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Bibs and jacket or coveralls?

State forest hunter86

State forest hunter86

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Messages
204
What do you guys like for cold weather stand hunting bibs and a jacket or coveralls? I was thinking coveralls might be nice for in the saddle and easy to strap right on a backpack or stand. And then I could dress light for the long walks in and just slip in the coveralls at the tree. Does anyone even wear coveralls anymore??
 
I used to wear coveralls up until last year. What finally made me change is different tweaks and turns of my lower body will effect the material around my neck and shoulders. I noticed it more when shooting my rifle prone, but did notice also while in the saddle. Maybe I was looking for it more after I became aware of it on the ground.
 
I personally like bibs and coat but it's more for ease of venting and cooling off if needed. Coveralls are slightly warmer all things being equal but are much harder to get a good fit (for me anyway).
 
I always wore coveralls . . .until . . .One day during a rut sit in a tree stand I had my target buck walking directly at me intently following a doe. They were walking straight at me so I couldn't stand up so I needed to shoot from the sitting position. When I got an opportunity to draw my bow I couldn't . . . I had forgot to pull some slack in upper half of the coveralls when I sat down and they were pulled tight around my shoulders from where I was sitting on them. I just had no freedom of movement to move my shoulders and draw the bow. That was the last time I wore coveralls. I'm a certified bibs and jacket guy now.
 
I have never liked the restriction with coveralls I don't know what it is but they just seem bulkier and stiffer. When its super duper cold I use a HBS but not while saddle hunting as I haven't modified it for the saddle. For saddle hunting from mid to late October through most of November I have taken a page from the military cold weather playbook and I purchased a pair of the cheap military surplus fleece bib overalls that you wear under your hunting jacket and pants. So I use either poly or merino wool base layer long underwear, then I put on whatever shirt I would normally wear over my long johns, usually a camo long sleeve shirt, then I put on the fleece bibs, then my hunting pants which are typically BDU's of some kind. My jacket I pack in. Sometimes I will throw a hoody on and this past year If it is colder, I pack in a wool anorak from Asbell Wool to wear as my hoody under my main hunting coat or I have even slipped it over my regular hunting coat as well. It really blends in nice and is super quiet. The fleece bibs work great to keep your midriff warm where your pants and coat may separate while in the tree but they are not super bulky like normal bibs. This works pretty well for 3-5 hour sits in 20 to 40 degree weather which is typically what I experience here in WNY. For all day rut sits I'll pack in regular bibs and a bulkier jacket and put my saddle over the bulkier bibs. This coming season I picked up a set of the Bob Fratske Winona Camo Pants from a fellow saddle hunter on here and I can't wait to try them over my military bibs and under my regular hunting pants for even more warmth and layers but still not with a bulky bib system over top.
 
When I was still doing linework my go to in cold weather was bibs and a double thick sweatshirt because of mobility. I now still like bibs and sweatshirt/jacket hunting for the same reason although it might be because of what I wore for years.
 
Now one thing I do wear, a fleece union suit. A couple times I got the cold wind up the jacket. I found a union suit at a military surplus store. I hardly ever hunt without it on anymore if it is any lower than 45 degrees.
 
Loopwing said:
Now one thing I do wear, a fleece union suit. A couple of times I got the cold wind up the jacket. I found a union suit at a military surplus store. I hardly ever hunt without it on anymore if it is any lower than 45 degrees.
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I'll have to check one of those out. Last year was my first year in the saddle and my first year hunting primarily NOT using ground blinds. I've never used bibs before but in the saddle I see a great need. If you get the tiniest of openings between your jacket and your pants you instantly start to get cold. I'm now saving up for some nice bibs. I'd love to get the Sitka ones, but I just don't know if I can stomach it.
 
Yep, general idea. I lucked out and got zippers on the sides that go all the way from the ankles to the armpits for venting.
 
I wore coveralls when I was younger. But I feel like bibs and a jacket are less restricting when you add layers. My older brother finally made the switch last year. He was wearing coveralls and putting a jacket over that. I do like the simplicity of coveralls but never liked how restricting they felt.
 
Loopwing said:
I used to wear coveralls up until last year. What finally made me change is different tweaks and turns of my lower body will effect the material around my neck and shoulders. I noticed it more when shooting my rifle prone, but did notice also while in the saddle. Maybe I was looking for it more after I became aware of it on the ground.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can't stand that binding feeling. Also a separate bib and jacket allows more venting/layering options. The coldest I ever hunt here is single digits (and that is rare). If I lived up north, then I might sing a different tune.
 
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Bibs and jacket for me, never tried overalls. Although I have not sat in a saddle yet so I can't speak to how they work for that application, I've spent my whole life in hang-ons and ladder stands.
 
Bibs and jacket for me as well. Good layering system is key. Coveralls were nice but just way too bulky/heavy and harder to move in.

If I was strictly a stand hunter and didn't like to be mobile I would be in the stand hunter extreme coveralls from cabelas. Im pretty sure they are discontinued but it was impossible to get cold in those things.
 
It was -6 on the thermometer when I left the house on my snowmobile to go coyote hunting the other day, usually this is 8 hours straight of no heat and often times 45 mph on the sled for 10 minutes at a time, by noon it was maybe 10 degrees, I wear first lite merino wool base layers, I can’t remember the name but there super thin, microtex pants, under armor hoodie, with a filson wool vest, and sitka stratus jacket and bibs, if you wana find out if your stuff is windproof jump on a sled at 45 mph when it’s -6, Sitka stuff is real and for me worth the money, google like crazy and you can find deals, the difference with Sitka for me is before when I hunted in these extreme temps I would be so bundled up I couldn’t hardly swing my rifle, with Sitka I am still warm but have complete freedom of movement, there is just so much less bulk for the same amount of performance as other stuff, I sold off and gave away everything else I owned and made the switch and have zero regrets.
 
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