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So you think you can dress warmly, Canada?
Gene Plihal
for Smoky River Express
With mid-October here, the next two sequences will be dealing with dressing for cold and dressing for extreme cold. With elk hunting running until the 20th of December this year, for cows, it is not inconceivable that late season hunters may run into minus 30 weather. Road hunters, probably the only ones left to fill that late, won’t need this information unless their truck dies instead of their quarry. So, apply this information if it fits your hunting situation or simply apply it to any outdoor encounter that you may have over the next six glorious months of winter.
Let’s start with the feet. I own a couple dozen different types of boots ranging from the highly touted Danner boots (with the equally high price) to the much publicized Cabella’s Buck Extreme. All boots have failed miserably in my estimation for durability and foot protection. The only boot I ever felt provided a modicum of protection and warmth is the Kodiak boot.
I could hardly believe my ears when the much revered Canadian authority on the outdoors, Mors Kochanski, told me to shed the boots completely! Instead, he suggested, wear three pairs of wool socks with sandals or moccasins. In the depth of winter this seemed like an absurd idea. I tried it and he’s absolutely right. I have walked miles in sub zero weather in simply three pairs of wool socks with moccasins, to prevent wear of the wool socks, and my feet stay warm and comfortable. Why? Simple logic. The biggest enemy of feet in winter is the accumulation of moisture in the boot which ultimately turns to ice. Most boots do not allow moisture outside of the boot while wool socks retain the body heat emanating from the feet but allow the moisture to evaporate. And the acid test, he said, was try ice fishing with just three pairs of wool socks.
Now, another variation of this same idea is wearing three pairs of wool socks and then just the liner of any winter boot. The later serves to reduce the wear on the socks. Or, my formula, is two pair of wool socks, boot liner and a pair of moccasins? I threw away thousands of dollars on boots in winter over the years on stuff that inevitably left me cold. Of course, there are caveats to this system, one of them being if you are working on the rigs or some such hazardous occupation, steel toed boots are often required. You have my sympathy.
On the lower body, nylon wind pants and suspenders over woolen trousers and suspenders with woolen underwear that allows two layers on the buttocks should keep the legs warm and groin warm in most situations.
On the upper body start with woolen underwear and woolen shirt, worn loosely. A parka or breathable winter shell will suffice in most cold weather.
The neck area can result in the loss of up to 70 per cent of the heat generated by the body. Warm air rises and exits through a poorly closed collar; the blood vessels of the neck are very shallow and lose heat rapidly. A scarf effectively used around the neck can be as effective as a heavy wool shirt and more versatile in controlling body heat.
Headgear should be insulated and wind proof.
Over the years as an outfitter concerned not only with the well-being of my clients and guides but myself as well, I have searched far and wide for the best clothing of wool. Ulfrotte makes unbelievably good wool products with a synthetic substance added to the socks which is guaranteed to never smell even though they aren’t washed. I didn’t believe it so I bought three pair at Keddie’s in Grande Prairie, one of the only places to carry this wool type, and sure enough, I wore them for two weeks straight and did the nostril test and it passed with ease. NO ODOR.
This European product is costly ($30 for one pair of socks) but of incomparable quality. Although I haven’t personally tried it, the Sleeping Indian brand of wool products is also highly acclaimed by some of the more affluent who can afford a complete outfit for hunting priced at roughly $3,000.
But, virtually all of these garments can be picked up at surplus stores at much lower prices. Melton wool has always been in my closet and I don’t remember ever paying more than $20 for a pair of pants at these surplus stores.
I am sure, by December or January, we will read of some tragic case of hypothermia involving a hunter or outdoorsman. Buying expensive outdoor gear doesn’t guarantee anything, I have found. I have yet to wear a pair of boots “guaranteed” to keep your feet warm to “minus 40” that actually did so for any length of time. Try some of these ideas on clothing and let me know how it turned out.
Good hunting, but more importantly, be a good, and warm, hunter.
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