Cold weather pants help

[jm1607]

Froze my butt off last week when whitetail hunting and need some advice. 1st off, I get colder than most people. I was sitting still in 26 degree weather with a 10-15mph wind. The wind was the killer, it just cut right through everything I was wearing. On the bottom, I had on some Cabelas Polartec long johns and KUIU attack pants over them. My legs weren't real cold, just a little bit. I don't think I can get anything heavier than the Polartec, so I think I need a little bit thicker outer layer. May main 2 concerns are noise (since I'm bowhunting) and material (I don't want wool or fleece or anything that picks up burrs). Would also like something that helps against wind...

Any advice? Are any of the Kryptek pants good options? In general the kind of hunting I do is hike a few miles out, sit for the day, hike a few miles back.

 

[bcimport]

Get yourself a pair of puffy pants. Sitka, Kuiu, Western Mountaineering, US Army ECWS

 

[Stid2677]

For the type of hunting you describe, it is similar to how I sheep or bear hunt, hike to observation point and sit and glass for hours. Very hard to stay warm when inactive and exposed to wind and or rain.

What I do is carry a piece of a Z lite sleeping pad that I cut 3 sections off of to keep my butt dry and to insulate me from the cold ground.

I use a Kifaru Para tarp to make a wind break and keep me dry.

I carry Puffy pants, that have leg zippers and once in place I put them on over my Kuiu attach pants.

If I'm still cold I will put my Chugach rain pants on as well.

This keeps me warm in most situations and I always strip back down to move or hike back to prevent sweating and getting my base layers wet.

For me, anything warm enough to keep me warm while sitting will cause me to over heat while hiking.

Layers is the key for me.

 

[actionshooter]

I have been happy with MH Compressor pants for that exact scenario...

 

[pacific-23]

I've actually got a pair of ECWS medium pants new with tags I was going to list as they don't fit me very well. They're thicker and heavier than the MH but for what you describe they would be great. Pm if interested

 

[IAHNTR]

You are going to have to get something to pack in and put on once your at the base of the tree or in the tree. You want something that is quiet and won't pick up burrs. Good luck in that. Anything that is quiet WILL pick up burrs, nature of the beast there. This is why you want something to pack in. First, it will keep you from overheating/sweating on your walk and second, you can pack your outer layer and therefore keep it out of the vegetation (burrs). Or, you can learn to identify the burrs and just not walk through them. I pack in my Fanatic bibs and jacket and put the bibs on at the base of the tree and put the jacket on 15 min later as I start to cool off. You need to get some clothes that have some sort of windstopper built into them.

 

[TheRambler]

+1 on the puffy pants. I found the cabelas down lobg johns/pants to be excellent for the price. Think i waited for a sale and used a coupon or something and got for like $50. normal i think is $60ish.

 

[jm1607]

Looks like some sort of Puffy Pants it is!

As far as when active, can anybody recommend some pants a little bit heavier than my attack pants? when looking for military puffy pants I found these and was a little intrigued: http://www.ebay.com/itm/28107332776...eName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[todd kelly]

Looks like some sort of Puffy Pants it is!

As far as when active, can anybody recommend some pants a little bit heavier than my attack pants?

Just a heads up, the Kuiu SD pants are not the warmest things out there, so don't expect too much from them. Good for early season, but kinda fade out when the temps drop below 0C when inactive.

 

[jm1607]

Just a heads up, the Kuiu SD pants are not the warmest things out there, so don't expect too much from them. Good for early season, but kinda fade out when the temps drop below 0C when inactive.

Well crap. I was just going to go with them because they are camo and water proof.. I would prefer camo over a solid color, but it's not a deal breaker

 

[todd kelly]

SD pants have never been offered in camo..... Only in black.

I really liked them for Sept sheep and caribou hunting, but once things got cold here, they weren't very warm. One thing I really like about them is the full length zipper. No need to remove anything to get them on.

 

[Lawnboi]

Are you stand hunting?

I may disagree with most here, puffy pants are nice, but they can cause some noise under your pants, and they just don't cut the wind. They are not my first choice as something to take on a whitetail hunt, but if you do go with puffy, try the pants under your hunting garmet before you buy... if they make noise, take them back. Iv got multiple puffy jackets that I cant use for bowhunting out fo the stand simply because they make a swishing sound even under my jackets.


As you found out, the wind is the enemy when your sitting on the stand. Buy a pair of pants that is wind proof, with windblocker or similar fabric and you will be amazed how much warmer they are. This will keep you from getting the michellin man look! All that puff wont be working efficiently if the wind is cutting right through it.

I prefer fleece for the stand, or atleast something really soft. The downside to this is it will catch burrs. If your worried about burrs or overheating on the way in, wear your attack pants on the way in and simply layer up to your windproof, fleece pants once your reach your tree. This is what I normally do.

If money is no object, Sitka makes killer stand gear. I have also been eyeing up the kryptek aegis stuff though I havnt used any of their stuff, it looked and felt pretty good in the store.

If you want to go cheap like I did, wait for cabelas to run a sale on their fleece windblocker stuff. Dirt cheap, I got a set for under 200$ and I just layer accordingly if its cold.

 

[2ski]

I see Lawnboi said it already, but I know Sitka has a whole line dedicated to tree stand hunting. I don't have any experience with it other that seeing the bibs and coat in the store. They are HEAVY so if you are changing into them at your stand and packing them in, it might be a bit heavy and bulky to pack in if you're looking for lighter stuff.

 

[eyetat]

Try thinsalate lined blue jeans I put naked north wind and water proof top and bottom mine are snow camo. sportsmans ware house had the best prices. It is soft and packs small.