I'm still trying to decide which cold weather clothing to buy. As I've said I'm very cold natured! I'm looking for something to wear stand hunting in Alabama and hopefully moose and caribou hunt in Canada. I don't mind spending $400 on a bibs and a jacket, but I want it to WORK. I don't want it to be too heavy, I want it to be warm and I don't want it to be so bulky I can't move around in it, i.e.. the little boy on the movie "the Christmas story".

So in doing some research I've run across these two choices.
1. Cabelas outfitters wool series with dry-plus.
2. Cabelas silent suede with dry-plus and thinsulate insulation.

Having not seen or used either, which do you think would be the better choice for my needs?

Will the wool be that much heavier? Want the silent suede be bulkier? Which would be warmer?

Mark,

I really like wool but I think that the sythetic combination here would be hard to beat.

What are the washing instructions for the items? Personally, For hunting, I hate buying anything which is "Dry Clean Only"

Regards,

Pete

Cabelas says the wool is machine wash, but I'm not sure I'd want to do that. Based on what little I know about wool.

Personally, I am moving more and more into the polypropylene's. Wool's nice, but much heavier. Also, I much prefer several layers compared to a "big coat".

I don't know much about stand hunting, but here in the NW, we do get some cold. Expedition weight polypro long underwear is where it is at..... JMO, Dutch.

Mark65x55,

Think layers, not Bulk.

My choices for cold and very cold:

Heavy weight Polypro undershirt, followed by Light weight Polypro turtleneck, followed by Wool shirt, followed by Barbour Lightweight oiled cotten lined parka, with lightweight cotten orange vest overall if needed for law compliance.

Orange wool cap, over a Polypro hood/facemask for really cold weather.

Polypro (heavy or lightweight depending on cold)longies, under Filson wool pants.

Gloves polypro lightweight liners under wool fingerless heavyweight gloves.

Bob

I have found one item that has made a world of difference on the stand.Get a polyprop neck gaiter. Don't wear it to and from but when you cool down on the stand put it over your neck.You'll feel 20 degrees warmer.I like coveralls with thinsulate.

I would not buy the wool item.
Lots of folks swear by wool, I have never owned a piece of wool clothing. My skin does not like it.
Thinsulate and fleece are good stuff.

I am a proponent of the layering theory.
In very cold weather I may wear up to 4 layers of different weight long underwear tops and a thick microfleece jacket (with windstop if it is going to be windy). 1 layer of long underwear bottoms (weight depending on how cold it is and now much hiking I will be doing) and microfleece pants. Definitely a neck cover of some type and headgear with a face cover. I peel off or add layers as the day warms or gets colder.

Large heavy bulky outer garments are not the way to go for my type of hunting.
Maybe if you are sitting in a tree stand it is different and you can get away with them.

I like wool clothing, it's very warm but heavy & gets heavier when wet. I have moved almost exclusively to layers of polypro, insulated or not, depends on how cold.

Well, I am getting to be an old geezer, and when I hunt, I sweat like a horse, I like wool, because when it gets wet, I'm still warm. I have, just this last year, tried the worstelon shirts, from cabela's, and like them very much, because they feel like wool, but dry much faster. Last year, I bought a pair of codet wool pants, and like them very much, also they weren't near as expensive as some of the other wools. JMO.

Mad Dog

In your post, you mentioned stand hunting. I think that scenario would be perfect for the thinsulate version of cold weather gear. If you were out in the brush, moving about, multiple thin layers of wool might serve you best. It is easy to regulate your temperature by opening the layers to allow heat dissipation. By opening one layer at a time, you can easily maintain control. I also prefer wool if I am going to get wet. Wet wool will still hold heat, and it will dry out from body heat. It is also quieter when on the move in brush or trees. JMHO.

As far as getting wet and sweating: no one sweats more than I do during early elk season. Humping my 240 lb carcass up the hill creates some heat!

From that experience I can clearly state that polypropelene and fleece wick and dry MUCH quicker than any wool I have worn. I have several wool pants and a Codet jacket, and it just doesn't hold a candle to polypro under Goretex. I can get soaking wet, and dry out in under an hour; not so with wool.

Plus, wool gets so heavy when wet that it becomes really a problem in some cases. JMO, Dutch.

