thought I would share a bit of knowledge about how you lose heat aka get cold. The five ways the body loses heat are Conduction Convection Radiation Respiration Perspiration/Moisture

Conduction is the physical process where heat is lost because you are touching something cold. So don't sit or lay on the bare ground, a large stone or a snow covered log. Put some insulation between you and it. be sure there is good insulation between your sleeping bag and the ground. If you're hunting in Winter bring a 3'X 3' hunk of carpet with pad stapled together to stand on if your standing on the ground. Put some kind of pad on the tree you're leaning on in the treestand or on the ground. Convection is the heat lost from the wind blowing over/around you. So putting it simply, stay out of the wind. Use self made and natural occuring windbreaks. Put your camp in the wind shadow of same as well as your stands. Wear a windproof layer if possible. Radiation is heat lost just because your standing in the great wide open. Even though you are clothed well with a hat, a scarf, gloves, etc. The heat still radiates off you. It also radiates out of your tent. Having some kind of roof above you will help reduce heat loss from radiation. That is also another reason to put a tarp over your tent not just to keep the snow off your tent but to be a radiation inhibitor/reflector. I've never personally tried it but those treestand umbrella roofs might help in this regard. These first three are why it is urgent to get yourself a shelter in a survival situation. A proper shelter will get you off direct contact with the ground, block the wind and cover you to hold in radiant heat. Respiration is your own breath. You take in cold air and exhale warm, moist air. The faster you breath the faster you'll get cold. Control your breathing. Easy does it in activities in cold weather. I've never had one to try but one of those fairly new heat exchanger face covers might be a good investment for the Deep cold Season. Slow, steady work is much better than rushing, grunting and heaving in gulps of cold air. This also brings us to the last... Perspiration or sweating...to put it simply, sweating can kill you. While exercise can heat up your muscles and warm you all over, you must not sweat. You should be dressed in layers against the cold, so if you're working, strip layers. If you sweat strip and dry yourself with a towel if available. Not just sweat but any mositure is lethal in the deep cold. Rain, slushy snow or falling into water are all potentional killers. You need to get out of wet weather or the water, and get yourself and your clothes dry just as fast as you safely can. You have longer than you think before serious hypothermia starts. As long as you can, and are shivering you're in the self save-able zone. If you stop shivering and get foggy in thought you better have a friend with you or immediate rescue. A word here on wool. Yes it can keep you warm when damp but it sucks up a lot of water if you fall in . The same is true for most synthetic insulation. Try swimming in any of it. You'll find it is the most exhausting activity you've ever tried. Extreme care must be taken when walking on ice. So remember whenever and whereever possible don't sit, stand or lay on bare ground or object. Try to stay out of the wind. Keep under cover. Control your breathing. Stay dry, stay warm, stay alive.

good info, another tip is its about -10 outside now but a balmy +70 in front of this screen

Hey Rivewrwolf, I was just wondering where you've been...good tips everyone.

FF

RW,

I hear ya' Brother...best to you also!

FF

TTT

Cold weather will soon be back so to the top to refresh everyone or help first time readers.

Some great advice C2.

Whew doggies - That's why us and the dogs are heading to Florida this morning. My granddudes and grandudeces thinks its cold when we camp in the winter in Florida (50 degrees F) and hug the fire like a bunch of stray cats.

Great stuff. Thanks

Back to the top

Great info!

Rule #1 - throw out all the cotton hunting clothes you own. ;)

Good tips. I wish I would have known about wool when I first started hunting in our cold winters. Took about a dozen years to find out the old guys knew what they were doing. 8^). My cold weather gear consists mostly of wool sweaters, shirts and pants...and socks. I do have some poly under layers also. No cotton after it gets below 35.

Spent the last two days riding from before daylight to dark in wind, rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow. Silk long johns next to my skin, wool socks over silk levis and chaps on my legs, wool shirt and slicker on top, and a wool cap under the slicker hood. Stayed warm and dry both days. Only in the mid 20's to mid 40's for temp depending on elevation but if you have ever sat on a horse for hours in the winter you know it's a cold place to be. The silk thing is to keep any other clothes from binding and slowing or stopping circulation. It's also pretty wind proof and keeps your skin dry.

THIS IS GREAT INFO! BACK TO THE TOP! Batman

I would add remember nutrition. Cut back on caffiene,stay hydrated, and don't try to lose weight, you need those calories.

I agree with the getting wet.

