Tell me about your cold weather gear

[Jleegriffith]

I am now hooked on hunting and although I ride in the worst of weather I have not had to be out for extended periods of time. Based on the limited amount of hunts we have done I see there is a lot of hurry up and then stand so obviously something breathable.

What I currently have:
shirt- underarmour mock neck. I realized I bought this last year so I should be good to go.

breeches- just regular breeches but I do have some underarmour pants I could wear under them.

Sock- I tend to go with smartwool but I know in my regular boots my feet will be freezing!

Gloves- Um, mmm I have the SSG ranchers in the tan/beige color but have you found anything better?

Typically, if my hands and feet are warm I am okay. Otherwise, I am miserable!

What are you favorite items for cold weather? I do not have a wool hunt coat so perhaps I need something like that. I think with the underarmour mock neck, ratcatcher and regular hunt coat I will still be cold. Anybody use those packets you put in your boots/gloves?

[SidesaddleRider]

A nice heavyweight melton wool coat will be your friend, especially if it’s lined. And where’s your canary vest? And 4-fold stock tie? Those add more layers of warmth.

My friend uses the toe warmers in her boots. Make sure you get the ones that stick to the bottom of your socks, though, otherwise they’ll shift and drive you nutty.

[Elghund2]

A good wool canary or tatersal vest really helps.

I’m not sure what different hunts think but many folks use the FUTI overboots. I just ordered a pair as I am becoming a cold wuss in my old age and decrepitude.

[Jleegriffith]

SR- I am brand new to hunting so those are two things I am looking for. Do must people have a lighter weight vest and heavier one? Limited funds so ebay shopping it is unless I get some good gifts for christmas.

I will have to ask about the futi overboots. Never thought much about them being warm.

[Wheel_Whip]

It has been brutal here!

Considering Saturday’s high will be 30 degrees with a 30MPH wind (Does that make the wind chill factor absolute zero?), I think the most important cold weather gear will be an oversized flask. It is the day of the Hunt Ball, so everyone will have rosy cheeks for the evening! Hopefully frostbite won’t ruin a pedicure…

[BreezyB]

Anyone have advice on good waterproof, warm work gloves? I have such terrible luck with gloves; the last several pairs I’ve purchased have left my fingers perpetually cold all winter. :no:

[SteeleRdr]

I highly suggest, for gloves, getting the thin glove liners from under armour, and then a pair of regular riding gloves (tan of course) for over top. I am not a fan of silk glove liners, but LOVE the UA ones. I’m spoiled by UA, it’s nice to know an in at the company

[BreezyB]

[QUOTE=SteeleRdr;3667995]
I highly suggest, for gloves, getting the thin glove liners from under armour, and then a pair of regular riding gloves (tan of course) for over top. I am not a fan of silk glove liners, but LOVE the UA ones. I’m spoiled by UA, it’s nice to know an in at the company :)[/QUOTE]

I have used (with little success) silk glove liners under my SSG rancher gloves. I will try the UA version…thanks!

[CC1]

I have one canary vest that I would consider midweight. But I have 2 wool coats-a light weight and a heavyweight. I wear regular cotton breeches with either silk longjohns or if really cold, I layer a pair of fleece breeches under the cotton ones.

I second the footwarmers that stick on. I ran out and had to use the non-stick ones on Wed. After taking each boot back off to try to reposition the dang packets, I gave up and they ended up under my heel! My feet will actually sweat easily so I wear wool socks for breathability.

I have the SSG thinsulate black gloves (when it is that cold, no one in my hunt minds that you have on black gloves instead of brown) and they work fairly well. I also have fleece triangles (I think I got them at Bit of Britain) that velcro onto the sides of your helmet harness and keep your ears warm. However, they decrease my ability to hear!

[wateryglen]

think warm thoughts!

Go to a ski shop and buy some cold weather sock liners or glove liners. Silk good, polypropylene good, wool of course. Wear a pair of knee highs over your socks to make boots easier to get on with the socks and provides some warmth. Multiple thin layers good!!
My favorite glove liners are mylar. Metallic threads keep hands warmer under lined leather gloves.
Most important thing to stay warm? Stay hydrated; well hydrated. Keeps circulation optimal. Avoid alcohol (:sadsmile::() as it dilates your peripheral blood vessels and exposes your blood to the cold and cools your core faster. Contrary to popular opinion, no alcohol until you get home! A hit on the flask does NOT warm you up. And keep moving, working muscles generate heat!
And think warm, tropical thoughts!!

[Romany]

Layering…

Wear a couple of really thin pairs of wool socks, vs one thicker pair - make sure there’s plenty of wiggle room for your toes.

If there’s room inside your boots, open up a pack or two of those instant-heat-packs and slip one inside your boot somewhere comfortable.

