickness. The waterproof membrane is under that fabric. The Arctic Armor is waterproof, but it doesn't shed the rain like nylon would. You could try a waterproofing on the outside fabric if you want.

It is waterproof, but in order to be quiet it may absorb some water without getting the wearer wet.

[Tippman]

I don't have experience with the clothing you mentioned but I do the layering thing and I'm comfortable down to about 10 below. Long underwear to outside scent lok is 4 layers. I have heard good things about the Heater Body Suit for warmth but it is pretty bulky. Let us know if you get it what you think.

[camdu7]

Hey Panfried

I ordered the Cabelas Bowhunter gear you speak of last year. Just after I ordered and before it arrived I was at Gander and noticed their Guide Series Scent Lock insulated water proof fleece. So I picked them up and took them home to do a head to head with the Cabelas stuff. I found the cabelas gear too loud. Especially the streach portions. The Gander gear was quieter, not silent by any means, but acceptable. The cabelas gear was too short like all cabelas stuff and did not come in tall. I'm only 6-1 but have long arms and legs. Overall I liked the Gander stuff beter and it was like $80 cheeper on the set so the Cabelas stuff went back. As for the Gander stuff in the field.. It was very warm. Most days I would just wear the bibs on the way to the stand with the UA and then put on the parka. It was wind and water/snow proof. I had to do some custom work on the cuffs to remove the vlecro (who are the morons who put that stuff on hunting clothes anyway) and to the collar as it hit my string. As with any clothing make sure you shoot with it on before you go into the woods. Even better shoot in the store.

[CraigM]

I picked up a heater body suit last year and really like it for cold weather hunting. You can wear lighter clothing to your stand and slip the suit on to be very comfy. You have the added advantages of being able to hide a lot of movement and also be able to actually shoot without the heavy layers of clothing interfering.

[mrklean]

I use Under Armour Metal under all of my gear hunting ice fishing etc. For the past 2 years of ice fishing i have never worn a jacket and dont get cold.

[SuperX2]

I have tried a goodly share of different clothing for the conditions you mentioned and have come to buy 95% of my clothing from Cabela's. I think, overall, they have the best quality for waterfowling, and cold, wet weather clothing.

However, one piece I have to double check is thier Dry Plus clothing. Some of it is great and the cold weather Dry Plus clothing is not stuff I really like or use. I also agree Gander's clothing line has really come a long way.

As for particular cold weather clothing, I don't have anything the fellas have mentioned above but would suggest the layering. Go to any Alaska forum and post up clothing. I've been to Alaska a number of times and the one thing I've learned is that layering saves lives. As the saying goes, "cotton kills" when it gets wet. We don't get into that much trouble here because if you get wet, we're generally a 1/2mi walk back to a truck/farm etc. I start w/a poly compression set of Under Armour, a couple long sleeve T-shirts and then a layer of good fleece pants and zip up jacket and then the heavy camouflage clothing.

As of recent I usually do the poly layer and only a silent suede layer for early season and as the temps drop, add a layer. I've kind of quit using the heavy cold weather stuff and keep bulking up the layers and cover w/the silent suede rain gear as the last layer and have really come to like it for staying warm.