Jacket recommendations for Finland -20c

[hairyduck]

Hi all,

I'm just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a cold weather jacket that will keep me warm when sat in a hide for 5 or 6 hours at a time in Finland soon? Temps will be -10 to -20c by the looks of it. Drab colours preferred as be'll trying to photograph the wildlife out there, oh and I generally feel the cold pretty badly

 

[spoony]

deerhunter rusky polar, in OG if you can get one otherwise realtree, down to -32 no probs

 

[spoony]

http://www.deerhunter.dk/Default.aspx?ID=435&ProductComp=1969&ShopGroupID=1349

 

[iotarho]

It's all about the layering! I use just a shell jacket and have done in temperatures down to -40c up in the mountains. With a decent set of thermals, a fleece (doubling or tripling up, weather and movement depending), sometimes a soft shell jacket and then the hard shell jacket. However if through that you still may be worried about the cold, try a down insulation jacket (generally in bright colours, however with a hunting jacket over the top it should be very toast, and drab enough).

 

[spoony]

Don't forGet he's going to be sat in a hide not much movement

 

[addo]

Several wool layers, and a very breathable shell like ventile.
Kept me perfectly warm at -32 sat still without a hide for a couple of hrs Ice fishing.

The breath ability is important when walking in and out of area.
If you don't catch the warming up in time and remove a jumper or shirt replacing the shell, a layer of frost builds up on the inside of posh gortex type shell jackets sooner.
A cheap cotton Swedish snow smock is a good alternative to ventile in cold dry-ish weather.

 

[rik_uk3]

Optimus 111T silent stove, ten litres of water and five hot water bottles.

 

[MrEd]

Optimus 111T silent stove, ten litres of water and five hot water bottles.

exactly what i would do!!

 

[bojit]

Windstopper fleece and a 2011 range rover sport .

Craig.......

 

[Aristotle]

A cheap cotton Swedish snow smock is a good alternative to ventile in cold dry-ish weather.

Yes, cotton jackets are great when it is cold enough for the snow not to melt on you.

 

[big_swede]

Being warm, still and silent in such cold for so long periods is difficult. Woolen or synthetic thermals, thick furry fleece sweaters or woolen sweaters and thights, over that a thick parka or down jacket, and insulated trousers. Also consider your hat and mittens. I go with woolen buff (diy:ed from a woolen scarf) and a real rabbit fur bomber hat. I use polycotton/mooseskin shellgloves with felted woolen inners, and inside that thin wool finger gloves. When the photo oppurtunity comes I just through of the right shell glove and behold, the hand is now only dressed in the thin finger glove! To sum up, don't forget the legs, hands and hat! The legs are extremely effective heat sinks if you are still, not so if you move around.

Make sure you have something warm to drink, and make sure you're well insulated from the cold ground and/or chair. Use a spruce bed or sitting bed for the feet, makes a heck of a difference in cold temps and prolonged stillness.

I use a hacked cheapo batterygrip for my 5D. Soldered a cable to the connectors in the grip to keep the batteries inside my pocket. No need to do so with my 4x5" though

Small edit, a well insulated coverall isn't bad at all, specially if your getting inside a lot. A snow mobile rental outfit can probably rent you one.

 

[hairyduck]

Thanks for all the comments, that's very useful, I already have a number of woolpower merino underlayers so they should come in useful need to look at the whole hat/gloves/buff thing too

 

[bojit]

Also remember to take spare hat and gloves , you can have a real bad time from just loosing a glove!

Craig.........

 

[hairyduck]

Cheers Craig, good point!

Can anyone recommend any gloves that will still allow me to operate my camera controls and have some feeling? I was up in teh peak district at the weekend and I was starting to get a very white shutter finger with my fingerless gloves/mitts

 

[big_swede]

Cheers Craig, good point!

Can anyone recommend any gloves that will still allow me to operate my camera controls and have some feeling? I was up in teh peak district at the weekend and I was starting to get a very white shutter finger with my fingerless gloves/mitts

I recommend big shell mitts and thick liners combined with a thin finger glove. You simply can't have both warmth and dexterity. Not for prolonged use at least. You could use the norwegian army mittens, the have a trigger finger in the mitten, like only the finger tip of the right index finger, that would allow you to operate the front adjustment wheel and you could use your thumb for the rear adjustment wheel and set button (worked for my canon, not sure what you use). I prefer taking the mitten off and using the thin finger glove, mostly since I mostly use MF and LF cameras for landscapes and the shutters are too fiddly to use with either the shooting tip or the thumb.

You don't loose your gloves, mitts or hats, you just don't. Just as you don't loose a knife. Keep your mitts on your arms with a lanyard, most mitts have this sewn on.

Good luck.

 

[tommy the cat]

It's not bears your watching per chance?
No idea on gloves sorry loads to choose from sealskins all limit to some degree dexterity.
What about wristlets + mitts?
D

 

[big_swede]

It's not bears your watching per chance?
No idea on gloves sorry loads to choose from sealskins all limit to some degree dexterity.
What about wristlets + mitts?
D

hibernation...

 

[hairyduck]

I'm going for Owls and Grouse, bears is another one on the list for the future!

I was looking at a thinish pair of sealskins earlier with bobble on them for grip, so they may be a possible, I like the sound of the army mittens though

 

[addo]

Thanks for all the comments, that's very useful, I already have a number of woolpower merino underlayers so they should come in useful need to look at the whole hat/gloves/buff thing too

If you still thinking of gloves, big swede has the right idea.

For the warm inner section between the outer leather type ex army mitts I use and the inner thin wool glove, I use the "Woolpower mittens", so you know how good they are For a hat when it was very cold I used a Rabbit fur Russian type from an army shop for about £25. Prepare to Melt! Just a wool hat with ear flaps (nordic type) for the rest of my time up there.

 

[tedw]

IMHO avoid the Sealskins like a plague! I have a pair, which I got for the (supposed) waterproofness, and they seemed to suck any warmth out of my hands, making me colder and less able to operate anything. Thin warm inners under big, thick mitts is the way to go.