Thermal Underwear

T

Tony Turner

Joined
Apr 15, 2003
Messages
175
Getting to be that time of year (2 months away) for the snow season for us up here in ND. Just curious, what are some of the brands, materail, you guys have used for long underwear. I currently use silk 90%, it's light wgt and not binding, whisks moister away from my body and dries quickly. I wouldn't like anything much thicker, too constricting. How about wool socks, what blend of material do you look for?
 
Long Underwear: Depending on the climate, I wear anything from cheap, thin WalMart PolyPro to some double layer Poly/Wool stuff I bought from Cabellas a while back. I find the thinner stuff to be more than enough if my activity level includes much more than sitting in a blind, suitable outer layers being in place. I've hunted when it was so cold, though, that I wore the heavy two-layer set under wool pants and shirt, followed by a jacket, followed by insulated coveralls... and I was STILL cold. I usually take at least one pair of the heavy-weights for anything later than mid autumn, even if I don't need to wear them.

Socks - I'm plagued with bad wool socks. Finally found some from Wigwam (Smart Socks, maybe?) that not only keep my feet warm but also stay in place when I'm hiking a lot. I can't recommend them enough, even if they are a little pricier than I think socks ought to be.
 
I have bougt some of those Wigwam socks last year, they are very good. One thing I did do different, when I bought my last pair of boots (800gram thinsilate) I bought them a half size too big. My feet are not cramped with thicker socks, but still fit snug enough not to rub blisters. This has really helped with keeping my feet warmer. Our temps get down to -20f (actual temp) with -40 pluse wind chills. And when you are laying in a snow bank hunting cyotes, you need warm gear.
 
those liners they have for wool socks really really cut down on blisters, I recommend them for any cold weather situation, they dry very easily too, just make sure that they don't freeze
 
I posted the comments below back in 2002. I'm a lazy man, so I'm gonna just cut-and-paste...;) I will add that my opinion of this product has remained very high. It is great stuff. Not sure if it is still available though:

The most valuable piece of cold weather gear that I have found is the Power Stretch Union Bib that I got from Cabelas a few years ago. In the past, I usually bought wool and polyester blend two-piece long johns from Farm & Fleet or something similar that was on sale. So, I was a little hesitant to pay $90 for a pair of drawers. I have to say that the Union Bib is worth every penny, and I have since bought a second pair.

I haven't tried many high tech fabrics, so this product was a big step up in comfort and warmth for me. Because it is one piece, there is no annoyance from the upper part coming untucked or bunching up. Because it is a bib, not a full upper, the freedom of movement for the arms is excellent. The material that it is made from is warm, wind-resistant, wicks away sweat, and is comfortable against the skin. After extensive use, the material has not stretched out of shape, become baggy, or torn. It has remained form-fitting but stretchy.

There are only two downsides that I can think of. The first is the initial price. The second is that I have to wear a light pair of shorts underneath. The metal zipper ends right at the crotch, so chafing and scratching can occur.
 
I've used silk, polypro, cheap cotton long johns, and after much experimenting I've settled on DuoFold.

It's not that thick, and it has a wool outer layer mated to a soft cotton inner layer. The cotton inner layer prevents it from being itchy, and it's as warm, no--warmer than anything I've tried before that.

I know it may not be for everyone, but when it comes to long underwear, that's all I'll ever use.
 
I got a bunch of Duofold issued while in the Military and I've had pretty good success with it. Has anyone tried Underarmor?
 
Wrights socks have a good selection of double layer socks which range from a Cool Max/Nylon mix for both inner and outer layers, to Cool Max/Nylon inner and wool outer. Being in SOCAL I've found the Cool Max/Nylon mix just fine for most apps and will use them as a liner for my boot socks when I get back to WA. Regardless, Wright Socks keep my feet dry when I'm working out or just out while cotton tend to keep my feet not so dry. YMMV
 
I was doing some research of my own on long underwear and I found that some materials that you might want to have a look at when buying long john are Capilene, Thermax, and/or Prolite. Just a thought
 
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