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View Full Version : Best Brand of Long Underwear?



Barry Eller
12-08-2006, 09:54 AM
Living in Florida, I don't have any long underwear. But it was 27 degrees in Pensacola this AM. You guys up north, PLEASE close the door!!:yes:

Rootsy
12-08-2006, 10:04 AM
do you want good or do you want cheap.... AFAIC.... Polartec is THE ONLY way to go when it comes to thermal underwear... expedition weight... bout 50 - 60 bucks a half...

if you layer with a silk wicking garment next to the skin and then the expedition weight polartec on top... it is all that much better... under armour or the silk that polartec makes...

i was cold for many years in the great white northern outdoors... then i found polartec at Cabelas and took a chance... never have looked back and with fleece layering i can sit ALL DAY in 0 - 20 F temperatures in the outdoors... wind or no wind... reynauds does play hell with my hands and toes but other than that (easily cured by some charcoal handwarmers and proper sock layering) my core stays toasty warm without the bulk of big heavy jackets and bibs and such...

Carl C
12-08-2006, 10:38 AM
According to todays Oakland Press the low in Anchorage, Alaska today is 25F. It looks like global warming is selective.:wink: (having family near Anchorage, I always look at their weather)

Kirbyvv
12-08-2006, 11:39 AM
16 degrees this a.m., but we're up to a balmy 24 now. With this shift in global weather you southerners might just have to learn how to winterize your boats. Like Rootsie, reynauds is tough on my paws, especially when turning a wrench at 30 degrees. Better go buy some polartech underwear!!!

Barry Eller
12-08-2006, 12:41 PM
OK this southerner doesn't know what "reynauds" is. Remember, the Mason-Dixon line is I-10 for me!

A high of 48 for us today, mid 20's again tonight. Back up to 68-70 by Sunday. Yea!:tongue:

Donziweasel
12-09-2006, 08:58 AM
In the Rockies we use brand name synthetic long jons. It was -12 this morning, just another day. I recommend The North Face, Mountain Hardware, or Marmot. I wear The North Face and I have to wear them everyday They are not only warm, but comfortable as well.As for socks, there is only one choice period! Smart wools are the only thing on my feet when I ski, snowmobile, fish, hunt, etc.... in. They are the finest cold weather sock made in my opinion and that is 13 years of living an playing in Jackson Hole. Whatever you buy, Rootsy is dead on about layering. In years past you wore a heavy jacket and that was it. Now with synthetic layers like Gore-Tex, Fleece, and many other brands, the trick is to layer. First layer should be a good pair of long johns, NO COTTON! Next a light fleece type layer. Third, a heavy fleece type layer and last a breathable shell. Cotton, although great for t-****s, suck in winter clothing. If it gets wet by sweat or otherwise, it keeps cold moisture near the skin and hypothermia can develope. Synthetics do not lose thier warming abilities when wet and actually wick moisture away. The breathable shell will release this water vapor while protecting you with a water and wind proof barrier. BTW, hypothermia is most prvelant between 28-40 degrees and can occur with air temps as high as the upper 50's if not properly prepared. I have been hypo once and so has my wife. Very scary. Here endeth the lesson.

DONZI
12-10-2006, 07:52 AM
For those of you in the cold. Give these a try.
http://www.snowshack.com/hotchpeflref.html
Hot chillis are soo comfortable & warm.:)

Carl C
12-10-2006, 08:06 AM
Since Barry lives in Florida, I get the idea that he wasn't serious about the long johns!:wink:

Barry Eller
12-10-2006, 08:47 AM
Since Barry lives in Florida, I get the idea that he wasn't serious about the long johns!:wink:


Carl, you must think like me!

I do appreciate the info, I hope to get some kind of "Long Johns" for Christmas. I do need some to wear this winter when I run the Donzi. We get a lot of nice winter days that we can run, but when the air temp is around 60/70 degrees and the water temp is around 55, the chill factor at 75 MPH is COLD!

:yes: :cool: :cool!:

22billyzx
12-10-2006, 12:12 PM
Thanks for the clothing tip Weasel. I will be going to Missoula Montana end of Dec. to visit my son. He is in his 3rd yr with the forest service on a fire crew,and this was his first yr on a hot-shot crew. Can you say "PROUD FATHER" :yes:

Donziweasel
12-10-2006, 12:31 PM
I was on a wildland fire fighting crew for 5 years. Had to quit when I almost got burned up in the Green Knoll Fire. My wife decided I would not be doing that anymore. I kind of miss the action, but it is a young mans game. I do not miss hiking up 2000 verticle feet in 90 degree weather with a full nomex suit and gear. I will say, the pay was fantastic! 24 hours a day, overtime, hazardous pay, etc... It really added up. Been about 5 years since my last fire. The Forest Service will work you to death. The roation was 14 days on, 2 days off, 14 days on, etc.... I always enjoyed fire camp. The food was great, everything you need was there and you spent nothing while on your 14 days rotation. They would bring in 18 wheelers that pulled a trailer that was nothing but hot showers. Also, would tow in a satellite phone trailer, basically a convience store trailer, and I met alot of cool people in other crews. You had to watch out for the Apache crews from Arizona, they were crazy as hell!