I had to work for 10 hrs one day in hard freezing rain. We showed up for work fully expecting to get shut down, so I wasn't dressed for it. But turns out we had to work. By the end of the day I was so cold, (all of us were) I was literally soaked to the skin, could not have been ANY WETTER! Could not have been any colder.

Might have been one of the most miserable days I've ever endured . I've worked outside all my life so I've had plenty of cold days cold enough your teeth chatter.

I'm always amazed when people talk about dressing for the cold they never mention a hat. Probably one of the most important items of clothing. You lose a lot of heat out of your head.

I agree about the hat. Also, something to cover your ears and a good wool scarf or neck gaiter to protect that area.

A few years back I was at the fur rendezvous in Anchorage. It was a little below zero. I was wearing a watch cap and a parka. After an hour or two I started getting pretty cold. I was talking to a guy during the fur auction and I had lost the bids on an otter skin or two and was starting to shiver a bit.

There was a buyer standing next to me He looked at me and asked me to follow him. We walked over to one of the vendor tables and he grabbed a fur skin hat and told me to put it on. I cant remember if it was a coyote or a wolverine or whatever.

I put it on and just stood there for a minute or so. Within a minute I was warm again.

There is NO manmade material anywhere that can match the thermal qualities of a fur bearer hat. Plain and simple. It was a valuable lesson on my part. It makes any wool item...child's play.

I sure as hell wish it were cold now here in New York. I have been avoiding going out hunting because it has been very warm. I think today it supposed to be 80 degrees!

It's warm here too but I'm not burning any heating oil. 8^). We have lots of acorns this year so the critters are feeding...warm or cold. My last best buy on good wool was a heavy sweater from am Ebay seller. Pure wool, made in Scotland, cost less than $25.00 shipped. With a long john shirt under it and a light wool shirt, the sweater serves as outerwear on pretty cold days. If it's windy, I have a camo jacket that was gifted to me in 2003 that is windproof and very quiet. A hat is obviously important and I have wool watch caps and also a Stormy Kromer. No problem with losing heat with any of those.

I'd take 80 in a minute Legato. 92 when I got in my stand yesterday afternoon. YUK!

Just for giggles I looked up the coldest recorded temp...-79.8 prospect Alaska..a bit chilly.

Here in PA Our coldest recorded temperature was -42 in Smethport in McKean county. I know one thing if it was -42 in Smethport..It was probably -55 back in the mountains.

Northern PA sees below zero temps fairly often back in the mountains.

It's hard to sit still for extended periods when it gets cold like that.

As far as camping in cold weather, a nice mt stream might be a good place to camp in the summer. But it's no good in the winter. Camp on higher ground.

To the top

Moving it up for those who haven't seen it.

Great info!

I have plenty of hats, because I don't have a haircut. However, IMHO, a neck gaiter is almost as important.

I'll never forget that many years ago I was on shore leave in Spain, and the weather turned chilly. I went into a shop which sold wool goods and quickly found out that I couldn't afford the sweaters they were selling. I could afford a wool scarf. I bought one, and it kept me warm enough to enjoy my leave time.

A silk bandana or "rag" like ranchers wear folded on the diagonal to make a triangle and wrapped twice around your neck and tied with a square knot keeps the neck warm, too, as well as having multiple uses from filtering water to being a wash cloth or an ear wrap if all you have is a ball cap on. And light as a feather and better than the cotton bandanas for warmth.

I wear a merino wool turtle neck as a base layer so I only need a scarf or neck gaiter when it is bitter cold.

Good reading with important and interesting information.

Thanks Ryan.

There is a good read on journal of mountain hunting ,on how to rewarm , it's Extreme , on how they train navy seals, but it could relate to hunters , I know I have gotten soaked, and had the wrong clothes on, and it could have been serious. But that was a long time ago, and cotton is long gone.

It its that cold, I anit going.

My trick is to keep moving. I rarely get cold no matter the temp if I'm still hunting, even that amount of slow mvt. keeps me warm.

because I am a transplanted Floridian to the mountains of Virginia I try to stay inside. Life begins at eighty. Good post and explained very well.

I hunted yesterday evening. I don't remember being any colder but I know I have been. I guess because it has been so warm for so long. It was 10 degrees and a steady wind. I cudmt feel my right hand right around dark and didn't think I'd make it back to my cabin

I'm staying inside. Might have minus 48 windchill today. I do have to go out to finish shoveling.

