[0:00]Temps are dropping fast and I'm moving into my extreme cold weather gear. Outerwear is where my favorite white tail piece comes in. Take that fanatic to a whole new level. Alright, it's peak rut and it is time to move into the late season which means we have to be ready for these temperatures that are certainly plummeting. Temps are dropping fast and I'm moving into my extreme cold weather gear from Sika. So, I wanted to walk you through what I take out and how I layer those to make sure that I'm either perfectly comfortable in mild conditions, all the way to last year I did a hunt in minus 38 and was totally comfortable. So there's really three categories here that I'm going to talk about. First is going to be that base layer, next is going to be that insulation layer if you need it and then what outerwear I prefer depending on those conditions during that extreme late season. So the first thing I want to talk about is that base layer. And really you have the option between either a course synthetic or the new wool. And the wool is amazing and the 330 is an awesome, awesome piece both with the top and the bottom. Now when it comes to the core, I go with the heavy and sometimes I do this two different ways. I normally will have a fanatic hoodie for the last layer piece that I have. So that'll be the piece that's on the outside before either my insulation layer or before that outerwear. I'll use the mock neck like this, the quarter zip if I'm going to use two of those pieces and put this underneath that fanatic hoodie. If it's not that cold, then I'll simply go with the heavy bottoms and then the fanatic top. That way I've got my built in mittens that I personally like, I've got the thumb holes for that base layer to be able to slide that all the way through all of your layers, and I really, really love the built-in face mask. The awesome thing about the EV2 in that fanatic is that it works both great in the stand and if you're in a blind as well because of those different shadings, it really blends in well that way too. Now if you like the wool, the wool has several different colors this year, so you can pick a color depending on whether or not you're in a blind or in a stand. But these pieces are really awesome and what I love about them is the external finish to them so that they can still slide even when they're underneath some of these insulation layers or your outer layer. This is really important and something that you need to think about because with Sika, they really build this as a system so that the system functions and you're still able to move even though you're really bulked up for those extreme temperatures. They've actually got two different pants, they have a full length pant, but they also have a shorter pant which is nice if you're wearing full white tail like muck boots or if you're wearing some Alpha Burly or something like that where you don't want to have as much bulk down at the bottom of your leg.
[3:33]You can go with that shorter pant as well. Now for the insulation layers, you have so many options because you can really utilize other pieces that you might have used as an outerwear during the earlier season or the mild season. So some of my favorites are going to be the Celsius jacket certainly, and I can put this Celsius jacket over the top of that fanatic hoodie and then put my bibs up over the top of that and I can go to and from my stand without overheating when it's really cold. I could also remove this and put it in my backpack and go in with just my fanatic top and my bibs. But the other thing that this particular jacket allows is I can put this jacket on and then if I need a little bit more warmth and I want the benefit of the fanatic muff warmer, then I'll go with the vest instead of the full jacket. So that gives you a lot of options. Now, another option that you have is the gradient. These gradients are really awesome and this is a piece that I typically take with me to the blind because I'm not having to deal with that wind. And I can actually wear this not only as an insulation layer, but it can also serve as an outer layer as well when you're in a blind and you need that black background and you're not having to deal with direct wind hitting you because this isn't a wind piece, this is an insulation piece and it is super comfortable and super warm. Definitely a piece that I don't think you need to wear if you're in transit, but certainly a piece that's very functional once you're at location. Now, the other thing that is really awesome is these Equinox mitties. These are a pant that depending on the temperature, I will sometimes wear these honestly as a base if it's not quite as cold as having both. Otherwise, I can put these on over that base layer and now it gives me a whole new insulation layer that can take that fanatic to a whole new level. This is an awesome, awesome piece and it's something that if you need to wear to the stand, you can simply lower those side zips on the fanatic bibs and give yourself enough ventilation to where you're not going to overheat. But this is an awesome product and what's great about both of these, honestly including all of them, is the fact that this is more of a material that is for that insulation and ultra quiet. There is no noise when this is moving around. And what's awesome about these pieces in the white tail line is they are really designed and tailored to minimize that noise and essentially eliminate that noise. Now, one of the things that was really impressive during the testing of the fanatic sets when the brand new fanatic came out several years ago is there was extensive testing at the Gore facility utilizing not only the extreme weathers, but also a sound chamber where in those extreme weathers, there were microphones set up to where an archer could mimic what they were doing in a tree stand and against a tree so that the sound was not going to be an issue for any type of hunter.
[7:18]Because if you're a bow hunter especially and you add in extreme cold weather, it magnifies sound. Put a layer of snow out there and that is once again another thing that's going to let that noise travel even further. So what's so impressive about the Sika line once I started using it was just how effective it is as a white tail hunter who is hyper sensitive to any type of noise. So this whole system not only functions and gives you the options to layer depending on what those temperatures are, but it also gives you the ability to to move without feeling like you're bound in this extremely huge piece of equipment that you're trying to just survive in. Now the outerwear honestly is where my favorite white tail piece comes in. And I look forward to the late season simply because the fanatic is such an amazing piece. I personally love wearing bibs in general just because I'm able to have those bibs up. I don't have any seam that's getting my lower back chilled at all and it seems to contain all my heat much better to where I can actually be a little bit more of a minimalist on my upper stuff which as an archer and as a bow hunter and as someone that's sitting in a blind and trying to glass and move or sitting in a stand and having to twist around, it really gives you that freedom that you're looking for. Now the other thing I love about these bibs is the amount of cargo space that they have. There are huge cargo pockets on both sides of the legs and these cargo pockets are so well put together because once you start to realize how you want to use them functionally, you really have the options for a whole lot of things.