Dutch, where can I find a suite of this "polypro under Goretex" better than sliced bread stuff

I talked to Susan, the owner of Raven Wear, at the Birmingham deer show. Since then I've read a lot of good things about it! I may take the time to drive 3 hours to the Buckmasters Expo in August so I can talk to her again. I tried on one of her jackets at the Birmingham show, without the sherpa lining. She said the sherpa lining would be too much for stand hunting in Alabama. It was light, soft and she says wind and water proof. She said it was warmer than wool and lighter. Hmmmm, I can't make up my mind. I know I'm tired of buying new clothes every year or two and still not being warm.

Hi Mark, my favorite coat is a Whitewater Outdoor insulated, Goretex coat. Do not buy the "faketex". It's not the same.

Underneath I usually have a fleece shirt (of some sort), and underneath that polypropylene (sp) Patagonia long underwear. Usually medium weight, because even at 10 degrees or so, that combination is enough to make me sweat HARD on the uphills.

When coyote hunting in the winter, I usually just go to expedition weight long underwear and fleece lined jeans, and a hood/neck gaiter thingamajig. That combination is "powerful warm", and walking to the stands definitely steams up the glasses.

Again, think multiple layers, rather than a "super coat". HTH, Dutch.

There is no substitute for wool! It's one of the only materials I know of that retains nearly all of it's insulating value when its wet. I have the Cabelas legacy wool set with the dry lock liner and that is a deadly combo. IMO thre's nothing out there either that is as quite as wool in the woods.

Mark,
I bought some waterproof thinsulte clothes from Cabella's for a moose hunt. They were GREAT in Alaska and keep me warm on the coldest day when I hunt in Louisiana or here in Alabama.

I got a parka and a pair of insulated pants. With my 1200 gram thinsulte boots, I could have slept in the snow. I think that suit came in a material called "saddlecloth" and is softer and quiter that goretex.

Very warm, waterproof and I like the light weight.

As someone that lives and hunts in a cold climate I do not own any wool.I use polypropelene as a base layer, then fleece ,then a goretex shell to keep out the wind.

I agree with Stubblejumper. The secret is to be warm but maintain mobility. For all you southern boys, if you can't maintain mobility or freedom of movement would probably be a better term, your experience in cold weather will be downright miserable. We live here year round and the cold is no big deal if you prepare properly.

Either is fine, but I recommend the layered system as opposed to a heavy parka or one piece coveralls.

WOOL!

As some of our Canadian friends may attest, there are some places in the world in which plypro and thinsulate just ain't goona make it. I hunted in the Yukon two Februarys ago and had a layer of polypro, followed by TWO layers of Fleece, followed by a Filson wool double-mackinaw cruiser on top. I also wore Filson wool mackinaw overalls. Would I have wanted less insulating power on my snowmobile for 8 days? HELL NO! I got pretty wet but NEVER cold! Further, even though I graduated from the Gore School of Business and with all respect to Bill and Vieve (rest their souls), the fabric is generally too noisy for proper hunting wear. Wool is quiet and warm under wet or dry conditions. I can deal with bulk, I cannot deal with cold and noise!

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

Wool will actually give off a small amount of heat as it gets wet. I usually wear layers of some wool when I hunt in Manitoba. Its been down to -30F and I had no problem.

The bad thing is that they are both correct. The only problem with wool that I have is it gets heavy when wet. The synthetics all work. Good old polyester in a fleece weave just can't be beat. You can't hardly get real polypropelene because it retains smells and because it melts in the dryer. Most of the high performance fabrics are a polyester material in some magic weave. My cold weather system is a poly underwear top and bottom. Light layers of poly on top with a wool shirt or coat. If I am not wearing my bibs I will wear wool pants. With bibs I wear fleece. Two years ago I retired my old red and black wool coat for one of the Jacket/Gor-tex Shell combinations. Yeah it is expensive but I will never go back. Works great! Go to the Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) website to find out more information on the new products and blends and layering then go to Campmor or Bigfoot to buy it. Cabelas is almost as expensive as REI. Sierra Trading Post is a close out place. Go to Google.com and do a search.Good Luck. Slim

When its cold wool it the best. I have spend several days hunting and also working outside in -10 to -20 celsius. I use wool from top to bottom.

Wool boxer shorts, long wool underpants and shirt of wool. If it's real cold I put on two layers of underwear.

I use wool socks. Both thin and thick. Usually I were thin ones agaist the skin and then but on one or two pairs of thick ones outside.