Joe

As I'm reading this the temp has risen to -22C from -31c early this morning. I appreciate this topic very much Very Good points .

I'm gonna find myself a woman and take her down to Florida- to Tampa with her.

Joe

Frisky you ain't right:)

Once it gets cold I have a 24"x36" green wool blanket I roll up and strap on my pack it's easy with sinch straps...Anyway I fold it and put on treestand seat ...It keeps my butt warm and eliminates any noises....It's a win win..Always dry and warm.... Another is when I do get cold I'll just concentrate on flexing muscles..Arms legs butt chest etc. you can do it without moving, I do this for a few minutes or until i Feel warm again...

Heavy wool bibs when stationary. When heading in deep carry a metal match and a small piece of pitch wood just in case.

Good information and lots of good tips, very much appreciated. 30 years ago I hunted in northeast Pennsylvania,these days I hunt in Maryland.Not as cold here,not like it was in Pike or Wayne counties or the Susquehanna game lands.

I've been out three times in the last week. Sit on one of those round foam filled heat seats placed on a folding stool and then covered with some outer garment. I wear long underwear and a pair of wooltimate pants. Layered clothes on top. Some of which I do not put on until I get out there to the site. I put on arctic shield boot covers once I get there and place my feet on another outer garment like a cotton sweat jacked just to insulate my feet from the ground. I always have a hood on over a full face stocking hat. I wear a glove thingy you can put your hands in to stay warm around my waist. I sit down on the stool and cover my legs and up above the hand warmer with a thick white blanket and then try to stay still and hope for detecting the deer before they see or smell me. I try and keep the finger and toes moving without any visible motions or noise. I lean the bow against my legs where its real handy. I can last a few hours doing this. I have that nuerapathy crap in my feet so its hard to tell when my toes are going numb, so I just keep em moving. I did not go out today but plan to this next week some more. That was a funny one Frisky!

OP with grammar corrections.

Credit the Leatherwall Conduction is the physical process where heat is lost because you are touching something cold. So don't sit or lay on the bare ground, a large stone or a snow covered log. Put some insulation between you and it. be sure there is good insulation between your sleeping bag and the ground. If you're hunting in Winter bring a 3'X 3' hunk of carpet with pad stapled together to stand on if your standing on the ground. Put some kind of pad on the tree you're leaning on in the treestand or on the ground. Convection is the heat lost from the wind blowing over/around you. So putting it simply, stay out of the wind. Use self-made and natural occurring windbreaks. Put your camp in the wind shadow of same as well as your stands. Wear a windproof layer if possible. Radiation is heat lost just because your standing in the great wide open. Even though you are clothed well with a hat, a scarf, gloves, etc. The heat still radiates off you. It also radiates out of your tent. Having some kind of roof above you will help reduce heat loss from radiation. That is also another reason to put a tarp over your tent not just to keep the snow off your tent but to be a radiation inhibitor/reflector. I've never personally tried it but those treestand umbrella roofs might help in this regard. These first three are why it is urgent to get yourself a shelter in a survival situation. A proper shelter will get you off direct contact with the ground, block the wind and cover you to hold in radiant heat. Respiration is your own breath. You take in cold air and exhale warm, moist air. The faster you breathe the faster you'll get cold. Control your breathing. Easy does it in activities in cold weather. I've never had one to try but one of those fairly new heat exchanger face covers might be a good investment for the Deep cold Season. Slow, steady work is much better than rushing, grunting and heaving in gulps of cold air. This also brings us to the last... Perspiration or sweating...to put it simply, sweating can kill you. While exercise can heat up your muscles and warm you all over, you must not sweat. You should be dressed in layers against the cold, so if you're working, strip layers. If you sweat strip and dry yourself with a towel if available. Not just sweat but any moisture is lethal in the deep cold. Rain, slushy snow or falling into water are all potential killers. You need to get out of the wet weather or the water and get yourself and your clothes dry just as fast as you safely can. You have longer than you think before serious hypothermia starts. As long as you can, and are shivering you're in the self save-able zone. If you stop shivering and get foggy in thought you better have a friend with you or immediate rescue. A word here on wool. Yes, it can keep you warm when damp but it sucks up a lot of water if you fall in. The same is true for most synthetic insulation. Try swimming in any of it. You'll find it is the most exhausting activity you've ever tried. Extreme care must be taken when walking on ice. So remember whenever and wherever possible don't sit, stand or lay on bare ground or object. Try to stay out of the wind. Keep under cover. Control your breathing. Stay dry, stay warm, stay alive.

