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Winter layering for your feet

Sld1959

Sld1959

Ronin
After 60 years hunting and outdoor activity out in winter I find that layering is not just for your clothing, it's important for my feet as well. Heavy insulated boots like Sorel pacs work great and I find them to be a real boon for sedentary activities like ice fishing or during extreme well below zero weather. But for the vast bulk of winter I need much less. The heavy boots cause my feet to sweat and then get cold.

My current system is to take an uninsulated waterproof boot, the ones I use all year round including summer, and wear cotton socks for summer and early fall. Eventually I will move to good quality wool boot socks. Eventually I add a good polar boot insole and a combination of those things gets me comfortably thru anything but the coldest of activities.

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Talyn said:
LaCrosse knee-high neoprene boots with just some thick socks keep my feet super warm in all winter temps.
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My feet sweat like crazy in those style of boots. And I simply cannot wear ankle fit boots comfortably. I have a very high instep and they are extremely hard to get on unless they are so big my feet are swimming in them.
 
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Sld1959 said:
My feet sweat like crazy in those style of boots. And I simply cannot wear ankle fit boots comfortably. I have a very high instep and they are extremely hard to get on unless they are so big my feet are swimming in them.
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Sld1959 said:
My feet sweat like crazy in those style of boots. And I simply cannot wear ankle fit boots comfortably. I have a very high instep and they are extremely hard to get on unless they are so big my feet are swimming in them.
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My Lacrosse's are a size larger & thick socks help wick away any foot sweat and fill in the extra space. I do the same with my winter hunting boots.

You don't want a winter boot to be a tight fit since it restricts blood flow & then you feet get cold. Been there & done that.
 
Sld1959 said:
After 60 years hunting and outdoor activity out in winter I find that layering is not just for your clothing, it's important for my feet as well. Heavy insulated boots like Sorel pacs work great and I find them to be a real boon for sedentary activities like ice fishing or during extreme well below zero weather. But for the vast bulk of winter I need much less. The heavy boots cause my feet to sweat and then get cold.

My current system is to take an uninsulated waterproof boot, the ones I use all year round including summer, and wear cotton socks for summer and early fall. Eventually I will move to good quality wool boot socks. Eventually I add a good polar boot insole and a combination of those things gets me comfortably thru anything but the coldest of activities.

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Two words, or three if you're Joe Biden...Cotton kills...they absorb moisture and stay wet. Wet=Cold.
Wear a wicking/breathable base like a dress sock with a wool or wool type sock over top.
 
Talyn said:
My Lacrosse's are a size larger & thick socks help wick away any foot sweat and fill in the extra space. I do the same with my winter hunting boots.

You don't want a winter boot to be a tight fit since it restricts blood flow & then you feet get cold. Been there & done that.
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My boots are never tight fit, learned that lesson 40 years ago. I know a ton of people who like that style boot, they work very well for them. I just am not one of them who csn use them sadly.
 
nmedge said:
GI style boots are no good for the winter. When in Alaska we were issued Sorel boots or leather insulated ski boots. The secret is not to get them too wet and always wear wool socks.
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I use the same boots pictured year round in Michigan's snow and cold. Used the same boots for work and hunting for many years now. I have a nice pair of Sorrel pacs that I have used probably once or twice a winter ice fishing and little else. For me, heavier boots tend to make my feet sweat and get cold.
 
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I worked as a security guard for 15 years Most of my assignments were foot patrols, outdoors on varied terrain, in all weather.

I spent 3 years on an undeveloped site on the East side of Colorado Springs. I walked on average 9 miles a day. Again, over varying terrain in all kinds of weather. After that I worked as a roving guard for 2 years still walking up to 9 to 10 miles a day mostly outdoors. Some of it up in the mountains.

I tried a bunch of different boots until I tried Belleville 700 series "duty boots". They are made in America and they are very similar in quality to what Danner's and the Cochran Matterhorns were in the early 90s.

They are without question the most comfortable boots I own. They're Gortex lined and I've never had a leak. The very first time I wore them I remember that I could feel the give in the midsole while I was walking my rounds. I resoled the first pair I owned 3 times before I replaced them.

I wore them in all kinds of weather. Rain, snow, mud and as I mentioned earlier they kept my feet dry and warm.


I post videos like this on Facebook every time I go hiking mostly just for fun but please note that those boots are completely underwater and my feet were still dry.



Cotton socks are the devil. You get cotton wet and it stays wet. I buy these at my local Surplus Store for $12 for threee pairs. They're a poly-wool blend and they're anti-microbial.

One more standing in the creek video

 
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As a Policeman for almost 32 years now I found out the hard way that taking care of your feet and wearing quality footwear makes a difference. N.E. Pennsylvania is not all that bad cold wise but the times when it gets below zero or close to it I wear alpaca socks and alpaca insoles in my duty Danner Acadia 400 gram thinsulate boots. I'm not out all that long on duty and the few times I had to be in performing my duties, I never had an issue with my feet and what I mentioned above. Just my two cents worth...
 
I learned through 40 years of working outdoors that over insulated boots and thick socks just make your feet miserable. I wear non insulated boots and cotton socks year round. When your feet get cold you gotta be able to wiggle your toes around or you're in trouble. Too much thinsulate makes your feet sweat and then you're in trouble.

My hunting boots are 400 gr. thinsulate and I wear 1 pair of cotton socks. ALL boots MUST be waterproof.
 
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