staying warm

DRESSING FOR THE COLD

I have written all of this in the past but not necessarily in a single article. I am writing this for the purpose of making hunters aware of how best to dress when out in the field but the information is beneficial to one and all who venture out into the bush or ski down a mountain or climb up a mountain.

What you must remember is the fact that your body emits moisture all of the time and it does so after you stop breathing until you dry out. This moisture leaves your body as a vapor contrary to what you thought and what companies making base layer underwear think, it is not yet liquid. The vapor condenses on your skin surface and becomes a liquid which then cools you. Moisture or water is the greatest absorber of heat on the planet. If it is summer time this action is very beneficial but if its winter it is dangerous. Therefore it is absolutely the most import thing to remember: “I must wear clothing regardless the number of layers that do not restrict the flow of vapor coming out of my body for as long as possible before it condenses (becomes liquid i.e. water) and does not absorb it.

The very first layer of clothing that you must wear to assure you that the vapor coming out of your body does not stay close enough to your skin surface to condense is fishnet underwear. If the vapor condenses on your skin surface you will get a chill ultimately because the liquid will start absorbing your body heat and never stop. The fishnets should be loose fitting.

The second layer should be the fine mesh “second layer garment” I manufacture because it will not inhibit the flow of the vapor away from you and it will become a barrier or spacer from the third layer. You want to create a space between each layer so the vapor can travel easily away from you.It is the heat from your body that is the driving force that keeps the vapor moving in the direction of a lower temperature. Heat moves to cold!

The third layer at this time can be the Ducksback wind shirt until I am out of the Ducksback material. This garment should also be loose fitting. A second choice which I am in favor of is the Lamilite liner vest and liner jacket worn together. What I am recommending are garments that will allow you ease of movement. All of these garments will slide against each other versus binding you as does happen with all of the knitted garments available these days. All of these Lamilite garments will not stifle the moisture in a vapor state from moving away from you.

The final garment to wear when the temperature is 0 to -20 degrees would be the Barron Grounds Parka and to go colder to possibly -50 degrees I recommend the Urban Ducksback Arctic Parka which can be made with other materials including multicam which is the only camouflage I stock.

Please note that I have not mentioned wearing any of the popular knitted garments that are sold in hunting establishments because none of them is worth the money if used for outdoor activities such as hunting, skiing or mountain climbing. ALL people who participate in these activities find when they wear these knitted garments and have stopped moving they get a chill. It all has to do with wearing clothing that is form fitting and the spaces between the yarns do not allow the sweat out of the garment. Because the garments are form fitting the vapor condenses very quickly and as such it does not move away from you and once condensed you get a chill. When you wear knitted garments over each other they restrict your movements. All of the hype companies selling these garments about them wicking moisture are lying. What they have done is added a chemical to the surface of the fabric that is supposed to wick the moisture away. Unfortunately they do not know that the only fibers that can wick moisture are natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk or rayon. The polyester fabrics they use do not wick anything because they do not absorb moisture. If a material cannot absorb moisture on one side the side against your skin the moisture cannot move through the fabric to the side opposite your skin. The end result is that synthetic fabrics do not absorb so the moisture stays right where it condenses on your skin surface.

I know that many of you out there have purchased these knitted pullovers so my recommendation is that you really consider how much chemical you want to subject your body too. If you are willing to do that then the best time to wear them is for social occasions, like going to the pub where you will not be sweating so you will minimize the amount of chemicals that will otherwise leach into your body.

If you were to invest in the Wiggy products I have noted you will have the best cold weather clothing system you can get. You will have invested the smallest amount of money and you will have acquired the longest lasting garments available.

Of course you should also have the Lamilite socks, leg jackets and mittens for warmth and the waders for crossing streams.

A VERY APPRECIATED TESTIMONIAL

Mr. Wigutow,

I've been meaning to write this testimonial for several months. I purchased the Ducksback sweater in late winter / early spring. My first chance testing it was at my son's all-day lacrosse tournament. Temperatures were in the low 40's, 20-30 mph winds, and a steady rain all day with periods of heavy rain. Almost everyone sported an umbrella and waterproof clothing. It was that miserable that many people left early, including several lacrosse teams (one team was in the finals and forfeited).

I was amazed at how the sweater performed. I was toasty warm all day. Water would run of the outside of the jacket and some water would bead on the jacket. I would shake the jacket and the water droplets would come right off. Several people approached me and asked if I was crazy not having an umbrella which gave me the opportunity to educate them. I stayed warm all day, but was sure the water had eventually soaked through the material. What truly amazed me was my tee-shirt under the jacket was completely dry at the end of the day. Thanks for another great product!

– Derek Y

Unfortunately when my inventory of Ducksback is gone it is gone unless the price is lowered.

WET AND WARM HANDS

If you click on mittens and then click on RENEGADE MITTENS their is a video a fellow made showing how well the Lamilite performs when it is wet. The video is 7 minutes long and worth viewing. Also note his repeat of choice words about me.