I almost exclusively stand hunt whitetails in Illinois. I'm looking for a good pair of insulated boots that I can wear late season and not worry about freezing my toes off. Any thoughts?
If I'm treestand or blind hunting in cold weather I'm in my IWOM. I have never gotten cold on some single digit windy days. With insulated boots I don't believe any really work.
I've tried it all through the years to keep my feet warm without any success, all through 2000gram, pac boots and changing out socks. I have a low heart rate and don't pump blood very fast, the only thing I have found to work is utilizing boot blankets with handwarmers tucked in them. Lowest I have tested this thought is down to -5F
I've used Hoffman's Double Insulated Mountaineer Pack Boots with Darn Tough heavyweight hunting socks in single digits for 5-6 hours with no issues. Everyone and their feet are different though. One other thing I did was use a scent free antiperspirant on my feet to help prevent sweating. I've also heard of people changing socks once in the stand to remove any moisture from the walk in...haven't tried it but it does make sense.
My feet sweat pretty easily and then freeze. I've worn Alpha Burley's and others with 1000 grams or more of insulation and still freeze. This year I'm trying a pair of Schnee's Pac Boots. One thing that has helped a bit is using unscented spray on antiperspirant. Helps with the sweaty feet.
I'm in IL. I use a thin moisture wick sock and a good insulated sock over it and a uninsulated crispi boot. I put a rubber band over my boot at the toes to hold the hand warmer in place and throw a arctic shield boot cover over it all once in in stand. Best system I've come up with. Biggest thing for me is keeping my legs warm for long sits, packable puffy pants work for that, when my legs are warm the feet are easy.