[9:18]It has a small little side pocket here, which a lot of times in that pocket that I access some but not all the time, I'll put in my wind checkers or things like that that I use a little bit but not a lot. The next thing is going to be this sleeve right here that is so convenient for putting your phone on your leg and when you're in a seated position, you can access that without having to open it up. Now the main cargo pockets, the way that I use mine, I have my gloves and my beanies in each of my cargo pockets and they're set there all the time, no matter what. Now the other thing that's great about this is it actually has multiple locations for you to put your hands to keep your hands warm. You can either go in this upper pocket here that has a zip. Otherwise, this pocket here is fully fleeced on the inside and it's something that you can slide your hands in like this. I actually put hand warmers in there as well as hand warmers on my outer piece for my jacket or my vest as well. But those are great locations for hand warmers and one of the things that I love about these pants is just how quiet they are when you tuck them into a big rubber muck boot, which is very common for white tail hunters.
[10:43]Normally if you pull that around the outside, you hear a clunking sound going in and out. I actually tuck my pants in and it really muffles that sound which brings some added value to this. What's awesome about this as well is it is a little bit thinner down on the bottom of that leg so that you can tuck those into your pants and you're not so bulky around your calves. You have a lot of the bulk around the area where you need it most and honestly, the extra padding is super convenient as well. Now, on the outer piece for the jacket, I love the fanatic jacket. This is such an awesome piece and has a ton of features. It's got a great feature if you're wanting to put this on when you're at your stand. You want to put this on and you need to get your safety harness up and through. You have a piece that's right here in the back and once you practice how to do it a few times, it makes getting on this final piece in the stand that much easier and certainly much, much safer. You also have a cool feature here with the direction that the fanatic zips. Now, this is something if I'm honest, I did not really have an open mind about that when I first started utilizing Sika. I was so used to zipping up the front that getting used to that side zipper was something that I didn't really have an open mind to. But once I used it a few times, I am now such a proponent for this that I tell all my friends, listen, this should be in everything, but it because it's so convenient to have this to where you have a muff right here in the front of your jacket. This is so nice for several reasons because you can actually go down to more of a liner for your glove instead of a full glove and you can still keep them warm. There's hand warmer slots on the inside there or you could even put your phone in that front pocket as well or both. Keep your battery life a lot longer as well. This has a very cool magnetic collar, so if you're worried about contact with your collar, this magnet right here puts this aside and keeps it in the perfect spot. This is such an awesome jacket. There's less bulk on the left sleeve on the inside of the sleeve, which is really awesome for a bow hunter because previously when I'd have to wear extreme late season clothing, I'd always have to get some type of a compression sleeve on my bow arm so that I wouldn't worry about contact. With these, they've minimized that where they needed it and they've maximized the heavier fleece so that where it touches itself during those drawing motions, it stays totally quiet. This is such an awesome piece and honestly, it's a piece that I don't have to wear all the time because it's pretty rare that it gets that cold. It definitely has to be the tail end of the season for me here in the Midwest and one where I'm in a tree stand. Now if I'm not in a tree stand, I normally have these other layers that I talked about and this is the cargo box pack. And the reason I love this pack is because I can put my tripods down the side or my camera arms. I can always have my video camera down one pocket and chances are, yeah, that's in there with coffee from this morning. Um to be able to have a full-size Yeti, even to double up and have one on both sides. But you also have the ability to put these outer pieces on the pack so that you can have them here on your way in and not be wearing them on the way in. Now, this vest is probably what gets the most use for me because again, I can utilize these other insulation layers to give me the warmth that I need, but also minimize my thickness on my arms even more so than the design of that fanatic jacket. The vest is such an awesome piece and this is something that even if it's not frigid out, this is the first piece once some of the cold weather sets in, this is the first piece that I go to because again, it's got that zip that I have really grown fond of and it has the ability to have that full muff warmer here in the front so that I'm not having to utilize really heavy thick gloves all the time. Now I want to talk about a few of the accessories that I use in addition to these sets and how I use these sets. Now, when it comes to cold weather white tails, if it's extremely cold, I'll go to the mittens. I love the warmth of the mittens and they're easily something that I can put together and I can keep in my pack and not necessarily use all the time. But the great thing about these as well is just that they do flip back and you have access to your fingers with minimal insulation on there so that you can still feel what you're doing. Now, the other pieces that literally take temperature to a whole different level is going to be that fanatic neck gator. Warning, if you put this on and the hat then be prepared to be really, really hot. But these are two pieces as well that I'll take with me and depending on what the wind is doing and how much of the force of Mother Nature is actually being put on you, then these two pieces are kind of those finishing touches that really seal you up from the elements. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that the fanatic set has windstopper in there. So this is really perfect for the super cold and windy days. If it's not windy, you still have the total silence of the fanatic, but with those cold weather days and typically a really good front that gets the bucks moving, you're going to have that wind as well. So with the windstopper, this is so awesome because you're not taking the brunt of that wind and it makes your comfort in a tree stand on a totally different level. Now the windstopper certainly does have some moisture protection value. I've used this a lot in light snow, even light rain, and it's going to be okay. But if you get to the situation where you know precipitation and, you know, accumulative mounts of precipitation are going to happen, then I would highly recommend just going to that incinerator because the incinerator is going to have that Gore-Tex that you're looking for. Now the last thing that I wanted to talk about was my personal footwear and I actually go with the highest insulation of an Alpha Burly. And one of the things that I do as well for my feet, I always wear a very heavy wool sock. I wear the heaviest wool sock I possibly can and my late season boots are one size bigger than the size that I typically wear to give me that extra room for those extremely heavy wool socks. But that's the set that I wear and I've literally used these sets right here in conditions from the peak of the rut all the way until the last day of season and I have never, ever been more comfortable as a bow hunter.
