I dislike being cold. Hate is a strong word that I don’t use very often but it’s fitting to say I HATE being cold.
Being a wildlife photographer has many perks but being outdoors in sub-zero environments isn’t one of them. Sometimes wildlife photography requires being out in the field when most people would prefer snuggling up next to the fire with a hot cup of coffee.
A few months back I met Rob and Theresa who own The Buffalo Wool Company. The manufacturer products made out of bison fur. Not only are they cool folks, they are incredibly knowledgeable about bison and how to make quality products. I shared my frustration about freezing when photographing wildlife in the winter. They offered some suggestions.
Yellowstone National Park, January 2017
I ended up ordering a pair of the Bison/Merino fingerless gloves, the bison beanie, the flip mitts, trekker boot socks, crew socks, and the insoles.
The order arrived extremely fast. Here are the goods.
I was eager to put them up to the test. I did a trial run during a photography tour to the Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming. It was -24 degrees and snowing. My hands staying really warm. When wearing the flip mitts I make the mistake of not getting all my fingers in the mitten when switching from flipped open to flipped close. It didn’t take long to realize why my pinky finger was going numb.
When I returned home to Salt Lake City I wore the gloves and beanie during a walk in the snowstorm.
My head and hands were still warm. Nothing beats some good gloves, socks, boot insoles, and a beanie that keep me toasty.
I HIGHLY recommend The Buffalo Wool Company. Make an investment in quality American Made products. Their gloves are backed by their satisfaction guarantee that’s as straight forward as it gets… “Satisfaction Guaranteed: NO FINE PRINT, If you don’t truly love them, send them back.” They are priced slightly higher than the cheap imported stuff you’ll find elsewhere but definitely worth the investment. When you buy from companies that are Made in America.
As an added bonus for a limited time, my friends at The Buffalo Wool Co are giving my friends a special savings. Use coupon code robsfriend to receive 10% off your order.
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Let’s talk about boots, baby!
For years any time I am out shooting in the field, my feet FREEZE! It’s one thing when my hands and face are cold but once my feet get cold, it’s all down hill from there. Unless I am photographing something incredibly awesome, the cold feet quickly ends my desire to keep shooting. I took my “What are your favorite boots?” question to facebook and received lots of recommendations.
Meet my new favorite boots.
These are Cabela’s Mens Zoned Comfort Rubber Boots. You read that right, rubber boots. Who knew? Judging by the response I received on facebook, apparently some of you knew rubber boots may be the way to go. At first I was incredibly hesitant about rubber muck boots. My experience with rubber boots is that they’re great for working in mud but I was looking for boots that I would hike in while in the field. After hearing my concerns, the shoe sales person at Cabela’s suggested I try them on to see if they field like past rubber boots I’ve owned. I tried them on and I was sold.
These boots have 2,000 grams of thinsulate in the toebox, 1,600 grams in the saddles, and 1,200 in the heels. They’re a bit on the heavy side (6 pounds) but it’s a small trade off in comparison to how warm they keep my feet.
The boots are Cabela’s brand which means they come with a lifetime warranty. If ANYTHING goes wrong or I somehow wear them out, they are replaced for free. (Seriously folks, who doesn’t like products that are fully backed by the manufacturer?)
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Cold Weather Killing Your Camera Battery?
If you are a photographer or know someone who is, and you (they) photograph in cold temperatures, keep reading! I assure you will thank me later as this will quickly become a necessity.
See this pouch?
Whether you shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, or another brand camera, this is no ORDINARY pouch. During a recent trip to the Tetons, it was FREEZING…… as in -24*F. Brrr! All was well until I pulled out my camera gear and put the batteries to work against the cold weather.
Epic fail!
If you have ever photographed in cold weather, you know the feeling of seeing your battery charge literally deteriorate quickly due to freezing temperatures.
#TheStruggleIsReal
Photography gear, camera batteries especially, are no match for cold temperatures. You can insert a fully charged battery and within an hour it is completely dead. Keeping batteries in a warm climate was the solution, but how? Frustrated, The Vest Guy created the ultimate solution.
Meet the Camera Battery Cold Weather Pouch.
The camera battery cold weather pouch is the ULTIMATE SOLUTION to keeping your camera batteries charged longer!
The photography camera cold weather pouch features a mesh pocket to house an activated hand warmer. The hand warmer keeps batteries nice and toasty, making for a happier photographer and a higher chance of getting the images you are in the field to photograph. Depending on the warmers you use, batteries can be kept warm for 8-10 hours. When you remove one of the batteries, the built-in webbing dividers keep the remaining batteries secure.
Available in two sizes:
– Medium: for smaller batteries like Canon 7D2, 5D3 (shown above)
– Large: for bulkier batteries like 1DX, ID-IV (shown below)
The camera battery pouch carrier comes in a large selection of color choices. The products are Made in the USA. Have specialized batteries? No problem! Items can be fully customized to meet your needs. The bonus… The Vest Guy products, items are backed by a lifetime workmanship warranty.
To snag your camera battery cold weather pouch or to browse other Vest Guy items, head over here.
See, I told ya you’d thank me. 🙂