I use wool swetter, both thick and thin. I have wool boots(Nesna Lobben) for real cold weather. I have some think that looks like a cross betwin socks and boots that I but outside the wool ones. Thay are water prof and also insulates. They are millitary. (Overtrekks sko)

I also use big leather bothts with two layers, one water resistan and one insulating. I always use wool soles in my boots. Some pages of newspaper inside the boots helps.

A wool hat and gloves, mittes on cold days. I use wool mittes agains the skinn and then a larger buth thin water repalent one on the out side. The outside ones goes to the albow.

I have a thin hat that covers the hole head, only the face is left exposed, I also has a thick one that only leaves the eyes and mouth open. Often with a pair of extra thin cloves on the inside. I use a light but a bit oversized g-tex jacket(Swedteam) and also g-tex pants. My pants are a bit heavier. (H�rkila lappmarksbyksan)

If it's -20 and I have to sit still I ad a snow scooter suit or simulare.

This gear should work down to -50 if you are moving.

Wool will keep you warm if you get wet, modern wool clotes can be washed in mashine, it does't smell, and the moderns underwear don't itch.

You jacket and pants should only keep water out and let sweath out. The stuff under should keep you warm.

Johan

[ 07-27-2003, 18:59: Message edited by: 308winchester ]

I like wool most of the time (winter time, that is, we're not talking about dating here). As pointed out, it does get heavy when wet. The artificial insulators are good, but usually are inside garments made of a noisy material. Thinsulate lined fleece goes along way, and the polypropylene enderwear is great stuff (I can't wear wool longjohns, allergies). I guess you're best bet is to layer yourself in polypropylene, thinsulate lined fleece, then wool. In easily shed layers. Yes, it can get damn cold here, but we also have winters where the temperature is barely below freezing. FWIW - Dan

WOOL

Soo manny sheeps can't be wrong .
Synthetic materials have their advantages, but when they get wet you loose the warming effect. Gaytex is to my mind overrated and if you hunt mountians of other physicly taxing hunts you will have a trouble wenting out the moisture and sweat. If you are looking for a cotton fabric that just as good as goretex I suggests ventile or eta proof fabrics, they are not cheap
I tend to dislike gaytex more and more. I had manny pair of boots and other "fantastic" product of gore tex that leaked after a short use.

/ JOHAN

[ 07-27-2003, 22:50: Message edited by: JOHAN ]

I have used goretex for many years and found it to work very well.The first versions were a little noisy but that has changed over the years and the latest goretex clothes are quite quiet.It is also waterproof where wool lets the moisture soak right though.As well wool can get very heavy when wet which is a concern in the mountains where the extra weight takes more energy and tires you faster.

Most hunting guides and wood cutters that I know wear wool. We use the thinsulate and goretex stuff to. Usually, this hi-tech stuff is given to us as a tip. We wear it till it is worn out which is never that long. When I have to buy clothing, it is wool. Most hunters that come around are wearing the hi-tech stuff and it seems to work for them. Then again they are only around for 12-14 days not 70+ days.
Either one should work for you.

Daryl

My own goretex jacket and pants are 12 years old.They are worn approximately four weeks each year so their life is not really that short.If I wore wool I would still need rain gear over top on rainy days and non breatheable raingear will have you just as wet with sweat as the rain would get you.I prefer to stay dry myself.

Synthetics vs. wool? It depends on what you need. Out here we live in our gear versus someone hunting a couple of weeks a year. I get colder temps than just about everybody on this board...up to 80 below not counting wind chill. Almost everyone I know uses wool and of course layering is the key. Try getting close to a fire with synthetics on and see what happens. I prefer Filson. I know it's expensive but I can't afford to get sick or hurt due to saving a few bucks. In fact, I just sold some guns to buy some clothing that I needed. It's kind of like having several guns but not owning good binoculars. Optics, boots and clothing are used much more than any gun, bullet or scope.

I wear poly-pro underwear, a wool hunting coat (for nostalgia as much as anything), or if the weather is really nasty a fleece/goretex shell and however many layers of zip-front fleece I need in between.

For cold I wear a neck gaitor with a radar cap(helmet liner type hat). For wet I'll trade the radar cap for a long-bill cap and cover up with a hood, or I'll wear a wide brim oil-cloth hat over a ski mask (I cut the top off the ski mask if needed for hat fit).

