With the onset of winter, how are you guys staying warm while fishing for grinners? Other than bad conditions, the cold keeps me off of the sand. I know most pack on layers of clothes to keep warm, any other methods?
Here's a list of what I've employed and if it successfully kept me warm or not:
Costco 32 Degrees Base Layer Top and Bottom
Worn under clothing like thermals. It's supposed to trap body heat like a wet-suit. I think it works pretty well once temps drop to the low 60s. They've even made me sweat a bit. A must have for layering on warmth!
HotHands Hand Warmers
I get these at either Big 5 or Walmart. I like them in the felt lined hand warmer pocket of my waders. Great for warming my hands and keeping them warm especially after a quick hand washing in the skinny after handling bloody bait or slimy bat rays. They add some warmth to the chest area throughout the night. I've also put in each pocket of my sweat pants to add some warmth to my legs. Every little bit helps. It comes in handy.
Neck Wrap
Got my neck wrap from Big 5 and it's great! Combined with a beanie and then a hoodie, everything from the neck stays pretty damn warm the whole night. It's basically a turtle neck sweater without the sweater that you can pull all the way up to over your nose and just have your eyes exposed. A must have!
Wool Snowboarding Socks
Also from Big 5. I found the snowboarding types to be thicker than the regular wool socks. Helps to have all the extremities be nice and toasty. Very helpful.
Additional Heat Source??
This is something new for me. I recently purchased a Highland Portable Tank Top heater from Amazon. It was a little less than $30 with free shipping from Amazon and a 2pack of 1lb disposable propane bottles from Home Depot for $6. The heater comes with 3 settings; Low, Medium, and High. Depending on the setting you use, will determine how long the propane will last you. It only adds a little over 2lb of additional for me to carry from the car the to beach and the heater and 1 tank fits into my cooler along with my bait and other essentials I need for a night of fishing.
I've used it 2x and I haven't gotten the heating capabilities I was hoping for. I set it up and prop it on top of my cooler, so that it is to my body level as I sit next to it in beach chair. Even at the high setting, it just doesn't give off enough heat unless it's just several inches from me. It warms my hands really well if I put them right in front of it. I'm guessing since it's being used in an open area the heat isn't contained around me. I'm sure it'd work well if I was trying to heat up a very small enclosure like a duck blind. I'm looking into other options. Fail.
I know our winters aren't really winters, but I'm at that age that I don't want to fish uncomfortably. Shivering while fishing just sucks the enjoyment out of it.