Winter Clothing Blog

“I LOVE the sleeping bag,” wrote Sue Allen during a wilderness dogsled run.  The bag was Northern Outfitters’ -30 Expedition-Weight Sleeping Bag.  She said the bag, alone, was like having a tent with “so much room you can turn over, a comfortable pad on the bottom,” and the ability to compress down to 24 X 10.5 inches (about 6.5 pounds).  Sue, a kennel owner and dogsled expert, was driving a yearling dogsled team to Nome, Alaska, for Iditarod champ Martin Buser.  She said the bag was a hot topic of conversation at the camps and checkpoints along the way, and she plans to use it during the Iditarod.

Marley with proud Daddy, Conor

Check out the newest Northern Outfitters Fan–Miss Marley Elizabeth Harrison, wearing her best Northern Outfitters Casual, with her dad, Northern Outfitters Pro Staffer Conor Harrison.  PRETTY DAMN CUTE!!!

Dean's Trophy Muskox - Northern Outfitters Gear Helped in the Hunt

Dean relayed a great story about his Canadian Arctic muskox hunt.  He bagged the trophy muskox (with a bow) and relayed that Jim Harrison of Northern Outfitters reassured him that the -50C temperatures were easily within the comfort range of the company’s cold weather clothing.  Dean said, “When I mentioned to him the current temperature…, his only reply was, ‘Trust our gear, Dean, it will keep you warm.’” 

Dean said he spent nights in igloos and days on a komatik sled with temperatures hovering between -20 to -50C.  He said, “Cold was completely removed from the equation by the Northern Outfitters gear, letting us focus on…harvesting a Boone and Crockett muskox with the bow.  Thank you Northern Outfitters.”

Okay, so it’s -25 and pitch black outside……

I have 13 hungry huskies waiting for food and warm water and I do NOT feel like going outside because I still haven’t unpacked my winter gear and found my Carhartt jacket. Besides, my arms are always cold in my carhartt jacket.

And then I decide if I put an old shirt over my jacket liner I’ll just try that…. I AM SO IMPRESSED ~ It’s incredible!!!

Jim, your salesmanship made me think “Oh yeah”  but I just can’t tell you how impressed I am.

Marti
_________________________________

Jim (Northern Outfitters owner) replied:

Hi Marti—

Thanks for the kind comments.  I’m stuck in the Atlanta airport (along with 10,000 of my closest friends) waiting on a computer in Timbuctu to reboot.  I checked on Tuesday [on embroidery for a new, exciting jacket...stay tuned] and the digitizing was almost done–shouldn’t take long at all to get the prototype.  As soon as I have it in my hands I’ll zip you a photo and then get the jacket on it’s way to Fairbanks.

By the way, it was 65 and sunny when I left home this morning (which sort of answers the question “Why Florida”)!!

See you soon.
Jim Harrison

Craig and Donna Boddington in the Mountains of Eastern Turkey

Hi Jim,
Greetings from eastern Turkey.  We took a nice Anatolian Chamois on the trip.  The weather turned really nasty, but our Northern Outfitters cold weather gear saved the day.  You already know this, but you guys make the best cold weather clothing in the world. 

Thanks again.
Craig and Donna

Cold weather gear from Northern Outfitters works for Aliy Zirkle, 2000 winner of the Yukon Quest, and Jim Harrison, Northern Outfitters owner. Here they await the start of the Yukon Quest race in 2009 wearing Northern Outfitters’ Arctic Parka Shell.

Northern Outfitters, maker of extreme cold weather gear, and Yukon Quest, the epic international sled dog race, have teamed up to offer the premier cold weather clothing worn by mushers and other extreme sports enthusiasts the world over.  The Yukon Quest internet website now links to NorthernOutfitters, allowing users access to the famous clothing line worn by mushers and spectators of this grueling, 1,000-mile race through Alaska and Canada.

“Northern Outfitters is delighted and proud to be invited to become the Official Cold Weather Gear Supplier for the Yukon Quest,” said Jim Harrison, owner of Northern Outfitters.

Yukon Quest 2000 winner and veteran musher Aliy Zirkle said it best, “the Northern Outfitters clothing system is truly amazing. I raced both the Copper Basin 300 and the Iditarod in your gear. The 50-below CB 300 was obviously what proved to me what a quality product it is. Iditarod was no walk in the park this year either, and I was confident in N.O. when others were freezing. No more multiple layers.”

“We make hard core gear for hard core folks,” Harrison explained.  “Teaming with the Yukon Quest is right where we should be.  The Quest is the pinnacle of hard core mushing, and Northern Outfitters makes the best, hard core, extreme cold weather gear in the world.”

