Cold Weather Hunt Layering

[shanny28757]

I've never hunted late season with frigid weather. Today I hiked for the first time in super cold weather with a heavy-ish pack. I really just wanted to get some exercise, but also try to plan for potential future hunts in cold weather. I layered in what I thought would be best for the hike with some extra stuff in my pack and headed out. My pack was about 38lbs (weighed down with water bottles) and I hike about 5.5-6 miles on partially groomed trails in 8" of snow, most of which was flat terrain with a couple very small, short hills. A decent workout for sure, but didn't have the vertical element. When I arrived my car said 2F and when I finished it said 7F.

I actually like cold weather so I had a really nice hike, but if I had to hunt for a week in that weather I think I'd be screwed. I left the car with a merino base layer and a half zip mid layer up top and a merino bottom with attack pants. A bit too cold even to start out, so I tossed on my puffy for a few minutes until i got my core temp leveled out then quickly took it off. After that I had no problem with temperature. I got chilled when the wind blew hard, but really very comfortable.

The problem is that even thought i was borderline chilly the whole time, I was still sweating down my back. I don't think I could have changed my layers and still been comfortable hiking. But changed into dry stuff when glassing, I wouldn't be able to get my core temp regulated fast enough before i froze.

How do you guys layer for hiking then hunting in freezing cold weather. Is backpack hunting at these temps even realistic? I could see hiking in and out to a base camp every day where you can afford to pack in lots of extra clothing. But with everything on your back that would be rough.

 

[Flatrock]

Sounds like you're on the right track. For me, with a good merino layer like you mentioned, usually it will dry out pretty quick once I stop hiking. Not sweating on your back is tough even if you don't have much on for layers. I usually have just a few layers on for hiking and then bundle up right away once I stop. As for backpack hunting with temps around 0, that's going to be a challenge. I'd say with a lightweight tipi and a stove, you might be able to do it for a few days. If it's that cold though and getting below zero each night, it just makes everything a whole lot tougher. Your water is going to be freezing and it's going to be a challenge to stay warm. Not impossible but also not sure it's worth it.