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Keeping Feet Warm: A Different Approach - Down Booties

M

Maverick1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
1,195
(The approach here is more "treestand-friendly" than "saddle-friendly" - might work for a sitter, but probably not as well for a learner or a ROS saddle hunter....)

Over the years, I have experimented with many different approaches to keeping my feet warm in cold temperatures.
  1. Uninsulated rubber boots work well for hiking to a stand location, but do not work well for sitting a long time in cold weather. (Feet perspire, moisture builds up on the inside of the boot, and feet eventually end up cold.)
  2. Uninsulated rubber boots with boot blankets work - a little better than rubber boots on their own - but perspiration eventually leads to moisture and the same result as #1 above.
  3. Insulated rubber boots (rubber boots with a liner) - work better than uninsulated rubber boots - for a period of time - but they eventually end of producing cold toes as well. (Example boots are Kamik Goliath, Kamik Icebreakers, Baffin Titans, etc.). Moisture builds up, feet become cold. Rubber does not breathe.
  4. Big, clunky heavy "sorel"-type boots work well at keeping feet warm - but you either have to wear them when you hike to your stand, or put them into your backpack and put them on your feet when you get to your stand. At 6+ pounds per pair, these types of boots are very inconvenient to lug around either way. (Example boots are Lacrosse Iceman, Lacrosse Ice King, etc.). In very cold situations, I pair these sorel-type boots with the Icebreaker or Artic Shield boot blankets. Effective, but awkward to put on.
  5. Low-top hikers. Great for hiking, but not so great for keeping feet warm on their own. To keep feet warm, I found myself using hiking boots, a chemical toe-warmer, and Icebreaker boot blankets. Out of the options above, this was the best. (This seem to work best with the Icebreaker boot blankets, and not as well with the Artic Shield boot blankets.)
This situation finally came to a head a few years ago on an out-of-state deer hunt. I had a 1-1.5 mile hike to my treestand location every morning. Over the course of a week and a half, I hiked to multiple stand locations, wearing either my rubber, sorel, or low-top hiking boots, depending on the ground I needed to cross to get to the tree. (In one particular spot, I had to wear rubber boots to get through a bunch of water and arrive at the base of the tree, then put on the heavy sorels once I got there. Packing in my sorel boots was silly, but it was 10-20 degrees out for most of that week, and I did whatever it took to make sure I could stay warm for all-day sits in the right spot.)

My new approach is to wear either the rubber boots or hikers to get to the base of the tree (depending on the amount of water/wet ground I will encounter), setup my climbing sticks and treestand, change my socks, put the rubber boots or hikers into a plastic bag, and then put the following on my feet:
  1. Heavy merino sock
  2. Chemical toe warmer
  3. Feathered Friends down booties
  4. Artic shield boot blankets
And that's it. I used the down booties and this setup yesterday in the treestand. Air temperature was 17 degrees, and it was 5 degrees with the wind chill. Toes were toasty warm the entire three hour sit. So much better than the silly uninsulated rubber boots, clunky insulated rubber boots, or ginormous sorel boots. This repeats my findings from several hunts this year and last - I wanted to test the setup in several different settings to provide any type of report. I am still somewhat surprised/pleased/happy that this setup is warmer - or as warm - as any of the above options. (The sorel boots with the chemical toe warmers, and large Icrebreaker boot blanket are comparable in warmth, but a total hassle to wrestle with, and either wear to the stand or pack along with.) Part of the beauty of this combination is it packs down to a very small size and weight is minimal compared to the other options.

The Feathered Friends down booties have a very thin foam insole; they don't have much arch support. With a merino wool sock, and the artic shield boot blanket, their is not really much arch support and it feels more like a slipper. So, I would recommend this approach for use in a treestand or for a "sitter" while in a saddle; probably not going to be comfortable for a leaner in a saddle platform or a ROS situation.

(I also have a pair of Wiggy's Overboots and Lamilite socks to test out, but I haven't made the time to do so yet. The Wiggy's Overboots have a nice feature which is their hard Vibram sole - which provides a nice surface for leaning or using a ROS in the saddle, but the sole of the overboots are clumsily huge, and the outer material is 600 denier Nylon - which is not at all quiet. With such a large footprint, I "think" it would be difficult to maneuver in the saddle without having the overboots rub against each other. I need to try this out, though. I wish they offered their overboots with a quieter outer material - that didn't occur to me when I called and ordered from Jerry a year or so ago. I have not tested this combination - maybe during the late season this year.)
 
