So I will be buying a new set of late season gear. Northern Wisconsin late season bow hunts can be brutal. I’m looking for something warm, quiet, and not crazy bulky. I know bulk is tough to combat when dealing with insulated gear. I have it narrowed down in my mind to either the Scentlok Revenant series or Hydrotherm Series. Anyone have any insight on either two listed? Or what are your recommendations for a warm jacket and pant or bib combo? Any help narrowing it down or opening my eyes to something better is appreciated!! P.S. Not Sitka
For upper torso, get a Milwaukee heated vest, hoodie or coat and a spare battery or 3. Will help keep the core warm which in turn will keep the extremeties warmer. After that proper layering for the legs and feet.
I've hunted many late season days in central Minnesota. Many brutal cold days included. My strategy has always been light weight is best, with heater packs. A decent pair of bibs, a base layer and a pair of under armor cold gear to keep the lower half warm (with the heat transfering up), two small hand warmer packs in the pockets and two in the boots keeps my lower body warm. Then a base layer with large heater packs down the front and back of my shirt to keep the upper body warm, usually a sweat shirt and sometimes a light insulated jacket inside my warm weather camo jacket. If its extra cold, a couple more small heater packs up the sleeves to keep the arms warm for the shot. This has gotten me through some sub zero hunts in the past. The layers are great for heat retention and the light weight gear is great for mobility. You just need to do the cost/benefit based on the number of hunts you're going to need to do that on to guage whether a second set of clothes is worth the expense. I like the lighter weight gear and the heaters to bulkier gear. Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
Just curious why did you rule out Sitka? I’ve had artic shield bibs and coats that worked well but I got fat and couldn’t fit in them anymore?
I ruled out Sitka because of the price point. I’m sure they make great gear, myself personally just can’t justify the cost.
As mentioned, look at heated clothing. It has come a long way in recent years. It is fairly cheap in price and can really cut down on all the bulk. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
heated socks, heated vest, cheap camo, and cheap thermals inside of an arctic body shield bodysuit got me through single-digit temps with wind chills at 10-20 below zero last year for all day hunts (12 plus hours)
Heavyweight Merino Wool Baselayers. Another reason not to look at Sitka: synthetic materials suck for warmth in cold weather in comparison. I have a set from Smart Wool that I wore in -20F last winter in the Canadian Rockies, it is awesome stuff.
Lighter layers and then add more. Merion Wool works really well. I now have a heated vest. Hand warmers in various pockets also work really well. FYI.. after deer season, hit Walmart and get the hand warmers on sale. I bought the larger hand warmers, 10 per pack for $1 per pack. I bought 15 packs!
The Revenant is a very nice suit - I've hunted in it the last 2 seasons. It's significantly less bulky than the BE1 Fortress, so it's my preferred late season gear here in IL. The Fortress is a badass late season suit, but it's very bulky and difficult to get around in. You have to pack it otherwise you'll be sweating to death by the time you get to where you're going. Couple things to keep in mind: The Revenant is warm, but it isn't THAT warm, so you'll need to layer up underneath. They say it's windproof but trust me, it's not. You'll do fine in anything up to low double digits (10-12 mph) but anything over that and you'll want a true windproof layer underneath it. My typical late-season setup looks something like this. TOP 1. Mid-weight merino wool base layer. Currently using Minus 33 stuff, which has done very well for me. 2. Heated vest of some sort. I've been using the Pnuma Outdoors vest, and will also be giving the ScentLok BE1 Reactor vest a shot this fall. 3. Insulating layer of some sort. I have a jacket I picked up from Cabelas a few years back that is windproof and has Primaloft in the body of the jacket, and nothing in the sleeves. It's perfect for keeping me warm without too much bulk. Trouble is, I don't think they make it any longer. Any sort of primaloft/down layer that provides insulation without bulk will do good here. 4. Revenant jacket on the outside. BOTTOM Cabela's ECWS base layer Heavyweight Merino mid/insulating layer Revenant Pants With that system, I'm hunting well down into the single digits without any issues. As things get warmer, I'll usually shed a layer on top and one on the bottom, so you can still use it on the 30 degree hunts as well.
