(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.
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:
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.)
Over the years, I have experimented with many different approaches to keeping my feet warm in cold temperatures.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
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:
- Heavy merino sock
- Chemical toe warmer
- Feathered Friends down booties
- Artic shield boot blankets
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.)