WV weather is changing and we're getting into cold mornings (35 degrees) and hot afternoons (60-65 degrees) by noon. This can easily carry on through April into May (our spring turkey season).
For anyone that experiences this type of weather, how do you dress to stay warm early but not burn up later?
I personally run a K&H RNG 200 vest so not a lot of room to pack clothing that I may have to strip off when it gets too hot. I also hunt public land so I try to run as "bare minimum" as possible. (Still carry a good bit of stuff lol)
Merino wool shirt and a vest with a jacket to start out. Once it warms up I can shed the jacket and vest and store them in the back of my turkey vest.
I use puffy jackets and pants a lot. They pack down small weigh nothing and are pretty warm. Great for long hiking days.
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Where I hunt, the temps are as you described. And I still haven't figured out how to manage it 100% successfully!
But I have found it most comfortable to use a base layers and with a lightweight fleece jacket. I carry a ball cap and a wool beanie.
Quote from: Master Gobbie on March 16, 2022, 08:59:09 AM
Where I hunt, the temps are as you described. And I still haven't figured out how to manage it 100% successfully!
But I have found it most comfortable to use a base layers and with a lightweight fleece jacket. I carry a ball cap and a wool beanie.
Any particular base layer you suggest? I know a lot of people like merino. I have some field and stream base layers but they're probably equivalent to a mid weight layer and get hot quickly when the temps start rising.
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Quote from: Happy on March 16, 2022, 08:21:20 AM
Merino wool shirt and a vest with a jacket to start out. Once it warms up I can shed the jacket and vest and store them in the back of my turkey vest.
What weight merino do you like to run? Light or mid?
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35 to 65 really isn't that bad. A thin layer of synthetic or Merino wool thermals and maybe a jacket with possibly a hoody should take care of the cold. If you need to strip some of that off, usually the jacket and hoody, and don't have room in your vest ......you need something with more space. There is no magic bullet. Use the 200 when the temps are warm enough to not need the jacket and hoody.
I like midweight myself. Later in the spring I will go to a lighter one.
Zip off base layers are nice, I tend to suffer through the cold in the morning so I am not carrying stuff all day if I am out long!
I love a frosty morning hunt, maybe not as good in the south but in the Midwest they will be tearing it up on those mornings!
Has anyone tried the First Lite zip off Long John's or the Kuiu zip off Long John's ... Does anyone know of a different brand of the zip off Long John's where you don't have to remove your pants or boots ...? I was looking at these and was thinking it would be great for those mornings that are pretty cool or cold and as the day warms up you could remove them pretty easily.
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 16, 2022, 11:09:36 AM
Has anyone tried the First Lite zip off Long John's or the Kuiu zip off Long John's ... Does anyone know of a different brand of the zip off Long John's where you don't have to remove your pants or boots ...? I was looking at these and was thinking it would be great for those mornings that are pretty cool or cold and as the day warms up you could remove them pretty easily.
I just bought the Kuiu zip off merino light weight bottoms a few weeks ago when they were on sale, (recommend by a forum member). I wore them for four days to get a feel for them and I think I'm going to like hunting in them. They come right to the top of my boot with no bare spot between them and the sock. They are easer to remove than to put back on but the zippers work great. One other thing, normally my long underwear are pretty form fitting, because of the material these are made from they fit looser to give you more movement without binding up. I have a 32" inseam and waist and I bought the mediums, perfect fit for me.
There's a difference between 35° in the spring versus 35° in deer season. I don't know, maybe it's just me. I normally just wear a long sleeve camo T-shirt, hooded camouflage sweatshirt, and a light jacket. That's what I start the morning with when it's cold. And as the morning progresses, I shred the jacket and put it in my vest.
Those temperatures you gave are pretty much consistent with my state in the spring. To me that's actually perfect. I can't stand late in the season when it gets hot in the morning.
We had one opening week here about 4 to 5 years ago where I had to bust out the wool. High temperatures were in the high 20s to low 30s with nasty wind. It was awful.
I have the KUIU, really nice. SKRE has some as well.
