How do ya'll keep your feet warm in the bitter cold????

Pete,

Your link only took me to their "products" page which then went on to several hat choices. Is this by chance the hat you like?

Windproof Fleece Flap Cap
Fabric: Made from our windbuster fabric. A soft stretchy fleece that is nearly waterproof yet also breathable. This combination provides lightweight insulation that dries quickly and keeps you warm, even when wet. The reduction in wind chill over conventional fleece is amazing. This durable fabric generally outlasts other fleece fabrics and is machine-washable. These hats are ideal for wet, cold conditions.
This is a great snug fitting flap cap that will keep your ears warm in even the nastiest weather.
Applications: Hunting, Fishing, Sailing, Outdoor Construction, Paddle Sports, Snow Sports, Motorcycling.
Sizes: S/M and L/XL

flap_cap_black.jpg

 
Dave,

Yep, that's the one. I was really surprised at how warm it is. I bought it a year ago when I was in Rhode Island and really didn't wear it much until this fall. Now I hardly wear my Filson hat at all, much prefering the Grundens. I also have a Grundens vest that is made from the same material and it is also one of my favorites. Good stuff.
 
If you have to wear waders for your type of hunting than I would get the thickest thinsulate possible and then wear a good heavy pair of merino wool socks. Stay away from regular cotton socks. I use the "toastie toes" toe warmers that stick to the bottom of your socks. This works well for me with my 1200 gram thinsulate waders up here in MA.

If waders are not required for your type of hunting than I would highly recommend a pair of military issue "Mickey Mouse" boots. These are the warmest boots I've ever worn in my life. Even in bitter zero degree weather you can wear everyday socks and your feet will still be warm.

Do a google search for "military Mickey Mouse boots" and you'll see what I'm talking about.
 
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Steve,

Toe warmers! Before they came along nothing kept my feet warm on stand or in the blind. The tips everyone has given you are great but if your like me they may not work when your inactive. No muscle movement means very low circulation, add some sweat and I would get cold. Up in my tree stand, wearing -80F Sorrel Dominators, I would get cold feet every time it was below freezing. It would take a few hours but eventually they'd get cold. Sure I toughed it out but it wasn't pleasant. Since the toe warmers came along it's very pleasant on stand and I can wear lighter less Frankenstein boots. Please note that If I'm moving around a lot, like ice fishing, the Sorrels work great alone. For those fans of the 1600 boots I have a pair that I haven't bothered to wear the last couple of years because they are way more bulky and restrictive then the lighter pair of 3mm neoprene waders I've switched to. My feet get just as cold in both without tow warmers and the light weights are nice and toasty with the toe warmers. Totally yes to wool socks and avoiding cotton like the plague, I am always wet with perspiration after being stuck in a sealed suit (waders) by the end of a hunt.

Couple of quick comments on the warmers. You must use the boot or toe warmers and not the glove warmers. Toe warmers are designed for low oxygen use while glove warmers aren't. This means use boot warmers in oxygen rich locations like gloves and they get too hot. Use glove heaters in your boots and they won't get warm. Even the boot warmers end up kind of burning the oxygen out of my boots. At the end of the day on stand the heaters get reactivated as walking out pumps new oxygen down into my boots. Also do respect the warning not to have the heater against your skin. For years I use to tuck the glove warmers up my sleeves against the inside of my wrists. Then one day my wrists started to itch and the next thing I knew I had first degree burns on both wrists. Some combination of oxygen and perspiration had to spike heat transfer. Next discussion for boot warmers is on top of foot or under toes. I'm a topside guy but have friends who like them underneath.

Scott
Lover of toe warmers :^)
 
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Toe warmers....the sticky sided kind. I wear one on top, one on the bottom of each foot. You get two in a pack, so two packs a day and your feet will be toasty warm all day. Buy them in bulk after the season ends, will sure save alot of coin......!!!
PS NEVER<EVER wear cotton against the skin in cold weather..........it WILL get wet and Will keep you cold. Under Armor against the skin and layer with fleece, and then the waterproof outer garments. With this combo I have not been cold in a long time.
 