Thanks to Vaetrex, a revolutionary new insulating material, the outerwear made by Northern Outfitters has been scientifically proven superior to all other extreme cold weather gear in testing by engineers at the University of North Dakota.  This study found Northern Outfitters’ gear performed best in all conditions.  The report said, “from all test results, dry and wet, windy or calm, it is clear that Vaetrex outperforms all other fabrics in heat retention, moisture wicking, and wind chill resistance”.

The Yukon Quest is known for excellence in canine care and for fostering the traditions of northern travel by dog team. This epic winter sports event occurs every February and covers 1,000 miles between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory.  The 2010 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race starts on Saturday February 6th at 11:00 a.m. from Fairbanks.

“There’s a reason so many of the Yukon Quest mushers choose Northern Outfitters’ cold weather gear,” Harrison said.  “We keep them safe, warm and dry without adding weight and bulk.”

Jim Harrison

http://NorthernOutfitters.com

For Cold Weather Gear

You have permission to publish this article free of charge either electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included.  A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.  This article contains approximately 400 words.

Jim, I'm Ignacio Martínez, from México. If you
remember, I with 3 other friends, Hector Martínez, Joaquin Rubio and
Francisco Milmo, buy the clothing system to hunt Polar Bear. I hope the
information I send through this e-mail, might help the
company in making better clothing.
1.- The Jacket and the pant, were incredible. We were practicly in -40° for
about 9 days and we were never cold. We did what the company advise us in
using the underwear, but after a day or two we felt that we have to use
another layer. A lite one. That's when we never felt cold. We travel in a
sled, and sometimes the wind was strong, and neither in that case we felt
cold. The only time you could feel the wind or cold, was when you realize
the velcro wasn't perfectly closed.
2.- The boots. They were incredible. Since we were traveling and not moving,
I thought that we were going to freeze. That never hapened. One of the
thing's is that if you walk (when you climb an iceberg) your feet swet.
Nevertheless, our feet kept warm. After that, you could feel the moisture in
your feet (kind of feel like wet), but even do we expect to freeze, that
never hapened. In the night we took the insole and by the morning it was
perfectly dry. We wore them as told, only the linen sock. The only bad thing
is we feel the boots are not good for walking.
3.- The anorak top. I was the only one that wore it, and it was perfect. It
kept the wind from cooling me.
4.- The severe hood was good only for Francisco. Hector, Joaquin and me stop
using it since we felt it obstruct the sight. The balaclava or what goes in
your face, was imposible to use it. We all felt that. It was very high and
you couldn't see. It blocked the sight. And with the movement and the wind,
it
wen't out of the severe hood or the jacket, and the wind and cold started to
freeze our jaw.
6.- The sleeping bag was perfect, incredible. One time I was in the tent
at -20° and I sleep in normal underwear. The temperature inside the sleeping
bag was always around 23° to 26° celsius (not farenheight). Sometimes it was
hot. The only thing is we don't understand why is so long.
Overall everything was perfect. I don't think there's better clothing for
arctic weather than Northern Outfitters.

Thank you and I hope you benefit from my experience. I was 9 days in the
arctic and you are always struggling against the cold and the warm, so you
analize everything.
Ignacio Martinez

Several weeks ago, while on a trip to Heber Valley, Utah to visit Jim & Dixie, our Awesome webmasters at Webhitshosting.com, on a beautiful morning when I SHOULD have been working, JC & I took the snowmobiles for a run into the Wasatch Back, where only the very lucky get to go in the wintertime.  It had snowed the night before and the conditions were perfect–nice crust over deep powder–to get me in big trouble.  The temp. was down around 15F, and my Northern Outfitters EXP Waterproof/breathable Parka and Vaetrex 0 liner were perfect for the conditions.  Of course, Park City and the Heber Valley are well known to skiers, but did you know that the US Winter Olympic teams train there because of the great conditions?  Our girls Tracy & Lanny Barnes, on the US Womens Biathalon team  were there at the time, but had better sense than to risk life & limb on a snowmachine in the Utah outback.  In any event, I can highly recommend a winter trip to the Wasatch, just don’t try to follow Wildman Carroll!!!

As some know Jason and I were recently on an arctic adventure hunting Muskox in Nunavut, Canada. I thought we would share some photo’s of the expedition.

There are two basic Muskox hunts, the Arctic Island Muskox, and the Barren Ground Muskox, or Mainland Muskox. Although they are recognized by the record keepers P&Y and B&C as the same species, the mainland muskox are usually 100-200 lbs bigger in body size, and the herds contain a greater number of bigger trophy bulls. A quick look through the record books show all the top representatives come from the mainland variety.