Those packs are great for other cold spots, eg down inside the back of your breeks ;), etc.

I like to wear woolly tights under my breeches - thighs offer a large surface area for heat to escape.

Heavyweight old-fashioned wool jackets are great, because they’re not only windproof, but stay warm if they get damp (sweaty).

A good wool vest looks nice and retains the heat around your body.

Make yourself a stock from viyella - holds its shape, and is warm and comfortable around your neck.

Gloves…The nicest ones I ever had were real shearling - warm and snuggly, and the right colour too.

[JSwan]

Scotch.

[Beverley]

Well, I’ve been crazy enough to hunt with a HIGH of 16 degrees F back in Virginia. Wool coat is essential. I always found two pairs of panty hose to be warmer than a single pair of longjohns but these days, underarmour type stuff may be the way to go.

Make sure if you are putting on extra or thicker socks, that you have plenty of room for that in the boot- if it makes things too tight, your feet will get colder. Instead I advise good ski liner socks, medium weight ski socks, and the piece de resistance, activate and drop one of those little chemical toe warmer packs in each boot just before donning the boot. Likewise you can carry some of the handwarmers in a pocket for use as the day proceeds, if you find your hands getting cold (in my experience that is a function of how much you are standing around, it won’t be an issue if hounds are finding plenty to hunt).

At Red Rock in Nevada, they have sandy soil and so no frozen ground issues, so if it’s a blizzard, they just put ski goggles on and go.

[Ashby]

I have a few tricks. They don’t exactly keep me warm in really cold weather, but they prevent my body from hardening into glacial rigidity.

1. A polar fleece neck gaiter. This can be concealed beneath the hunting tie, and in an emergency–that is, when the wind chill is awful and my asthma is acting up–it can be pulled up over my lower face. Otherwise it’s invisible and just warms my neck nicely.
2. A pair of ear muffs, the kind that go around the back of your head, under the bottom edge of your helmet, and fold up into a little coil when you’re done.
3. Cheap Chinese cashmere sweaters from Costco or Marshall’s or some other discounter. Next to my skin, they keep me a lot warmer than any long underwear, including UnderArmor.
4. A little down vest worn under the melton. It’s invisible beneath the hunt coat and vest.
5. Buy your hunt coat large so you can fit extra layers under it. If possible (and I admit I haven’t done this yet) buy a frock with long skirts to cover your thighs.

These tricks were all learned in Illinois winters. There is NOTHING like Illinois cold.
5.

[kdow]

I’m curious to hear more about glove solutions- I don’t hunt (maybe later on) but I do get SUPER cold and most indoor arenas around here aren’t heated or anything, so my hands get chilled pretty quickly.

Two other comments:

Be careful with the insta-heat things. They can get hotter than you expect, so don’t put them anyplace you can’t get at them easily if they get too hot. (Unless you’ve previously tested it and know it’s okay, like inside boots with socks between you and the heater pack.)

Regarding not wearing socks that are TOO thick- the basic premise to remember about keeping warm is that you need two ‘layers’- an outer one which is relatively windproof, to prevent your heat being blown away, and an inner one (which can be made up of lots of thinner layers) which serves to trap air and thus provide insulation. So if you put ANYTHING on to help keep warm, and then squish all the loft out of it, you’re probably seriously undermining the actual insulating abilities of the item in question- this goes for socks and sweaters and other garments.

[florida_foxhunter]

I just returned from hunting with Bear Creek in Moreland, GA (outside of Atlanta) It was SIXTEEN degrees when we got up, but I must admit it did get a bit warmer as the morning progressed.

I had on a long john shirt, cotten hunt shirt, medium weight best and medium weight coat…sock liners, wool socks, long john riding pants (purchased from Dover with stirrups to keep them from sliding up), LEGGS Sheer Energy panty hose (a little more substance…I use old ones with runs under my breeches or jeans a lot…they hold up great)
and felt lined riding gloves…was just toasty!! Not too hot and not too cold!!!

I hunted once in the same get up last year at Midland when it was 26 degrees and sleeting (just added my riding raincoat over it)…

However, I must admit, I’m glad I live in the south!! Most days it’s in the 50’s-60’s and sunny <smile>

[Acertainsmile]

I dont hunt much when it’s freezing, but did spend 25 yrs galloping racehorses in the middle of winter at 6:00 a.m.

What I found that works is some kind of winterized boot… SSG winter gloves, a polar tech headband that skiers use (the thin kind)…I’ve also experimented with cycling gloves, the have extra padding on the tops of the fingers, but I dont think they come in brown!

I would also wear a silk or under armour shirt, along with a nice wool sweater or fleece… usually I had my jacket off by my third horse.

When they started requiring us to wear safety vests that also helped… but they were dang hot in the summer!