Two cups of coffee. One for each boot! BwaaHaaHaaaaaa!!! And loose the cotton. Frankly, I'm surprised we even had to tell you that. I thought doctors were supposed to be smart. Not as smart as CRNAs, but smart anyway.
 
Steve,

Someone mentioned one of his buddies having Reynaud's "Syndrome" a.k.a. Reynaud's "Phenomenon" or "disease". I was diagnosed with this disease years ago. Could never figure out why my feet and hands would get cold in weather under 65F. Born & raised in Michigan was a challenge, and when the State hit sub-freezing temps, I would struggle, especially in the Field or Blind. I was always trying to find a way to keep the hands/feet warm. Check that, I was always trying to find a way to prevent frostbite, I could never get them warm.

Then the chemical warmers came out. Hallelujah! These little miracles make it tolerable and less worrisome that frostbite will set in.

So I echo what many have said already: use a base layer of merino wool or synthetic (polypro or other) wicking socks/gloves, for the feet thicker wool socks over those, and your boots/waders or gloves on your hands with the chemical warmers. For the feet, I was using the "toe" warmers. But on really cold days, I use the full foot warmers; they're incredible.

I bought a pair of Drake Eqwaders this year with the 1,600g thinsulate boot. I really like them, and for the first time in my life, with these waders along with the other measures mentioned, my feet have stayed warm. Must admit, they can be a challenge to walk in, but the sacrifice of walking a bit clumsy is well worth the toasty toes.

Good luck and stay warm!
 
I switched over to breathable waders this year at the suggestion of Fred Slyfield. I find them much warmer in cold weather than neoprenes because you don't sweat to death so you are dryer. I have Cabela's Breathables with 600 gm of thinsulite but I did get them 3 sizes larger than my foot and make up the difference with the polypro/wool layer or a thin sock with Bama socks. Like others, I put my waders on a boot dryer after each wearing. I have been experimenting with BAMA socks. My Alaska fishermen friends swear by them. Now I realized the outside layer is cotton but they have a synthetic layer that wick the moisture away from your foot and it is absorbed by the cotton. I do a lot of mountain climbing and hiking so I am very familiar with the "cotton kills" adage but the these socks have kept my feet warm at temperatures down to about 10 degrees F. I haven't hunted in anything colder this year so I couldn't tell you if they work for me below 10 F.
http://www.deakin.com/shop/products/?p=5150

I have never used toe warmers. Since the chemical hand warmers require oxygen and dry conditions to work I have used the hand warmers and taped them over the femoral artery (think upper leg) and ulnar and radial arteries (wrist). On really cold days I have tried the back warmer version of the hand warmer that goes over your kidneys.
 
The thin liner socks and a good wicking sock. Toe warmer if needed and wear the military mickey mouse boots. In the tender there should be some kind of heater you could use, double as a stove etc. The list goes on and on.
 
Cabellas makes a Gortex sock that comes with or without Thinsulate. I use the thinsulate ones over a pair of normal cotton tube socks. If it's really really cold I may wear wool under them. I have hunted the harsh MN winters and stood in cold water all day long with no issues.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0005228810874a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=gortex+socks&Ntk=Products&QueryText=gortex+socks&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1



and they are on sale right now. I might have to pick up another pair.
 
I grew up in Minnesota. Back in the 60's when I was in high school I had to work in -40 degrees and sometimes in 35 mph winds. The key for me was layers. I wore wool socks, sure but I also wore long johns, and tops, then coveralls over my regular clothes and under my parka and cold weather pants and mittens (not gloves). For footwear we wore wool socks, leather farm boots covered with the old fashoned rubber boots. The ones with several buckles on them. That stopped the wind on our ankles. I could stay out about 4-5 hours taking care of livestock and stuff like that. My friends and I used to make lots of extra money cleaning out peoples driveways and sidewalks after the blizzards. It took us a good 15 minutes to get dressed in order to go outside and work like that.

We had to get used to the bitter cold. Jumping right into it could damage your lungs if you got too much of it at once. We had to breath into a scarf wrapped around our faces a couple times to warm the air. Sometimes we would get ice on our faces and in our noses. I froze my ears, fingers and nose over the years. Sometimes my eyelashes would stick shut and I would have to go inside for awhile.

