Boots

[Vitreus]

My feet are always cold. Whats a good warm pair? How much do they cost?

[arctic_scrap1]

First off, I'll say that I'm kind of a puss when it comes to being cold, but I love the hard water. I have LaCrosse Ice Pacs boots that keep me plenty warm at sub zero temps. I do wear wool socks but the biggest difference is the boots, if I went without the wool I'd still be warm. One of the boots I even had to repair due to being cut with an auger[had a few drinks] and it's still completely warm.

[MNCPRGUY]

Check out this thread that I started earlier.

Best boots for hardwater

I went with the Cabela's Inferno boot. Definately gonna have warm toes this year. They are a little on the bulky side but I'm not looking to win any fashion contests.

[NKLCOLT1911]

If it really cold and or I'll be outside more than I thought a shelter I wear La cross ice kings if it's a little warmer or ill be I can the shelter a lot I wear a pair of rocky goretex hunting boots 1000gram but wither way I always make sure to wear a high quality sock cause if you feet sweat and the sock dosent wick away that moisture your gonna get cold, IMO don't wear cotton socks.

[low277]

I wear Cabelas 8 point hunting boots, 1000 gram insulated. I wear a single pair of smart wool socks. I bought these about 5 years ago in december. I took them out of the box when I got home, put them on and went for a 2 mile walk to see if they would hurt my feet, all went well. They are a little stiff but I have never been cold in them nor have my feet ever gotten wet.

I use these when fishing out of a flip over portable with my feet on the wet ice all day.

[Boar]

smart wool is the way to go with any boot, they heave different temperature grades of socks. the sock with a good pair of boots an you can sit on abucket all day.

[DLD24]

I picked up a pair of kamik Goliaths for hunting and ice fishing...very comfy and very warm...$85

[maxpower117]

Baffin pac boots and Steiger Muckluks blow everything else out of the water. Price shouldn't be a factor if you really want warm feet. Either of these choices will last decades if you take care of them and ultimately cost you FAR less in the long run.

[pike79]

I have a pair of ice kings (Lacrosse) that are great when it is cold.

[Jmeyers]

I have a pair of ice kings (Lacrosse) that are great when it is cold.

Ca neer go wrong with a pair of Ice Kings that's for sure

[Mike Stark]

Keeping your insulation dry is very important too. The best way to keep your wool sock and boot insulation dry is to wear a vapor barrier liner. That's a fancy name for a plastic bag. Bread bags, grocery bags, and oven roasting bags all work. Start with a very thin liner sock that is not cotton. Put the bag over that liner sock and then put a nice thick wool sock on top of that. The liner sock will get wet but the wool sock and boot insulation will stay bone dry which will help keep your feet nice and warm. VBLs are very important when winter camping where you can't just throw your boots on the drier.

[crappiekid]

ok MICKEY MOUSE BUNNYBOOTS 45.00 at FF military section. Hands down the best for the money!! you wont be dissapointed! water proof as well.

[BehindtheHead]

ok MICKEY MOUSE BUNNYBOOTS 45.00 at FF military section. Hands down the best for the money!! you wont be dissapointed! water proof as well.

+1 best boots on the market. i ware 2 pairs of socks with them though. i have stepped in a hole and filled them with water. just take it off dump the water out and take the wet socks off. your foot will be warm in no time.

[maxpower117]

Keeping your insulation dry is very important too. The best way to keep your wool sock and boot insulation dry is to wear a vapor barrier liner. That's a fancy name for a plastic bag. Bread bags, grocery bags, and oven roasting bags all work. Start with a very thin liner sock that is not cotton. Put the bag over that liner sock and then put a nice thick wool sock on top of that. The liner sock will get wet but the wool sock and boot insulation will stay bone dry which will help keep your feet nice and warm. VBLs are very important when winter camping where you can't just throw your boots on the drier.

Mike,

I remember doing this long ago but I don't remember it ever helping. I would think that you would only be trapping in moisture from your feet by doing this. Any moisture near your feet would be bad. With the newer technology boots, I think that this would hurt more than help. I've found for myself that a sock liner under a mid weight wool sock works best for me. The liner is by far the most important part. I'd rather go with just a sock liner than with just a wool sock.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Cabela's Predator Extreme is the only way to go! Buy one size larger then you usually wear.

Very warm and not that bulky that you cannot walk long distances in them if needed.

They also have a removable liner that can be dried out after each use if needed.

Team these boots up with the sock recommendations listed earlier and you will never have cold or wet feet again!

Cliff

[Ryan_S]

+1 On the Predator Extreme boots. I have TERRIBLE circulation in my feet. It never mattered what kind of socks I wore, polypropelene, alpaca wool, whatever--my feet were cold. I bought a pair of these two years ago and my feet have never been more comfortable. The drawback to these boots is that they are bulky. I will not drive a vehicle in them as working the pedals would be, in my opinion, unsafe. Other than than that, you'll have to pull them off of my warm dead feet before I give them up.

