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Muff

Allegheny Tom

Allegheny Tom

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2018
Messages
6,038
Location
Western Pennsylvania
I use a hand muff. It's nothing special. Just a functional one I picked up for cheap in Cabelas bargain cave. I don't like wearing gloves. A couple handwarmers and a muff keeps my hands toast warm.

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I too dig the muff and use a $20 version from ****s, works great and personally it's not a piece of gear I would spend much more to upgrade. I've seen FHF has some with MOLLE attachments that look pretty sweet I think they around $80 if you are looking to drop more dime.
 
elk yinzer said:
I too dig the muff and use a $20 version from ****s, works great and personally it's not a piece of gear I would spend much more to upgrade. I've seen FHF has some with MOLLE attachments that look pretty sweet I think they around $80 if you are looking to drop more dime.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking what I want would be more than just a muff.
A storage/stuff compartment is almost more important to me than the hand warmer part. I'm pretty much convinced that I need a stuff/gear compartment IN FRONT of me for stowing the tether. I hunt where there is a ton of multi flora rose and trying to sneak through it with a daisy chained tether hanging off my hip would be tough. The tether HAS GOT to go in a bag or pouch of some sort. There's no doubt in my mind about that.

I got the idea of using a stuff bag for stowing the tether from my whitewater throw bag. I'll be able to stuff a rope faster than I can daisy chain it, and the bag won't get caught on rose bushes like a rope hanging from me will.

And having it in front of me will be easier to stuff and access than a dump pouch that's hanging from my side or rear.
I like the idea of gear pouch on my front. Pruners, small saw, etc is much easier to grab in front than it is hanging behind me. Especially when climbing or wearing gloves. The idea of having a hand muff built into the gear pouch is just a bonus...kill 2 birds...warm hands and easier access to gear.

I messed around with clipping a fanny pack to my lineman's loops. Unclip one side for putting the saddle on, reclip to both loops for walking and hunting.
Pruners will be handy and easy to access to cut stuff while walking. I always prune obstructions along access routes to minimize odor. I don't touch or brush anything if I can avoid it.

Climb the tree and access the tether without reaching and searching, and quick and easy to stow when it's time to climb down.

Muff AND gear bag.
Yeah, I want something that can multi task.

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Used one for years it keeps your hand toasty warm when you put a hand warmer in it. Mine doesn't have a storage pocket.
 
elk yinzer said:
Have you thought of a chest pack, even some bino harnesses could be repurosed? Seems like it checks off a lot of your boxes. If you aren't really intending to use the muff as much the insulation is just dead weight and most are going to flop around while walking. Just a thought.
https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1/ProductID/5
https://www.kuiu.com/gear/bino-harn...ERR-ZDJuqwCBbepvo6hcOjvdWe5AdmT0aAg8MEALw_wcB
Click to expand...

Cripe, I've looked at so many different options that I was getting tired of it. There's certainly no shortage of products out there on the market.
I finally decided to stop analyzing it and just buy one.
I ordered this one https://www.215gearstore.com/handwarmercoldweather-1.aspx
Things I like about it...
MOLLE webbing clips. I'll rig it so it clips right to my lineman's loops. It'll be a part of the Kestrel, but still removable.
A customer rep stuffed rope in it for me. She said she easily got 8 feet of 5/16" in that compartment. I think I should be able to stuff my tether in there.
I do want the hand warmer muff. It's just slightly less important than the tether storage, but I still want a muff.
This one has a soft-shell so it should be quiet.
It's made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty.
Yes, it's a bit pricey but I'm dead-set on getting my Kestrel rigged so I completely like it. I don't want any aspects of it to be disorganized, uncomfortable, or a PIA to use. If I'm uncomfortable or frustrated using it, then I won't want to use it. I'm taking this saddle approach very serious this time. I didn't work out the kinks with my Trophy Line so I never wanted to use it.
 
I bought a Sitka Incenerator Muff at the end of last year. It's unreal warm and windproof.

Same cash as the one you linked above.
 
