There are a few things that I wish I would have learned or realized sooner than I did in my early years of hunting. Unfortunately, it took some time and experimenting before I came to realize that my clothing choices were sometimes hurting my hunting instead of helping.

I would get cold feet one day hunting, so I wore two pairs of socks the next time out. Yet my feet would still get cold. Knowing what I know now, I had overdone the socks, making my feet sweat in my boots. Then the sweat would evaporate, which would make my feet cold.

Understanding footwear insulation can help you avoid getting wet feet that end up getting cold. You would be surprised at how thin a sock you might need if your boots are heavily insulated.

If you wear rubber boots, think about getting wool socks. Rubber boots do not allow for moisture wicking that well, so having socks that stay insulative after getting wet is important.

Lace-up boots allow for more moisture to escape, but they still hold a lot of moisture in, especially boots with waterproof membranes. I suggest wearing a pair of socks that are one “thickness” less than what you usually wear if your feet end up cold after a few hours.

You may also be interested in trying the rechargeable heated insoles you can purchase. All you need to do is hit a button on the remote control and the insoles heat up. Be advised that these can really make your feet sweat if you’re not careful.

The key is to focus on the material the clothing is made of. Cotton is a nice, soft material, but it loses all its insulative properties when it gets wet. Avoid using cotton as a layer that contacts the skin, as it will soak up any sweat off the skin and start making you feel colder.

Polyester clothing helps wick moisture away from the skin so you stay drier and warmer. Clothing made with merino wool is excellent as a base layer because the wool retains its insulative properties when it gets wet.

It also is supposed to inhibit some microbial growth, which results in less odor that deer can smell. I bought a set of merino wool base layers last year and have nothing but good things to say about them.

The only downside is that some merino wool clothing has special washing instructions that you need to follow exactly or you’ll ruin them.

Dressing in layers helps you regulate temperature easily. If you feel too warm, you can remove one layer or more. If you are too cold, add layers.

With one heavy jacket or bibs, you can’t take them off without being down to bare skin.

Another tactic I have started using the past few years is not to wear all my clothes to the stand. I walk uphill for a few hundred yards where I do most of my hunting, which gets my blood flowing.

If I have too many layers on, I will be sweating before I climb the tree and will be cold within a couple of hours. By carrying my jacket, I can let my base layer or layers breathe on the walk in so some of the moisture is lost before putting my jacket on at the stand.

In 2025, I made one of the best purchases ever for clothing and bought a pair of First Lite Kiln zip-off long john pants. They have zippers that go from the hip to the ankle on each leg.

This allows you to put them on or take them off without taking your boots off. They have been great for cold mornings where I can walk to my stand, wait a few minutes to cool down and then zip them on before climbing up the stand.

While a lot of attention is given to the extremities in terms of staying warm, you should also focus on keeping your core warm.

If you let your vital organs start to get cold, the blood that is sent to your hands and feet will start to get cooler. Therefore, some hunters like to have a vest as a middle layer because it retains heat in your core without making moving your arms hard with bulky sleeves.

Placing the disposable hand warmers in inside pockets helps keep the core warm and can extend your time in the stand.