sprintflyer

I'm with Kevin, I got a pair last year and haven't been cold since. I had by-pass surgery a few years ago and they robbed the veins fron my leg to fix my heart. Since then circulation has been poor at best and the Artic Shields have done the trick.

SF

BYRD250

whenever i get cold in the dtand i just climb down and do some jumping jacks and maybe jog around a little bit...havent seen a deer in a while....just kidding...i use the hand warmers and toe warmer....works like a charm

skeeter 7MM

My feet get cold only b/c of being wet from sweat. So for me more insulation was not the key but rather more effective components. How I hunt it often means a good hike in before sitting down, so if I am staying for a while I pack in my sitting boots with a change of dry socks upon arrival. For this I dry my feet off with a dish towel, then polyproplene sock liner, then merino(or wigwams) wool socks and some good quality waterproof w 800 gram thin. boots with the laces loose. If I plan on hoofing it a lot the only thing I change is wear 600 gram thin. boots the entire day. I also found a product called "No Stink" it is a paste you rub on your feet to help prevent sweating. You apply it daily for the first 3 days, then once a week to follow and it works! It is made in canada but I am sure their are other similar to it state side. Wiggle room is also very important, as is keep your head and lower back warm. I like the heat packs for my fingers as well.

Up here it can be down right cold and this is the only thing that has helped tomake it comfortable for me.

Money spent ongood qualitywool socks is well worth it...the regular wooly's you buy at wally world don't even compare.

(BTW - Stay away from any sock that uses cotton, it is a killer!!!!!!!!!!!)

tsoc

I think the boot blankets are a good idea.I would caution someone about purchasing the Artic Shield one's because I had found them to be quite noisy.I have a brand new pair that I have never worn for that reason.The Ice Breakers on the other hand while much bulkier are much more quiet.I respect every one elses experience with the Artic Shield,They just seem to crunchy for me.

bronko22000

cgeorge, All I wear are Browning 800 gram thinsulate/gortex boots. If my toes get cold I pull a pair of toe-warmers from my pack and activate them, slip off my boots and slide them between my wool socks and my polypropolene liners. I'll do this sometimes even before I go out.
I've found that its best to keep these warmers in the 'pocket' just in front of the ball of your foot, under ur toes. If you get them too far back,they can start to hurt your feet when you walk. Be sure to get the toe warmers cause they need less air to keep them going.
Also, I hate wearing gloves and I found an old Jone hand muff at a yard sale one time. It has a little pocket in it for a handwarmer. Keeps my hands warm and comfy until its hammer time.

silentassassin

Here is what works for me. I start with a quality boot with either 1000 or 1200 grams of thinsulate. Then I spray anti-perspirant on my feet. I use either one pair of 100% wool socks or a pair of polypropolyne socks with a pair of wool socks over them. Never put cotton on your feet, or anywhere else if you hunting extreme cold. The anti-perspirant will keep your feet from sweating, the poly propolyene will wick the moisture away if there is any and the wool will keep them warm weather they sweat or not. My feet use to FREEZE and I bought expensive pack boots and socks etc. etc. and they still froze until I started doing this.

DannyD

Hey Reb,
That deodorant thing on the feet works well. I also used to use it on my hands for golf so they would not sweat in the summer.
I gotta tell ya though. The cold feet advice coming from Florida just looks funny.

zekeskar

This is an interesting discussion. but nobody has said how cold of temps you're talkng about! One guy said below 20F is "extreme cold"? That's mild for some hunting. How can you recommend boots or socks unless you know what temps the guy is talking about?

If you're talking, say, freezing to around 20F, any good pac boot, proper size, with good wool socks willprobably work fine. I have never found a non-pac boot that was worth considering for anythign below freezing, if you're sitting still for a long time. If you're walking, heck good sneakers with warm socks are fine. If it's 0F, and you're sitting still, you better have just about the warmest boot Cabelas makes (the Transalaska,for instance). The overboot things look pretty good too.

By the way, I probably have 8 pairs of boots ranging from uninsulated leather to arctic grade. My philosophy is: if you're feet arecold, your boots aren't warm enough, no matter what it says on the box, or what your friends say. Everyone's feet are different. I happen to have pretty cold feet and hands.

MysteryLady

What else can you do for cold feet if you already use extra socks , toe warmers and insulated boots ? My feet stay cold no matter what I try ! After only 3 hrs. or so of hunting my feet are so cold I can barely walk out of the woods. If the temp gets below 70 my feet get cold, so how can I keep my feet warm ?

skeeter 7MM

zek, good point! I live in Sask. canadaand have hunted in up tothe-20 F range (we use Celsius so -30 C). +20 F is usually a balmy november day for whitetail hunting in these parts..I'd say it averages 10-15 F for this period. Like I saidI tried everything the only thing that made a difference is some sort of anti-persp on the feet (best spray i found was the wife's Secret), Polyproplene sock liners topped with quality wool socks and good quality gortex boots with mid range of thinsulate (however everyone is different in this regard so if your stand hunting mostly I'd look in around the 1000 range). The bootie blankets work for many as well but they really don't fit into my style of hunting whitetails at this time of year...so this is a good suggestion for the stand hunter.

Mysterylady, are your boots tight? If you layer up so much that you get snug feet it makes the problem worse. Try looking at the products suggested in this thread...good socks and boot blankets should help you. Also keep them laces loose and wiggle them toes.Make surethe rest of your body stays warm in layers not consisting of cotton and try packing a thermos with some hot water or chicken cup of soup broth to sip on while in the stand. If you feel chilledstand up and get the blood flowing (leg and arm circles work well)...if in a stand be careful or climb down and always wear your safety harness.

Best of luck to all this season