I got my arctic shields Friday and have used them every day of the Wisconsin rifle season so far. I wear a pair of uninsulated leather hiking boots. When I get to my spot I put a toe warmer in the booties and I can feel it right through the leather boot.

I am thinking about just putting my sheep skin house slippers in there but I’m not a big fan of changing my boots out there.
 
Maverick1 said:
  1. Heavy merino sock
  2. Chemical toe warmer
  3. Feathered Friends down booties
  4. Artic shield boot blankets
Click to expand...
So I have been running a similar approach for 3 years I think, except house slipper boot things. There is no brand and my in-laws got them for $5 at a local auction they go to. I've gotten similar ones for cheap at random local stores and they are similar to these.

I have since changed the merino socks to ororo heated socks and used them a few times. My layering system:
1. Ororo heated socks
2. House slippers boot
3. Chemical toe warmer
4. Arctic shield boot blankets

It is a lot to tote in and I hate having to do all that up in the tree. It takes forever to get ready and setup. But I know if my feet are cold, I am miserable and the hunt will end quick or I'll be moving around constantly. But yes I have the same issue you have with the feet being soft and not working well on ROS / sticks or solo scout. I used it with a JX3 this past Saturday and solo scout topper on a stick. Feet were warm enough, but my feet did cramp a good bit that evening because of the soles.

They make nice more expensive house slippers that have hard soles with arch support. I have started researching them, but not necessarily for hunting. I will say the temps I am facing is not as cold as you. But my feet get ice cold in a 65* F house. So I have be extra vigilant.

Just to throw out the brands I had found on house slippers I was going to look at next. Again these were mostly found on reddit and arch support around the house, but I did have in the back of my mind about maybe working better on ROS:
Kergies, Glerups, Ugg mens scuff, Minnetonka Moccasin, Geisswein, Bure Bure Wooboots, Rikumo Sasawahi, Slipper Factor Contessa
 
I’ve been doing something similar so far this season for treestand sits. I take off my boots and put on my north face thermoball booties. Throw a hand warmer in each one and been working well.
 
I've been wearing a pair of short xtratuff boots in and swapping out to a pair of Outdoor Research camp booties. Usually put one hand warmer in each and it's perfect. I tried the adhesive toe warmers but those almost made my feet roast. Way more comfortable than boots and super quiet
 
Maverick1 said:
(The approach here is more "treestand-friendly" than "saddle-friendly" - might work for a sitter, but probably not as well for a learner or a ROS saddle hunter....)

Over the years, I have experimented with many different approaches to keeping my feet warm in cold temperatures.
  1. Uninsulated rubber boots work well for hiking to a stand location, but do not work well for sitting a long time in cold weather. (Feet perspire, moisture builds up on the inside of the boot, and feet eventually end up cold.)
  2. Uninsulated rubber boots with boot blankets work - a little better than rubber boots on their own - but perspiration eventually leads to moisture and the same result as #1 above.
  3. Insulated rubber boots (rubber boots with a liner) - work better than uninsulated rubber boots - for a period of time - but they eventually end of producing cold toes as well. (Example boots are Kamik Goliath, Kamik Icebreakers, Baffin Titans, etc.). Moisture builds up, feet become cold. Rubber does not breathe.
  4. Big, clunky heavy "sorel"-type boots work well at keeping feet warm - but you either have to wear them when you hike to your stand, or put them into your backpack and put them on your feet when you get to your stand. At 6+ pounds per pair, these types of boots are very inconvenient to lug around either way. (Example boots are Lacrosse Iceman, Lacrosse Ice King, etc.). In very cold situations, I pair these sorel-type boots with the Icebreaker or Artic Shield boot blankets. Effective, but awkward to put on.
  5. Low-top hikers. Great for hiking, but not so great for keeping feet warm on their own. To keep feet warm, I found myself using hiking boots, a chemical toe-warmer, and Icebreaker boot blankets. Out of the options above, this was the best. (This seem to work best with the Icebreaker boot blankets, and not as well with the Artic Shield boot blankets.)
This situation finally came to a head a few years ago on an out-of-state deer hunt. I had a 1-1.5 mile hike to my treestand location every morning. Over the course of a week and a half, I hiked to multiple stand locations, wearing either my rubber, sorel, or low-top hiking boots, depending on the ground I needed to cross to get to the tree. (In one particular spot, I had to wear rubber boots to get through a bunch of water and arrive at the base of the tree, then put on the heavy sorels once I got there. Packing in my sorel boots was silly, but it was 10-20 degrees out for most of that week, and I did whatever it took to make sure I could stay warm for all-day sits in the right spot.)