Carl C
12-11-2006, 06:33 AM
Carl, you must think like me!
I do appreciate the info, I hope to get some kind of "Long Johns" for Christmas. I do need some to wear this winter when I run the Donzi. We get a lot of nice winter days that we can run, but when the air temp is around 60/70 degrees and the water temp is around 55, the chill factor at 75 MPH is COLD!
:yes: :cool: :cool!: We know how to stay warm up here. I used to race a quad on the ice every winter Sunday: Long johns, jeans, insulated snow pants (strap over shoulders), t-shirt, heavy shirt, large down filled coat, wool socks, gloves, ski mask, goggles. Good to well below zero!!! You'd look a little funny driving a boat that way though!! Good luck staying warm my poor Floridians.:cool:

Barry Eller
12-11-2006, 06:40 PM
OK this southerner doesn't know what "reynauds" is. Remember, the Mason-Dixon line is I-10 for me!
A high of 48 for us today, mid 20's again tonight. Back up to 68-70 by Sunday. Yea!:tongue:


I still want to know what "reynauds" means? :confused:

Yes, I'm Southern. Yes, I speak with a Southern accent. Ya'll.

Rootsy
12-12-2006, 06:59 AM
reynauds disease is a condition that results in poor blood circulation to extreme extremities such as toes and fingers... on cold damp days or cold days in general or even for no reason sometimes your fingers and toes will literally turn white, cold and clammy and you'll lose feeling to toes and fingers... when you "warm" back up it can be quite painful as blood flow returns.. literally feels like someone is stabbing you with a million needles in the toes or fingers...

Barry Eller
12-12-2006, 08:29 AM
You have my sympathy. My Father's feet were frostbitten when he was in the Army, WWII at the Battle of the Bulge. He complained about similar symptoms when his feet would get cold.

Thanks for the information. Keep warm my friend!

Kirk
12-12-2006, 09:01 AM
Thought I would chime in.....

For several years now I have gone winter camping & snowshoeing in Northern Vermont...Underhill too be exact the otherside of Stowe.

We camp in an old log cabin (no heat or water, just a roof overhead) the first full moon of February every year. Needless to say the conditions are variable, some years it's mild with heaps of snow while other years it's -40 at night you have to be in your bag at sunset keeping all fuel canisters and water in your bag so it won't freeze.

For general all around wind resistance and warmth wool has no equal it will even keep you warm when wet, the downside is it's heavy! About the very best "long underwear" is made by Filson out of Seattle, Wa. take your pick of light weight or heavyweight. They also make quality coats, pant and other hunting gear.

On the "otherside" both Mountain Hardware & Arcteryx made some excellent expedition quality gear that I use and it is light and warm and layers well. All the stuff is GoreTex, quality fleece or down......but pricey.

I can't wait to freeze my A@$ again in February

Rootsy
12-12-2006, 09:47 AM
when it comes to hunting Northern Michigan in November it can be dicy.. winters can be downright brutal... i spent a few there... BRRR... this year was warm, too warm.,.. high teens - 20's at night and mid 30's to mid 40's daytime... l;ast year it was teens to 20 for highs and negatives to zero at night... big difference sitting in the wild all day unprotected from rain, snow, biting wind...

the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of staying warm outdoors if you are INACTIVE is to NOT overheat yourself and "sweat up" before hand... moisture against your skin "enhances" the heat transfer from your body to your clothing and then to mother nature...

In my case... where i walk anywhere from 1/2 to 2 1/2 miles, in the dark having been awake without coffee for a mear 30 minutes... it can easily and quickly tax your body in uneven and changing terrain. THEREFORE.. dress as light as possible for your trip and then once on location let your body cool of a bit before layering up...

My standard dress is a good synthetic (Polartec in this case... they are the manufacturer of the US military's extreme weather garment system) thermal underwear top and bottom... i also wear a moisture wicking synthetic sock followed by a wool blend sock over that... if it is EXTREMELY cold i follow up with a pair of fleece pants and then finally on the lower half the traditional Red / Black checker woolrich 100% wool pants.