This has been some great discussion. For fall and winter hunting, I like wool options with a full polypro or similar sythetic underwear. There are some synthetic long-johns out there that do not harbor stench like the early models did. There's a lot to be said for that combo but the wool for the cold cannot be beat IMHO. I use the poly-fleece for moderately cool activity but that does not include wind. I like the feeling of the lighter than air fleece stuff, it's almost like hunting naked. But, wool works for wind like fleece cannot without an additional layer. Yup, wool gets heavier when wet, but it still stays warm when wet. Fleece tends to drain down to your ankles and soak your shoes and socks if its really wet out there.

As far as wool care goes, I've never flinched at the "DRY CLEAN ONLY" labels. My last pair of Woolrich 'Malones' lasted 18 years. My recipe for cleaning them is simple. First, don't let the ladies wash 'em, ever, not once. When YOU think your woolies need washing, fill a bathtub 3 or 4 inches deep with luke-cool water. Add your favorite detergent; be it Wool-lite, or some non-stench promise or whatever. Add your stench filled woolies and make sure they get fully soaked. Let them sit for hours, if possible. Or until someone or something stinkier needs the damn tub (guess who!). Roll them around a bit to loosen more dirt if you want to. Then, lift your stuff out of the dirty water, lightly wring it and drain the tub. Place your woolies into the washing machine and TURN IT TO THE SPIN CYCLE ONLY. This gets the soapy water out. Meanwhile, rinse the tub and refill with luke-cool water. Put your woolies back in for a rinse and respin. Then, just hang them to dry. Voila! Clean as new. No dry-clean organic solvent vapors at all.

Gore-Tex, Thinsulate, and Poly-Pro! Wool is to heavy dry, let aloe wet, and bulky! I spent a winter in Korea and another at 82 degrees North Latitude. But the most miserable was June in Fort Ord, California. Wet and miserable. 35 at night 80 in the day. ALWAYS! Dress in layers, no matter which material you chose. Poly-Pro sock liners are the most important article of clothing you must buy. Over that wool works great, but I wear cotton/poly blend over since I'm alergic to wool. I won't knock wool, but next to your skin you must wear poly-pro to whisk away your perspiration, or when you stop you will freeze.

The layers thing is okay, but 5 layers of crap clotes isn't better than two good ones.

Don't use cotton, it get's really cold when wet and it sokes up swett and mouisture and traps it agains your skinn.
I used to where a cotton anorakk when skiing in cold weather. It keeps the wind out but not water. I also used millitary uniform for hunting, it is a mix of wool and cotton. It wasn't great but ok if you used the right underwear.

I used my gortex pants and jacket almost dayly for work when I was in Finnmark, I had no trouble with them and they where both waterprof and breathing. There are no magic clotes but they are quite good.

Skinn and fur clotes as hats and mittens is also good stuff. I have used dogskinn mittens and hats and seal skinn mittes, realy warm, but there are better clotes for hunting.

Johan

[ 07-30-2003, 15:56: Message edited by: 308winchester ]

I'm looking for something to wear stand hunting in Alabama

How about a Speedo and DEET?

For stand hunting in Michigan when it is cold I like insulated coveralls over fleece pants and pullover. A warm hat is key no matter what as are boots and gloves. I carry my coveralls to my stand and then put them on after I cool down. This works well when I'm not having to walk too far. For hard core, out in all conditions, wilderness type hunting I prefer wool.

Jeff

Skibum, that was funny!

Seriously, though, I've rarely been as cold as I have been in South Texas. That humidity makes things clam up quickly -- a very good reason to stay the **** away from anything cotton close to the skin, or anywhere else, for that matter. Dutch.

Old wool things start to smell like old wool after a certain point. If Alabama deer are attracted to the scent of smelly old wool-smelling garments, maybe that's the way to go.

H. C.

For years i froze in thinsulate. Then I bought a pair of milsurp swedish wool pants and I was comfortable. Now I usually layer wool under poly and have no problems.

I think I have more hunting clothes than regular clothes so I usually mix and match.

It's still nice to come in to camp and lose those heavy damp clothes with full pockets and slip on that goosedown jacket and a chamois shirt to relax around the fire in.

Recoil Rob
say, these trousers they don't happend to be gray? I think it's the old m/39 you use
Cheers
/ JOHAN