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Layers. Shed them and with the run and gun 200, use the cinch cord on the back of the vest to hold the layers you take off
i don't have to worry too much about what i wear turkey hunting. i run hot, hot, hot. anticipation and excitement in the dark keep me warm enough to make it til it warms up
if it's early season and going to stay in the 40's i'll throw a banded pullover on under my turkey shirt
dealing with sub-zero temps for months makes anything over freezing feel like summer
that said, give me 15 degrees and calm over 32 and windy and humid
last friday night it got down to 2 degrees. today it was 69. with all the human activity in town i half expected to see kids running through sprinklers
Quote from: Dhamilton1 on March 16, 2022, 09:27:36 AM
Quote from: Master Gobbie on March 16, 2022, 08:59:09 AM
Where I hunt, the temps are as you described. And I still haven't figured out how to manage it 100% successfully!
But I have found it most comfortable to use a base layers and with a lightweight fleece jacket. I carry a ball cap and a wool beanie.
Any particular base layer you suggest? I know a lot of people like merino. I have some field and stream base layers but they're probably equivalent to a mid weight layer and get hot quickly when the temps start rising.
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I've used a few brands of synthetic. Probably more important is acquiring a lightweight pair. Sweating through your base layer on the walk in and then trying to sit still on the roost during freezing temps can be miserable.
I tend to run hot anyway but if it's chilly out I usually just wear an old flannel shirt or sweat shirt under my leafy pull over. I'm pretty mobile where I hunt so that keeps me warm.
Lightweight merino shirt and this jacket. More than warm enough and packs into your pants pocket. The best jacket I've found for hunting.
https://www.kuiu.com/products/super-down-ultra-jacket-verde-camouflage-2-0?variant=40340197736606
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Quote from: Greg Massey on March 16, 2022, 11:09:36 AM
Has anyone tried the First Lite zip off Long John's or the Kuiu zip off Long John's ... Does anyone know of a different brand of the zip off Long John's where you don't have to remove your pants or boots ...? I was looking at these and was thinking it would be great for those mornings that are pretty cool or cold and as the day warms up you could remove them pretty easily.
I do use the zip off firstlite base layers. Super convenient. I highly recommend
Quote from: Master Gobbie on March 16, 2022, 08:28:09 PM
Sweating through your base layer on the walk in and then trying to sit still on the roost during freezing temps can be miserable.
This is one of the biggest issues for those of us that hunt under significant temperature variations and in the kind of terrain where working up a sweat to get to a gobbler is the norm.
In the high mountains of the west, in particular, it is not unusual for the temperatures to be in the twenties or colder before sunrise (but then quickly warm up afterward). Your first inclination is to dress warmly in those circumstances. Too often, that choice is either a heavy jacket or perhaps several less-heavy layers. A guy starts climbing up a ridge to get to a gobbler, and by the time you get to your set-up, you are sweating. You then sit down and stop moving and, before you know it you are sitting there freezing your a$$ off!
Hunting under those conditions, the best thing to do is to "layer-up",...that is, have several layers of light to medium-weight clothing to add or take off as the circumstances dictate. Just as important, though, is understanding that putting on all those layers to start with when it is twenty degrees out and you are about to climb a mountain is a big mistake. Keeping some of those layers in a vest or pack will not only keep you from sweating as much (although that is often unavoidable), but will also allow you to put those additional layers on once you get to your set-up. That will help stem the misery of having your body shivering and your teeth chattering while you sit in the dark waiting for that gobbler to come out of that tree!
Having said all of that, after many decades of hunting under the kinds of conditions outlined above, I still find myself too often sitting in the dark shivering,...and wishing someone would invent a battery-powered electric blanket just for these moments! ;D ::) :angel9:
Something else that can help as the day gets hotter is the jackets that have the underarm pit zippers in them, they really help to remove your body heat and can keep you from sweating as much, also helps you dry out if you're sitting without having to remove your vest, pack, bino harness or what ever else you have over it.
Here in North Florida it is not unusual to be 40s in the am and reach 80 in the afternoon. I just use multiple layers. Like most, I am usually on the move and so I tend to warm up pretty quick and just start shucking layers as I go. Looks like the next 10 days will be 50s to 70s which is not too bad. We open Saturday.