Managing sweat on long hikes to the stand

[WanderingFarmer]

I’d swap out the furnace as a base layer and pack in the solitude bibs.

There’s a thread on here about fishnet/ mesh base layers, give that a look. I tried some in the wool variety this year and was super impressed with the moisture management aspect.

…Properly setup clothing will then bake the base layers dry once static. …

This, right here. The first lite furnace layers take forever to dry and, once wet, physics requires a lot of energy to turn it into vapor and drive it out. I find I’m better off with either synthetics that don’t absorb moisture or the wool mesh that just has less material and thus less carrying capacity for sweat.

My hikes to the stand this year were typically 1-2 miles, and I sweat just thinking about them. This year, for 25-50 degrees I wore.

- Mesh base layers
- First lite corrugate guide pants
- Corrugate guide jacket or a grid fleece, but not both unless it was cold and windy
- appropriate hat and gloves to further moderate temperature

Once at my stand, I’d throw on an insulated top and bottom that were appropriate for being static in the days temps, and the remaining moisture would essentially cook out of my innermost layers and I’d be warm enough.

On days that I chose to still hunt, I’d swap to a fleece lined soft shell and consider an additional mid layer so that I could just creep along slowly in the woods.

 

[DINforlife]

As others have said, its going to vary a lot from person to person. I tend to get hot very quickly when moving and be very cold quickly when not moving. It was about a mile and a half to most of my sets (upstate South Carolina). I sweat like crazy so I had all of my layers in my pack and went in wearing only some generic cotton socks, midway usa softshell pants, and a Sitka...Core?.. hoodie. And a boonie hat. I wore this in temps ranging from 60ish to mid 20s on my walks in. Once at the set I completely removed my Sitka (soaked with the exception of the mid 20s walk in) and threw on my heavier FL baselayers and whatever else the forecast dictated and changed into thicker wool socks. The few minutes spent changing allowed my body to stop sweating. It has taken me several years to fully "get" the general how/when of layering, with this year being my most confident so far. I've still got more to learn, but what I had was serviceable.

 

[Have A Nice Life]

My hike into my spot is 5km in and 500m up. I already sweat very easily. Now I don't hunt from a stand but I do still hunt and often hang at a spot for an hour or two.
I'll hike in with a change of clothes and all my gear in my backpack. I'll wear my wool leggings, pants, a gym shirt, and my wool coat on the way in. I keep all my bottoms on because its a PITA to change those. Half a km in is where Ill change, towel off then start throwing on all my upper layers, accessories, and gear. I stache my main bag and head out from their with my day pack. I try to leave enough distance so that I am not sweating again as I slow my pace to my hunting grounds.
All in, I expect to be soaking wet, I hunt almost exclusively in the rain, but its no fun being soaked from the get go and I have had to call some days early from the cold. I've since acquired more wool gear.

 

[WoodDuck]

Ditch the bibs on the hike in and dress light enough to avoid sweating profusely. That might mean just pants and base layer top. Once you get where you’re going, stay static long enough in your initial layers to let some sweat evaporate, then get dressed.

Thick wool base layers take a long time to dry out when wet, so consider switching to a synthetic. I like grid fleece next to skin on top when it’s cold.