A muff is a good tool to have at your disposal. I've used one for years. I hate heavy gloves and prefer unlined deer skin gloves. During cold weather I'll add a thin glove liner but in Michigan, that's not enough. That's where the muff comes into play. A good muff, and mine is just a cheapo one that I've had since the dawn of time, will keep your hands warm in cold weather. Adding a hand warmer will keep your hands warm in the even the coldest weather. Mine has a small zippered pouch in the front of it that is a perfect place for my phone.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is by having the muff, in your case Tom, with storage for your tether in front of you, you don't have to worry about a bag on your sides or behind you scraping against the tree if you need to pivot on your new Predator to make a shot to your weak side.
If your tether is too large to fit in the front pocket of your new muff, you can always stuff it inside the muff for transport. You most likely won't be using the muff for keeping your hands warm during your walk in or out. Have fun!!
 
I've been searching for the perfect muff for a few years. To date i've owned 5 different muffs: 2 cabelas brand, sitka incinerator, icebreaker hanblanket muff, and the one with the lame smartphone window that gets all fogged up. To me a hand-muff is a late season necessity because big, bulky gloves simply aren't an option for late-season bowhunts.

Case in point: Last season I shot a doe on Dec. 23rd here in Michigan. The temp was 18F when I went out and had dropped to 8F by the time I got in. Without a hand muff my hands would have frozen and probably driven me inside.

My biggest issue with all of them was the difficulty I have getting my large meat hooks in and out of the muff. I am always fighting with the elastic openings just to get my hands in and then often I can barely get them to my wrist. Another consideration is that even though I wear heavy insulated gear for late season the saddle usually hinder or even prevent the use of the lower handwarmer pockets on parkas.

I ordered a first spear one from lapolicegear.com during their labor day sale and got it for less than $100 with 15% off. If I don't like it i'll just send it back, but i'm optimistic.

It has draw string openings and looks to be highly compressible, which I never understood why hand muffs needed to be ultra-bulky. I'm sure the trade-off will be that it's noisy, but i've gotten pretty good at being quiet.

Here's some nicer looking tactical ones i've found. But be prepared to break out the wallet.

First Spear - https://www.first-spear.com/tactical-hand-warmer
FHF Gear MOLLE Muff - https://fhfgear.com/collections/hunting/products/molle-muff
SORD Stormtrooper - http://www.sordusa.com/Stormtrooper.html
 
Look into clothing that has large pockets for your hands on the front - bibs and some jackets have large pockets that are connected, or in some cases separate that would serve a similar function. They may not carry the tether on the way in because they might be on your pack, but they solve the muff issue once in the saddle.

Having said that, I have a 5.00 one that has worked for about 5 years. I will not wear thick gloves, and it's worked plenty good down into the teens. I usually have to put three handwarmers in there to get below 20 degrees! never thought about stuffing my tether in there - it would definitely fit.

When this one wears out, i'm going to build my own. seems simple enough.
 
BassBoysLLP said:
I use a hand muff. It's nothing special. Just a functional one I picked up for cheap in Cabelas bargain cave. I don't like wearing gloves. A couple handwarmers and a muff keeps my hands toast warm.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Ha, we must have hit the same sale. I picked it up this spring for $14. I only wear thin gloves when bowhunting, so it will be a welcomed addition to my cold weather clothing.
 
I personally hate a glove on my release hand so I have been using a wool camo muff I picked up while hunting in Bemidji Minnesota. Throw a hand warmer and stay toasty.
 
I have always used one since I started hunting. Really cold wind can still be a factor at times. If you don't wear any gloves whatsoever and remove your hands from the muff, it can take a while to get them toasty again, provided you have a good set of hand warmers in the muff. Even still, cold wind can penetrate the cuffs of the muff. I like to wear a super thin set of mechanics gloves. Not the brand Mechanix. I wouldn't spend much more than $20-$30 on a hand muffler. Mine has a pocket on it I keep my cellular telephone device in. Works awesome.
 
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