My new approach is to wear either the rubber boots or hikers to get to the base of the tree (depending on the amount of water/wet ground I will encounter), setup my climbing sticks and treestand, change my socks, put the rubber boots or hikers into a plastic bag, and then put the following on my feet:
  1. Heavy merino sock
  2. Chemical toe warmer
  3. Feathered Friends down booties
  4. Artic shield boot blankets
And that's it. I used the down booties and this setup yesterday in the treestand. Air temperature was 17 degrees, and it was 5 degrees with the wind chill. Toes were toasty warm the entire three hour sit. So much better than the silly uninsulated rubber boots, clunky insulated rubber boots, or ginormous sorel boots. This repeats my findings from several hunts this year and last - I wanted to test the setup in several different settings to provide any type of report. I am still somewhat surprised/pleased/happy that this setup is warmer - or as warm - as any of the above options. (The sorel boots with the chemical toe warmers, and large Icrebreaker boot blanket are comparable in warmth, but a total hassle to wrestle with, and either wear to the stand or pack along with.) Part of the beauty of this combination is it packs down to a very small size and weight is minimal compared to the other options.

The Feathered Friends down booties have a very thin foam insole; they don't have much arch support. With a merino wool sock, and the artic shield boot blanket, their is not really much arch support and it feels more like a slipper. So, I would recommend this approach for use in a treestand or for a "sitter" while in a saddle; probably not going to be comfortable for a leaner in a saddle platform or a ROS situation.

(I also have a pair of Wiggy's Overboots and Lamilite socks to test out, but I haven't made the time to do so yet. The Wiggy's Overboots have a nice feature which is their hard Vibram sole - which provides a nice surface for leaning or using a ROS in the saddle, but the sole of the overboots are clumsily huge, and the outer material is 600 denier Nylon - which is not at all quiet. With such a large footprint, I "think" it would be difficult to maneuver in the saddle without having the overboots rub against each other. I need to try this out, though. I wish they offered their overboots with a quieter outer material - that didn't occur to me when I called and ordered from Jerry a year or so ago. I have not tested this combination - maybe during the late season this year.)
Click to expand...

Good write up.

I've wanted to try this. I have nearly purchased the Western Mountaineering booties on numerous occasions. FF makes good down products too and probably not much of a difference.

I wasn't sure what it would be like to stand on a platform, especially LW style cast or machined. Sounds like that isn't an issue for you?

My concept was ditch heavy outerwear. Pack HBS and booties.
 
Plebe said:
Good write up.

I've wanted to try this. I have nearly purchased the Western Mountaineering booties on numerous occasions. FF makes good down products too and probably not much of a difference.

I wasn't sure what it would be like to stand on a platform, especially LW style cast or machined. Sounds like that isn't an issue for you?

My concept was ditch heavy outerwear. Pack HBS and booties.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I purchased the FF booties after some research a couple of years ago. At that time they had the most amount of down fill.

Standing on a platform is not an issue. The combination of socks, foam sole inside the booties, and boot covers dissipates the weight evenly enough. Maybe not as “comfortable” as a soled boot would, obviously, but not a problem whatsoever. Don’t really feel it, and it hasn’t changed how frequently I change positions.

One could replicate it by putting on heavy socks and slippers and standing on your platform in the backyard or living room while watching TV.
 
Squirrels said:
I’ve been doing something similar so far this season for treestand sits. I take off my boots and put on my north face thermoball booties. Throw a hand warmer in each one and been working well.
Click to expand...

I ordered a pair from REI on clearance. I looked at the Baffin Base Camps because they looked higher, but the North Face have a better sole and I can always bring them back to REI if I don't like the lower cuff.

North Face for $51.69
www.rei.com

The North Face ThermoBall Traction Booties - Men's | REI Co-op

Ideal for apres ski or grabbing the paper, the men's slip-on The North Face ThermoBall Traction booties pair high-traction rubber outsoles with lightweight, toasty-warm insulation.
www.rei.com www.rei.com

Baffins for $33 if you have small feet: https://www.baffin.com/en-us/products/61310000
 
Kayl said:
I ordered a pair from REI on clearance. I looked at the Baffin Base Camps because they looked higher, but the North Face have a better sole and I can always bring them back to REI if I don't like the lower cuff.