[Mike Stark]

Mike,

I remember doing this long ago but I don't remember it ever helping. I would think that you would only be trapping in moisture from your feet by doing this. Any moisture near your feet would be bad. With the newer technology boots, I think that this would hurt more than help. I've found for myself that a sock liner under a mid weight wool sock works best for me. The liner is by far the most important part. I'd rather go with just a sock liner than with just a wool sock.

It helps a lot if your feet sweat a lot. Which mine do. If your thick wool outer sock and boot liner are bone dry it does not matter that your foot is sweaty, your feet will stay warm. It's all about keeping your insulation dry. If you feet don't sweat that much then it's not needed.

VBLs are very helpful when winter camping. It can be a pain to dry out your thick socks and boot liners every night by the fire. When using VBLs all you have to dry out is a very thin liner sock which dries very quick.

If you your boot insulation and/or thick socks are damp/wet your feet will eventually get cold. Period. I have taken many teenagers out with Outward Bound on extended winter camping trips in super cold weather and using VBLs have kept their feet nice and warm.

It does work!

[DRH1175]

I bought a pair of Baffin's last year and they are Toasty. At times even to much so.

[fishnowworknever]

Just picked up the Cabelas Inferno...after reading great reviews on them I decided to jump on it. They sure seem like a warm boot, time will tell.

They are on sale through the end of the year.

[jbird68]

I bought a pair of Cabelas Snow Squalls a few years ago. They have 1200 grams of thinsulate. I don't find them very warm when you are just sitting on the ice. I wear a pair of wool socks. I'm thinking about the heated socks that run off a 9v battery. I've used the air activated insoles and toe warmers. But the toe warmers get hard when they are used up, not fun to walk then. the insoles just didn't get warm. Layering up with socks make them too tight.

[LakeDocktor]

Keeping your insulation dry is very important too. The best way to keep your wool sock and boot insulation dry is to wear a vapor barrier liner. That's a fancy name for a plastic bag. Bread bags, grocery bags, and oven roasting bags all work. Start with a very thin liner sock that is not cotton. Put the bag over that liner sock and then put a nice thick wool sock on top of that. The liner sock will get wet but the wool sock and boot insulation will stay bone dry which will help keep your feet nice and warm. VBLs are very important when winter camping where you can't just throw your boots on the drier.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you defeating the purpose of the thin (moisture wicking) sock? The objective for the thin sock is to allow the moisture from your feet to not be trapped and to be transferred away from the body. Under Armour has made millions utilizing this technology into their clothing lines. By putting the bag on after the thin layer your are containing moisture that will cool close to the skin and create cold feet. Wouldn't just putting your foot in a bag of warm water then putting your boots on have the same effect?

[Big-Al]

Quote:

containing moisture that will cool close to the skin and create cold feet

+1

[Mike Stark]

The thin sock under the bag is more for comfort. Just putting a bag over your bare foot would be very uncomfortable.

The liner sock will only wick so much moisture.

The main purpose of this is so that you can easily dry out your socks and boot liners. Or if your feet sweat a lot when on the ice so that you can keep your insulation dry.(thick wool sock/boot liner)

If your feet sweat a lot and you find your thick socks damp from sweat at the end of the day give this a shot.

[LakeDocktor]

For many years, I have always been taught to put gloves on wet hands. This same reasoning behind this trickles down to your feet. You mention to layer with thin socks and not cotton? Why not cotton? Cotton will hold moisture and not allow it to be transferred from the skin. Putting non-breathable plastic bags over the non-cotton socks ultimately puts you right back at cotton socks. My point being, if you layer your socks right, you shouldn't have a problem with wet, cold feet considering you have an adequate pair of boots. Personally, I step into Baffin Impacts. They have kept my feet toasty and comfortable. Before I put them on though, I put on a pair of Under Armour moisture wicking socks, followed by a pair of Smartwool socks or merino wool socks. At the end of the day, my feet are still warm and toasty, but their is moisture inside of my boots. They always go on the boot dryer after each use.

I can see your overall goal of not getting the outer layer of cocks and boot liner wet, but in my opinion, the moisture put off from your feet needs to travel further away from the body for the best results.

[Fishin4fun_MN]

Keeping your insulation dry is very important too. The best way to keep your wool sock and boot insulation dry is to wear a vapor barrier liner. That's a fancy name for a plastic bag. Bread bags, grocery bags, and oven roasting bags all work. Start with a very thin liner sock that is not cotton. Put the bag over that liner sock and then put a nice thick wool sock on top of that. The liner sock will get wet but the wool sock and boot insulation will stay bone dry which will help keep your feet nice and warm. VBLs are very important when winter camping where you can't just throw your boots on the drier.

This works! My grandparents had us do this when we were kids. I always thought it was stupid, but did it anyway. Every time we went outside to play or help with chores all winter long. It helped to keep our feet dry and even some snow outta your boots. It also helps if there is a small hole in your boot that you didn't know about.