Hunting the rut in western Wisconsin can be a cold miserable experience. No matter what I do or what I wear, I can't keep my hands and feet warm for more than 2 hours when it's around 10 degrees. There are 3 insulted bags on the market that are suppose to keep you warm no matter what the temperature is. I'm thinking of buying one of these but don't have a clue which one to get. They all claim to be "the best". The three I'm looking at are, The Stand Bag, The WarmBag, and the Heater Body Suit. Anyone have any experience with any of these? I need a recommendation from hunters who have actually used one of these (no employees please). If there are any more worth mentioning, I'd appreciate that also. Thanks!
WIS--my wife purchased me a Heater Body Suit about 5 years ago. It is one of the best pieces of hunting equipment I have used over the years. Here in Virginia we don't usually have cold temps throughout the year so when it does get cold, my body isn't really used to it. I mean cold like 25 degrees or so with 15-20 mph North winds. The Heater Body Suit allows me to sit on stand all day in cold/windy temps. I purchased the wind blocker lining with the Suit to stop the cold winds from piercing through the suit. It has worked wonders. Although I only use the suit probably 5-6 times a year, it saves me. It also allows me to carry a lot less clothing to and from the stand, because the suit is so warm. That means a lot to me because I regularly walk a half mile-mile in to hunt and dragging in a whole ton of clothes not only bogs me down, but also hampers my shooting ability with a bow.
Honestly, my best piece of advice is to get a hand warmer and put the chemical hand warmers inside... if your hands get cold doing this... I don't know what to tell you. As for the feet, get bigger boots. Smaller boots restrict bloodflow with extra socks. get a bigger boot and don't be afraid to wear lots of wool socks, you toes being able to move freely is extremely important.
Thanks for the reply virginiashadow. I like to sit at-the-ready with my bow or gun in my lap. The only thing I don't like about the heater body suit is that you have to stand up and get out of it before you can shoot. The bucks in Wisconsin get pretty spooky during late season. I doubt they would allow that much movement. BTW, I had a "set" during my 20's, 30's 40's and a long way into my 50's. Now that I'm in my 60's the fuss has worn off the Kiwis... but I still like huntin' the wall hangers!