1. Put another log on the fire.

2. Make more coffee.

Works every time!

On the Conduction/convection thing... I always have one or two rectangles of thermal sleeping bag pad (the silver kind) in my pack. When hiking they are great to sit on the ground or fallen trees.

That foul remark I made came from a copy of the Captain Billy Whizbang joke book my dad found in a ditch back in the late 20s, early 30s. Another thing he liked, on cold winter nights, was to reach his hand out to my mom, as the two of them sat in Lazy Boy chairs, and quote from that book- "Can I hold your palm Olive? Not on your life boy!"

Joe

Freddie, no wonder you're single... :)

I hunt the UP in the late season and N Wis,,,, if you have a stand you always walk too, or a ground blind, like a pop up, really a Heater Body Suit is all that is needed, it will keep you warm and dry.........

However I am a tracker, not as productive, but in many ways a lot more fun, at least for me,,,, so you have to know how to stay warm, while you are moving and standing for awhile.....

Of course like in any hunts try to limit everything, but this style of hunting, you need a pack, and a layer system, and your water etc.........

for me this is what works,,,,, base layer that wicks away moisture,,,,,, on my boots, pack style but do not over due it, 600 grams is more than enough, the trick is to put deodorant on the feet, poly sock and a smart wool sock, and your set

while moving, first lite or similar brands long sleeve top, wool hat with visor, (radar hat I call it) and mittens that the finger area rolls back on Velcro and keeps fingers available...

I wear wool pants in charcoal grey,,,,, in the pack a wool shirt and a wool vest,,,,,, as stated above, small piece of carpet is strapped on the outside of pack, used for standing, or if taking up a position,,,,,,,,

and for all purposes, take the time to enjoy your lunch, make a nice fire, heat up some tea, fill your stomach, and listen to the quiet of winter,,,,,,, observe the winter world and enjoy......

Scent control is as always, balsalm, rubbed on everything,,,,,,

96 here. lol

Days like ths - 4 degrees with a 'feel' of minus 13 - I like the old joke about the retiorement plan - buy a pickup truck, put a snow plow on the front and a snowmobile in the bed and drive south until nobody knows what they're lookin' at ;-)

Tiger torch and a piece of pipe

nice post, but you guys should use a paragraph once in awhile, make for easier reading

It is -26F this morning and the wind chill is -43F. Our season ends on Jan 7th but I am not hunting until it warms up. Too many things go wrong at these temps.

Ground hunter I had it nicely formatted. It was a copy and paste from a word document. When I hit enter all the formatting was gone. Sorry

HTML loves to eat formatting ;-)

You have to return twice to separate paragraphs here. PITA...

Can't recommend this book enough. Some of the specific material recommendations are dated, but overall principles remain the same -

https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Warm-Dry-Harry-Roberts/dp/0913276405

When on stand in colder weather than I would prefer to be out in I put a chemical hand warmer in each hip pocket of my bibs, in each chest pocket of my vest, and in each hand pocket of outside coat. I also go overboard with insulated stocking caps up top, often wearing two, and an insulated balaclava around my neck. I have found myself too cold and stiff to shoot a couple of times in years past, missing great opportunities. The newer version of chemical hand warmer packets last a lot longer than the older version. After using them for 3 to 4 hours I put them in a freezer quality zip-loc, zip them shut, and often get 3 hunts out of them before they run out of fuel.

Great tip Muskrat! TLM

A hand warmer tucked into a fleece neck gaiter (or scarf) will do wonders.

And don't overlook the old-fashioned scarf, it can be very versatile.

One thing I use that I don’t think a lot of guys think about for insulation is the Therm-a-Rest Z Lite sleeping pad. The pad has a R value of 1.7 or 2 depending on what one you purchase. What I do is cut the pad to the length I want to sit on. The pad folds up so it can be easily so it can be attached to your pack. This has been a real game changer for sitting on the ground. They also make a Z lite seat that is small and should fit on most stands. The one photoed is a small pad attached to my pack for glassing in the snow or frozen ground.

You are right about the scarf..Danac..it doesn't matter how warm you dress if your neck is bare you will be chilled. I don't like hooded jackets, they obscure my vision, I like a soft wool scarf Wrapped around twice and tucked down the front. If you walk and heat up it is easily removed. Jigger

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