Mainland Muskox would be our target. The hunt is a little longer, and the mainland does not harbor the same numbers of animals that the Island hunts offer, however our outfitter, Boyd Warner of Adventure Northwest, is proud that on the mainland hunt he offers, trophy bulls up to and over 120″ B&C are in several of the herds. 90″ being the P&Y minimum, 105″ being the B&C minimum, and 129 being the tied Worlds record. Trophy aspect aside, we were just focused on Muskox, numbers have never been a big concern for me, but found it amazing that it is likely the only hunt in the world where a B&C class animal is likely present in most groups.

This is the community of Gjoa Haven where the hunt was based out of. Small, cold, but incredibly nice people.

The Local church. All the buildings had these small porches with no doors to catch some of the blowing snow.

After about 80 miles in the Komatik across the sea ice and a few lakes we reach the mainland where we would spend the night. I think Jason and I were both pleasantly surprised when home for day one was not built of snow. The guides had told us we would spend day one in a luxury cabin…Luxury hey…. The bunk you see was Jason and my ride for the hunt… We nick named it “The Thunder Box” and our driver/Guide, Jack “The Hammer” Ameralik.

Since there is nothing on the land for reference it’s hard to tell if the drifts change, but these pics below, only being taken a while apart, made it apperant the landscape changes often.

We were then stormed in the cabin for the next two days. It was an odd storm as it was not snowing, but you could not tell where the horizon or sky met. Hard to even tell where the ground was when you stepped.

After the weather cleared we hit the land again in search of Muskox. About 100 miles in the komatik none were found.

The next morning we awoke to another beautiful day, and headed in a new direction. After about 50 miles we came across some frozen, blown over Muskox turds and our Guide Anthony jumped off his skidoo and proclaimed that they were about 5 miles away…How he came to that I will never know. About a half mile further they went on top of a ridge, and returned to say that there were muskox about 4 miles away. We came around the next corner, and sure as heck, he was right. We had spotted our first muskox. Two ridges further and we were within 2 miles, and stopped to look and film them. It was clear there were 3 decent looking bulls in the group, one noticeably bigger. All the stories of them being tame, and circling up at the sign of danger….were not true for us! At 2 miles they spotted us and were hauling butt for who knows where…We were very worried at this point, at how on earth we would even stalk them in the wide open.

I will save the last details for the footage, but we did not have to worry about the stalk…You could say he came to us…fast…and angry! Broadside at 8-10 yards we were able to run one of the new Muzzy Phantom MX broadheads through his lungs. He ran about 70 yardsish and tipped over. We began to approach him and he made it back up to his feet at which time we decided to take another shot for assurance. It hit him good in the heart, and he was down for good.

It took awhile to field dress and debone him and we loaded the sleds back up to go look for good Igloo snow. When we found it our inuit guides, Jack and Anthony, began building us a new home for the night.

Both Jason and I took advantage of the opportunity to help by cutting a few slabs…Most of mine broke in half.

It didn’t take long until it began to take shape.

Almost done

A look at the door once inside

They turned on the coleman lantern and from the outside it looked amazing

Suppertime in the igloo, prepared by the head Guide Jack…who by the looks of it has felt the cold before!

I remember a “spot the bowhunter” pic getting a good laugh here not so long ago, so I don’t feel too bad sharing this…Sorry Buddy. But anyone wonder what a TV show host looks like after a good nights sleep in an igloo???

All in all I think it took about 4 hours to build the igloo. Very neat process. The next morning we got our first good look at in the daylight.

During the building process we were amazed the blocks would stay in place, so the next morning our guide Jack wanted us to take a picture of him showing how strong it really was.

Thank everyone for following our Arctic adventure through the spot and Globalstar Sat phone update thread. There are way to many pics/details to post here. If you ever have the oppertunity to experiance Canada’s arctic, please give it thought. It will be something you can’t imagine. Everything we…or at least I was expecting was not, it was so much more than a frozen chunk of ice. It was an adventure I will not soon forget.

Also thanks to Boyd Warner and Adventure Northwest Outfitting, Nunavut Tourism and to Shadowear and Northern Outfitters as we wore shadowear light fleece under the Northern Outfitters arctic system and boots…we really thank them for keeping us warm even in -54C weather. Incredible gear.

Thanks as well from me to Jason for Helping make the trip possible, absolutely insisting I shoot first (he is STUBORN) and for filming the hunt of a lifetime. We experienced a bit more bad weather than usual, and other circumstances beyond our control that made it turn out that Jason did not get an opportunity at a Muskox, but thats hunting… However if I know one thing about Jason…He will be back for his Ox, and I will there to film it for him! (it hurts already)

On a side note, Jason mentioned on the last sat phone update that he was a B&C bull, then I posted that we didnt really know. I have had him looked at but the scorer did not have the proper calipers. He was roughed out twice and will definatly surpass the B&C minimum, however I would like to get him accurately scored, not to enter, but for my own records. So if anyone knows someone in or around Saskatoon that could score him, please PM me.