On top i have the polartec thermals followed by a Woolrich button down wool shirt... i leave it unbuttoned above the belt and cuffs undone for the mornign walk "into" the woods... on top of that shirt, for safety i have a wool "hunter orange" vest with a fleece lining on the interior...

Once cooled off i have 2 layers of fleece for sitting should i need it... one is a Polartec "WindPro" fleece jacket...windproof 100% and warm... most of the time this is all i need but if it is REALLY cold as last year where we saw -15 ambient at sunrise, i add another "100" weight fleece under the windpro...

I also have a fleece face warmer that protects my neck, chin, mouth and nose... just velcro's in the back... as well as a knit stocking cap... i have a "lighter" well worn one for walking, orange of course.. and a very heavy tight knit for sitting if i am not moving for a VERY long time or it is brutally cold.

gloves.. well nothing works for me.. period... so i have an MTO50 fleece lined hand muff... toss a couple of those disposable charcoal baggies inside and my hands are good all day...

as for feet... i am a Rocky boots fan.... the Bearclaw II's that i am wearing RIGHT now i have owned and worn nearly every day for the past 6 1/2 years... they need new soles, finally... i Found a pair on clearance on ebay and bought another.. 1000 grams of thinsulate + gore-tex... you can literally put them on when you get them and wear them without worry of sore feet... yes they are THAT good... but discontinued now... for REALLY cold weather i have a pair of Rocky Snowstalker Extreme 1200's.. . 1200 grams of thinsulate... with a poly liner and cushioned footbed.... extremely light for a pack boot, great traction... if i lace them TOO tight at the ankle to foot joint i get some circulation cutoff and my toes can get cold... if i lace properly... my feet stay warm and this is the ONLY boot i have ever owned that has done this for me... SOP in the evening though is to remove the liner and footbed and dry with boot warmers... when i return to camp after a 12 hour day in the outdoors my socks will literally be soaking wet... the wool... but the poly is still dry... and the boot liner will be wet in the toe box from sweat.

it's taken me nearly 20 years to get to the point where i am comfortable and can sit all day, nearly without worrying about the weather... if it rains a bit the wool keeps me dry... Most of my teen years and early 20's were spent HATING the outdoors while loving hunting... because i was MISERABLE...

I of course have a backpack... and carry a Milsurp wool blanket... if you should get a bit chilled toss it over your legs and all is right with the world...the only downfall to the backpack is that it cna press hard against the back under it;s own weight (especially if packed FULL of jackets, etc) and cause your back to sweat during hiking... which then leads us back to my opening paragraph.

This is truly nothing compared to western outdoor adventures in terrain 10X more rugged than what i tromp around in... But if you take care and put thought into what you are doing you can come out on top...

One other thing to be aware of is your diet and hygene when on an extended outing... most people work 10X as hard when hiking, hunting, packing, etc than they do any other day of their life... the body is not used to this.... therefore BE IN SHAPE the best you can... and when you are out there.. EAT well and eat GOOD energy foods.. Keeping yourself clean is also important... baby wipes work wonderfully in a pinch whe there is no shower or running water... but they will freeze if you have no where to keep them that is above 32 F...

anywho... just some of my thoughts and just what works for me... for clothing, etc... definitely more than 1 way to skin a cat...

Rootsy
12-12-2006, 12:45 PM
Well said, Rootsy. The only thing I would add is to not forget certain emergency supplies which would vary according to where you are but ALWAYS includes waterproof matches and a compass.

and if you want to go that far don't forget the S&W and Marbles ;)

Donziweasel
12-12-2006, 01:31 PM
Well said Jamie. The trick is layer layer layer. It is much harder to warm up than cool down and if you are getting wet by sweating, then loose layers until you are comfortable. I also use Rocky boots and they are great down to about 15 degrees. Then I switch to Sorels because when your foot is in a stirrup hunting, it gets cold and you do not have the blood flow to the feet. As far as brands, the main thing to look for is sythetic fibers and quality. Make sure it isn't going to fall apart on you.
Jamie, I have been to Michigan in the winter and it can be cold as hell. Colder in a way than Wyoming due to humidity. Our low humidity make it comfortable in hot weather, but also works on the other end of the spectrum in cold. It never quite feels as cold here in the winter due to our low humidity. Sounds like you have Michigan dialed in and much of that can be utilized in Wyoming as well.

One thing about frostbite, I have had it. When you have it once, that skin will be sensitive to cold for the rest of your life. That particular area will need more attention than non-affected areas. My cheeks are a prime example.

SideshowRob
12-12-2006, 10:46 PM
After spending many years out enjoying -20 to -30 F winters, I have learned a few tricks to keeping warm. I have attached a pic of an old Canadian secret for proper cold weather enjoyment. :canada: