The ability to be comfortable while engaging in cold weather field activities has a significant impact on your level of enjoyment. Here a few tips to help keep you warm, dry and comparatively cozy despite what the weather brings.

Keeping Rain Gear WaterproofEver notice how your Gore-Tex (or similar waterproof/breathable product) turns the rain the first year or two you have it, but then starts to leak after it’s experienced some use?Chances are you can breathe new life into your expensive gear.Thanks to something the manufacturers call “Durable Water Repellency,” moisture should bead up on the exterior of your rain gear, like on a freshly waxed car. Chances are it did when it was new, but lost much of this attribute through use.The ability to turn water is important, as it keeps the Gore Tex membrane, which is sandwiched between the exterior and inner lining of the garment, from being overloaded and failing.You can reactivate the DWR’s water shedding ability by simply running it through a high heat cycle in the clothes dryer. If you use your gear a lot, do this several times a year, such as after you’ve come in from a wet, rainy day.It is also important to keep the garments clean. The actual Gore Tex membrane is porous; its openings are small enough to stop water, but large enough to allow water vapor (i.e. sweat) to escape. Clogged with dirt, the membrane can’t function as designed.Run the gear through the washer with a non-detergent cleaner such as Nikwax Tech Clean, and then apply a coating of a topical spray like Nikwax TX Spray-On fabric care. Your rain gear will likely perform as good as new.

The Magic Of MerinoI can recall, when as a kid, I was subjected to the scratchy feel of wool Army blankets, and the resulting sleepless nights.So even though I grew up in a time when the red plaid “Woolrich” defined the ultimate in deer hunting garb, my anti-wool mentality drove me to the high-tech synthetics which were arriving on the market.Then a couple seasons ago, I discovered merino wool, a soft, non-itchy product gleaned from the Merino breed of sheep. Socks, sweaters, even base layer long underwear blended with a high percentage of merino wool has the insulating benefits of wool, but without the scratch. And the stuff wears like iron.Merino wool socks are especially fine. When shopping, look for ones described as “hiking” socks, to distinguish them from dress socks, which are also made from merino wool.For cold weather use, I like ones graded as medium or heavy weight. The added bulk of such socks adds cushioning to the feet, yet aren’t too warm even on days when a lot of walking is involved.A merino wool sweater has become a standard article of mine. Underneath a light upland jacket, it provides all the insulation necessary for a late season bird hunt.Lightweight merino wool underwear provides plenty of warmth without much bulk. If your skin is particularly sensitive, and detects that scratchy sensation, a layer of thin silk underwear donned first will alleviate such discomfort.

Happy FeetMoisture in a boot is an obvious problem, and it doesn’t necessarily come from leaking or stepping in water over the boot top. A build-up of sweat can be the source.This is especially evident with all-rubber boots, like the 15- to 16-inch pull-on versions popular with deer hunters. Hunting multiple days in a row can mean pulling on clammy boots before a day’s hunt.A boot dryer like those made by Peet and Maxx Dry is the answer. Boots are slid onto the dryer, which has heating elements that warm the internal air. Most of these operate via convection (they don’t have a blower), yet are quite effective in drying even fairly wet boots overnight. You have warm, dry boots to get into the next morning.With the purchase of relatively inexpensive extensions, such dryers will work on hip boots and waders as well. They also do a nice job of drying gloves. Dryers with blowers are available for faster results.Like the exterior of your Gore Tex rain gear, leather boots need periodic maintenance. Regular applications of beeswax products like Snow Seal or Obenauf’s heavy-duty leather preservative keeps the leather in top condition. The boots will be softer, thus more comfortable in the field. Their lifetime will be greatly extended. And they will stay much more weatherproof.Before applying, rid the dry boot free of any dirt with a soft-bristled scrub brush. Then warm it up with a hand-held hair dryer. Smear generous amounts of the product onto the boot.Re-warm the boot with the hair dryer, so the wax softens and can be worked into all the crooks, crannies and seams of the boot.Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle