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I CAN’T KEEP MY FEET WARM

HuntNorthEast said:
This could not be more spot on. I bolded the ones I do and my feet are never cold, even when my boots are iced over. Mind you, I hunt in steel toe Chippewas! I suffered with this for the better part of a decade before I finally asked an old timer the trick.

*****Silk sock liner, a mid-weight sock (not a heavy wool calf sock), and 400-800 gram boot is the secret recipe.*****

Most people don't realize the true issue, FEET SWEAT! People think they "run cold" when in reality they run hot. The sweat from the walk in is making your feet freeze similar to how using Hot Hands in your coat pockets makes your hands sweat and the minute you expose them to air they freeze. Try it with hand warmers. Go hunting without gloves in tolerable weather (don't freeze your hands solid) and just use your pockets for warmth. Then go out using hand warmers and you will see a drastic difference in heat retention when pulling your hands out of your pockets to grab your weapon or phone.

Hope this helps!
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This is why I like boot blankets.
Walking in with heavy boots on is like walking an hour up a mountain with all your upper body layers on.
 
I have tried everything. Over insulated, under insulated, changing socks, wool, boot liners, changing boots, heated socks, heated insoles, foot/hand warmers, boot shields and even wrapped all the metal so my boots weren’t in contact with it. Unfortunately you can go broke trying to solve something that can’t be solved. I hope for your sake you can find something that works but I just figured I’d throw out the “don’t get your hopes up” thing lol. I’ve learnt to just suck it up and forget I have toes lol
 
Good 1st pair of socks

HotHands toe warmers

Good 2nd pair of socks

Oversize boots

For extreme cold, overboots once on stand
 
chismgoodrich said:
I’m wearing thick socks and good boots and when it gets below 40 I freeze my feet. How can I fix this
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Wear lightweight hikers or trail running shoes with Arctic Shield boot covers.

Ensure your laces are relatively loose when you get in the tree. Slip your boot covers on and place a hand warmer on top of the toe area on each foot. If that doesn’t work use one of the hot hands 18 hour body warmers on each foot instead of the hand warmer.

This system works for me into the teens.


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Bwhana said:
Good tips One!

One addition to tip 1 = it takes antiperspirant several hours to soak in and get the full chemical benefits, so applying the antiperspirant at night before the next days hunting is more effective than doing so in the morning before you go. I do both as extra coverage.

For merino sock brands, I have intentionally tested various brands over the past several seasons and will only wear Darn Tough hunting socks now. All others could not compete for me. I have tried liner socks, but found no benefits for me.

I tried insulated vs. non-insulated, hiking style vs. rubber/neoprene. I now only wear uninsulated, leather Lowa Renegade GTX boots with Goretex for waterproofing and will throw on Artic Shield covers if it gets really cold.

Another caveat is I live in the upper south and rarely hunt in temps below 18 degrees, but have in the Midwest snow and my system worked fine for me there below zero for a while too.
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This


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raisins said:
arctic shield boot blankets (sizing is off, research it before buying, anyone size 11 or above should definitely get biggest size they make....unless they have fixed this in last 2 years)....sew mesh pouch inside boot blankets to hold hot hands super warmer over the toe (like a hot hands hand warmer but larger).....put these on once in your stand and before your feet start to feel cold
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This


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weekender21 said:
The adhesive toe warmers are junk, use regular hot hands or super warmer (18 hour hot hand).


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next time i have 2 open, i'll weigh them.....but the super warmers are probably 3 times the mass as the regular hot hands and the toe warmers.....the super warmers put out a lot more consistent heat for way longer

i tried to stick adhesive body warmers on the toe of my boot inside the blankets prior to sewing in mesh pouches....if your boot is wet or dirty at all then they fall off inside the blankets and end up stuck to the sole of your boot or something

edit: agreed that adhesive toe warmers are not good, they are smaller and designed to be inside a boot in low oxygen....the regular ones work way better especially when you give them a lot of air like inside the blanket to drive their chemical reaction
 