Of course no had heard of goretex or polypropoline or other new stuff back then. Every year several people would freeze to death back then. Seems their car would quit and they got stranded.

I don't really miss that much...

Now I live in the banana belt. It hardly ever freezes here!!

Dave
 
We've had quite a cold snap in KY and I am having trouble keeping my feet warm while in the tender boat (standing on aluminum).

I've tried thin cotton socks, and then wool over top, but after several hours I can't keep warm.

I tried a pair of battery powered electric sox, but they shorted out and zapped the shit out of my left foot!!

Just wondering what tricks folks use to keep the lower extremities warm.

Thanks in advance,
Steve
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Steve, what kind of waders do you own?

I have hunted with the 1600 gm super mags from Cabella's, and have never had cold feet....ever....

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0021566830390a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=super+mag+waders&Ntk=Products&QueryText=super+mag+waders&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

If you have the lard butt Steve says you do, they have stout too.

I have a few buds who have tried other brands (drake, hodgeman, etc.) and they have had cold feet enough to call the hunt. Follow the advice of the cotton kills and try some better socks, but once that is all said and done, better waders will help too.

Oh, one last thing...wind chill? come on man, that darn thing doesn't matter. In the old days imagine the guys in the blind wearing wool only. Maybe a blanket on the legs, maybe a warming fire somewhere, but they knew it was cold. When the wind blew it was now damn cold with wind....they never used "WIND CHILL" as their excuse!!! LOL.

Good luck for the rest of the season.
 
My waders are only 600 gram thinsulate 3mm neopremes. In ND this October it was 17 degrees our first morning. I use one thin pair of merino wool socks, one adhesive disposable toe warmer under my toes and a heavy merino wool sock over top. I sat with my feet in the water for a couple hours every day for a week with temperatures between 17 and 28 degrees (water was at least 32 degrees). I have been hunting all of December until January 9 in N. IL with the same system and have been fine all season. The guy I was hunting with in ND had 1600 gram thinsulate 5mm waders on and he was warm without the toe warmers.
 
Someone mentioned one of his buddies having Reynaud's "Syndrome" a.k.a. Reynaud's "Phenomenon" or "disease". I was diagnosed with this disease years ago. Could never figure out why my feet and hands would get cold in weather under 65F. Born & raised in Michigan was a challenge, and when the State hit sub-freezing temps, I would struggle, especially in the Field or Blind. I was always trying to find a way to keep the hands/feet warm. Check that, I was always trying to find a way to prevent frostbite, I could never get them warm.

Then the chemical warmers came out. Hallelujah! These little miracles make it tolerable and less worrisome that frostbite will set in.
Click to expand...
Ditto that, Craig, although I've never had issues with my feet. Apparently inherited from my mother, bless her heart. I'm a hit at apres-ski parties as people gather around to watch my fingers change from white to purple to pink. I would be pretty miserable during some outdoor activities if not for handwarmers. As Doc Steve no doubt knows, caffeine causes your blood vessels to constrict. Although it sounds as sacreligious as suggesting you leave the hand-carved corks at home in favor of the GHG plastic, you might consider filling the Thermos with decaf on cold days.
 
Thinking about this issue during my drive today I remembered some advice for an old carpenter. " Dry socks in your lunch pail" , good avice Max- Thanks
 
Thanks for everyone's input. I've read everything three times, and have ordered some new socks.

I went back out today, and we've had a "heat wave". Got up above freezing for the first time in a week!

I did a thin layer of synthetic, and then went with a pair of wool. My waders are Cabelas 1200 gm thinsulate. I have to say that made all the difference in the world. I took some of the chemical heaters with me and was going to use them if it got unbearable. I never got cold today, and we were on the water all day. Of course, I couldn't get cold with the goldeneyes that were bombing the layout........

For those who suffer from Raynauds, you may want to ask your doctor about nifedipine or amlodipine. They are generic calcium channel blockers that have decent data on helping with the symptoms. There is no easy fix, but it maybe something to relieve some of the symptoms.

Thanks again,
Steve
 
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