Keeping warm

Ralphy

New member
I didn't know where else to post this. In some places I hunt it's zero out and a wind chill less than that. I can handle the cold and don't have another complaints other than my feet always seem to be the reason I start getting cold or at least my feet seem to start freezing I know my feet sweat and I think that is the problem does anyone else have this problem and or any suggestions. I have tried wool socks and insulated boots unisulated boots rubber boots and boots that breath open for any input thanks
 
Same problem here, One thing i have found that helps is to leave your boots OFF until your ready to get out of the truck and start hunting.
I think its pretty weird that my feet can sweat and then get so cold its unbearable .
Been looking for a cure for this problem for years , I have tried all kinds of socks and combos of socks and have yet to find the answer .
 
When I hunted in western PA, I noticed all the locals carrying a pair of boot blankets out to the woods with them. I bought a pair, and quickly learned to carry a few of the small chemical hand warmers with me. You carry the boot blankets to where you're going to sit, then put them on over your boots. Toss a small chemical hand warmer inside each one, and your feet will not be cold!

The only downside that I see to this is that you can't wear the boot blankets while you're walking.
 
511 Tactical sells great boot socks that are great at wicking moisture from your feet while keeping them warm. I have been using them for years, both on duty and off. And they last me for years, too. 511 also makes great undergarments, both shirts and pants that do the same. I have some Underarmour, 511 undergarments, and Polarmax. All are good at wicking moisture and regulating heat. Before using these items my feet were always cold and wet and I always sweated excessively under my uniforms. They are more than worth the money. Streichers and Galls are two good places to buy them.
 
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Use a good wicking sock on the feet first then a quality merino wool sock over the top of that.
 
You can buy boots that are rated to -70 degrees....thats what i wear in winter and my feet never get cold....that might be a bit overkill for you though.
 
Besides what all has been said above. The biggest mistake is lacing the boots on too tight and cutting off circulation. By tightening up the boot like you would a shoe in summer, you are restricting circulation and warm blood can't flow.

Another thing is the super insulated boots. I found that by wearing un-insulated muck boots I am warmer and only worry about my hands and face getting cold. Now, this is all in 20+ degree weather. We rarely get below that here.
 
My feet get hot and sweat a lot too. I wear really thin socks that are great for wicking away moisture (WrightSock CoolMesh II). They are basically a runners sock. I get them at REI. I wear those with a pair of Smartwool sock over them. If I have a long drive, I wear light weight shoes and put my boots on when I get there. For coyote hunting, keeping warm isn't too hard for me. Walking to the next stand warms me up and sitting there for about 30 minutes cools me off.
 
I feel ya, I've been driven off the stand by the cold once or twice.

Wool is great, but if you saturate the boot insulation itself with sweat your sock alone will simply not be enough.

I'll often switch from running shoes to my boots AND warm socks after I exit the truck. I do it mostly for comfort so i don't roast while driving, but also for scent control as I'm not walking through gas and other odors everytime I stop and get out at a gas station for example.

I layer down to my thermals and a hat for the hike in. Once I'm warm enough the hat goes in a pocket. Once I'm on the stand and set up I'll layer back up. I would really prefer to sit and wait about 10min to cool down before I layer back up, but the stand does not always allow all that movement and noise. If I am still really warm, I'll leave my zippers open till I cool off.

You could also change socks to a dry pair at this point. That should give the full protection of a dry boot and your dry socks.

In the deer blind, I'll either hunker down in a heavy sleeping bag or throw on my down lounge booties. I'll even throw a few handwarmers in the bottom of the sleeping bag when it's really cold.

A nice thick pad under your butt will also help prevent heat lost through conduction.

Stay warm!

Vince
 
Cut up an old sleeping pad into two small pieces and carry in your pack. One to sit on and one to put your feet on. Your boot insulation under your foot is the most compressed, putting a layer of insulation between your boot and the cold ground does wonders.
 
One of the other posters said something about wearing too warm of boots. This has been my problem in the past. I wear liner socks and wool over the top if it's really cold out . I only wear uninsulated boots. I never run the heat on the floor of the truck when traveling to a hunting spot. I also read about a guy with this problem and he used antipersperant on his feet. He claimed he made a big difference. I have not tried it.
 
Rarely gets too cold where I hunt but I did read somewhere that putting antiperspirant on your feet will help keep them warm. I have no clue but it makes some since.
 
The colder it gets the more we hunt. I use to have some problems with cold feet. I always wear high quality insulated boots. When it's cold we chase old wiley all day long. I was wearing lace up boots so I would usually leave them on all day long.

I now wear Muck Boots which are a real easy on and off. I buy the boots 1-1.5 above my normal size and I carry an extra pair of wool sock liners (no cotton) and 100% merino wool socks (no cotton).

When my feet start feeling a little frosty I make the change. Put the ones you take off back where you had the extras and you change back to them later if you hunt all day and your feet start getting cold again. Absolutely solved my cold feet problem.

You can do the same thing with lace up but I changed from Danner lace up's to a Muck Boot to make it just a little easier to take care of my feet.
 
I do sports medicine and have worked with the Winter Olympians in Lake Placid many moons ago. We saw a lot of cold feet and hands. There are a large number of sweat glands in the feet - if your feet perspire a lot then the fluid will wick away heat increasing the coldness. Talk to your family doc about getting a product called "Drysol" - it's a form of an antiperspirant for feet -designed to be used at night time periodically to control sweating - better than just using a regular underarm antiperspirant. With less sweating also comes less odor to socks and shoes!
 
All the above. I have not heard of Drysol but I will look for it. I just use right guard anti persperant and that seemed to help. We dont get much cold here in Oregon at least not while I'm bowhunting but I hunt in NJ as well and it sometimes gets cold there. Cotton is something I wear for tshirts in summer on stand its poly or wool, undies socks every thing.
 


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