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chismgoodrich said:
I’m wearing thick socks and good boots and when it gets below 40 I freeze my feet. How can I fix this
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I used to really struggle with this as well. The two biggest things for me were sweat management and keeping my core temp warm. Don't underestimate how important it is to keep your core warm in order to keep your feet warm. There's no way for me to stop my feet from sweating when I'm walking 45 minutes plus to a lot of my spots, so I just wear regular cotton socks, let them absorb the sweat and once I get to my stand I'll put on a poly liner and midweight wool sock. I also will have a cotton t-shirt and underwear that I'll change when I get to the stand and put on merino next to skin, sometimes an insulating mid layer shirt and then first lite sanctuary bibs and coat. This keeps my feet and body dry and warm and the cold doesn't stop me at all from an all day sit now. I will still get some condensation in my boots even when I do this (a lot if I wear rubber boots), but it's manageable. This is a lot of additional time and effort so it helps if you have a lot of confidence in your spot to encourage you to do this. I've been through the handwarmers, feet warmers, boot covers, and they helped but I don't need them at all anymore.

Because my hunting time has turned into mostly rut-cation or a whole day here and there so I'm usually dedicating myself to one spot all day, or moving all day trying to find that spot so I guess I can't really say what I'd do for just a morning or just an evening sit. I'd probably just wear the poly liner and mid-weight sock in and be fine for a few hours.

Now if I'm sitting, moving, sitting, moving, well then that involves a different strategy with western type clothing layering system and I'm probably bringing socks for at least a couple changes. Can be a pain to spend the time to take layers off when moving but it's essential to keep from overheating and sweating. And I know your not asking about anything other than feet but I go back to it being so much about managing my core temperature. I use to think it was just my feet because they'd get cold and my core still felt warm but eventually I learned that my core was robbing the heat from my feet to stay warm.
 
Arctic shield cover + hot hands type toe warmers or hand warmers. I stick the toe warmers on the roof of the covers. Bring 2-3 pair for the day and they need to be dry. And, the battery powered boot insoles inside slightly big boots. thick wool socks. Wool power or smart wool heavy weight are my go to
 
You guys having trouble with hothands inside the boot: they can get starved of oxygen after a few hours. Without oxy they get cold. They can be "revived" by getting fresh air into the boot. So sliding the boot slightly off and on again can get them cooking again.

Related: warmers can be saved/reused for multiple outings if stored in a ziploc bag when not in use. I actually got the thin toe warmers cooking pretty good during an evening hunt following a morning hunt and then storing during afternoon downtime this way.
 
I prefer rubber boots to avoid leaving a scent trail around my tree. 1000g rubber or Mickey Mouse boots when it gets really cold. Yes my feet get sweaty walking in, so I wear hiking socks then change to heavy wool socks be maybe add a toe warmer once at the tree. Unwrap the toe warmer 20 minutes ahead of time to get it activated and going


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Try wearing lighter socks, I am warmer with mid weight socks and uninsulated boots than I am with heavy socks and 800gram boots. My feet sweat, and then get cold.
 
Use an iWOM or heater body suit, it really helps with your feet!
 
weekender21 said:
Wear lightweight hikers or trail running shoes with Arctic Shield boot covers.

Ensure your laces are relatively loose when you get in the tree. Slip your boot covers on and place a hand warmer on top of the toe area on each foot. If that doesn’t work use one of the hot hands 18 hour body warmers on each foot instead of the hand warmer.

This system works for me into the teens.


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This is what I’ve been doing this year. Only been out twice in the 30’s but I have a lightweight boot and put the arctic shield over them. First sit no hand warmer and my feet got a little cold but not unbearable. Second sit I put the large hand warmers on top of my foot in the boot covers and they were toasty the whole time.


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Good socks. Darn tough, or smartwool. IF you sweat a lot and don't want to go the antiperspirants route, a polypro or silk sock liner works great.

in a saddle or treestand your feet are hanging in the air. heat loss through convection is real. first in whatever boots you have, ditch the insole. Even in a $500 boot has a $0.25 insole in it. some thing with better insualtion and support will go a long way. It will keep your foot from compressing all of the insulation of your sock and insulate some against heat loss.

And sorry everyone...but the 30's aren't cold....:)

Oh, and make sure you're dressed the rest of your body appropriately, that will make a difference too, if your core is cold at all, or struggling to keep warm, your body will compensate and ciculation will stay closer to your core.

And food---high calories. No wood in the furnace, no heat.
 
Keeping your core good and warm really helps tremendously. Thermacare heat wraps around kidneys. If your core is cold your body will pull blood from your peripheral vascular system causing your feet/hands to get cold.


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