North Face for $51.69
www.rei.com

The North Face ThermoBall Traction Booties - Men's | REI Co-op

Ideal for apres ski or grabbing the paper, the men's slip-on The North Face ThermoBall Traction booties pair high-traction rubber outsoles with lightweight, toasty-warm insulation.
www.rei.com www.rei.com

Baffins for $33 if you have small feet: https://www.baffin.com/en-us/products/61310000
Click to expand...
I'm liking my thermoball setup. Tempted to give the OR camp booties a try as well but I don't think they have as much of a sole. I'm not wearing any kind of boot blankets over the thermoballs either.
 
I finished my MN season with Kamik all-rubber pac boots. I brought the boots in the house every night, pulled the liners, and dried them over the heat register. I never had to break out my electric socks but they were ready. My main issue with my Kamiks wasn't insulation, but rather the sole was too soft on my Rebel Fab 1-stick top.
 
Hunting in 20 degree weather with my Meindl boots, toes started to get cold, put on my balacava and my feet got warm. Wonder why???
 
GeoFish said:
Hunting in 20 degree weather with my Meindl boots, toes started to get cold, put on my balacava and my feet got warm. Wonder why???
Click to expand...
I wish it were that easy for me!

I don’t have to walk far to a stand, so sweat at the beginning isn’t a problem. But without movement, I think there is a limit to how much heat can be generated and retained, no matter what is worn and the extremities are the first to feel cold. The best foot boot combo for me for long sits was Lacrosse 1600, thin poly socks covered with 800g Woolpower socks, boot suits on top with hand warmers in the boot suits. Worked for an all day sit in Nebraska in November, but it’s a lot of bill and weight. I just got some Lenz heated socks to see if I can cut back on boot weight.
 
One other thing you might want to do is put antiperspirant on the soles of your feet to reduce the moisture. that has helped in the past. i also use the electir socks that i put over the wool socks. the wool socks wick the moisture away from the feet. i just started this and the electric socks were soaked while the wool was still dry.

i have the artic shields as well but they are awkward in stand. i also debated putting foam down on platform.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
 
Matt G79 said:
One other thing you might want to do is put antiperspirant on the soles of your feet to reduce the moisture. that has helped in the past. i also use the electir socks that i put over the wool socks. the wool socks wick the moisture away from the feet. i just started this and the electric socks were soaked while the wool was still dry.

i have the artic shields as well but they are awkward in stand. i also debated putting foam down on platform.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I also use antipersperent on my feet. That has really helped. I use Gumleaf Viking Tex boots that have minimum insuation with a thin base sock and Wigggy's Lamalite over them. In Maine last weeks temps were 16- 25. I do still hunt 75% of the time. When I sit in different locations I use Pnuma heated vest, long johns and hand muff... feet stay cold but bearable. I have Artic Shields I will try and also a pair of Orono electric socks. I will be back in Maine and later in Ohio for late season muzzleloader. I am trying not to change boots I love my Gumleafs. I may put the insulated Vikings on my Xmas list.
Also the Wiggys Lamalite socks are great, the inside stays dry and the outside is soaked after a long day.
I also use insertable boot dryers everynight so I start out with warm dry boots.
 
Cant believe you guys don’t use Stegner mukluks yet
 
Boomah21 said:
Cant believe you guys don’t use Stegner mukluks yet
Click to expand...
I have looked at those several times and read some good reviews online. The thing about them for me is I don’t prefer a tall boot. (Not sure - are they 18” tall?). I wouldn’t wear them walking in, wouldn’t want to pack them in, and wouldn’t want to put them on while I’m in the stand or saddle. If they made a mid ankle height version, I’d give it a try. (I’ve actually tried a “similar” version from Cabelas and like them very much. No longer made, I have two pairs and they work well.)
 
I have 2 pair one of them is 14”

I do like to wear them in other than if it’s wet.

they do make a 8-9” tall one in women’s sizes but to a women’s 11 wide

I def recommend sizing up and going wide Even if not a wide foot. For me it allows me heavier socks and or an extra wool felt insole
 
If it's bitter cold I use 3 of the hothands 12 hour super sized adhesive warmers. I put two, over my first layer, on my kidneys & one on my heart. Then layer over that. It keeps my hand & feet warmer than anything else I've tried. I can't stand the toe warmer packs or insoles. Always uncomfortable.

Add 2 extra large hand warmers on your jugular under a neck gaiter & one under a beanie & you'll be like sitting next to a fireplace no matter the conditions. Hands & toes will stay more than warm.

A case of each online is pretty cheap.
 
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