Cold feet in the Whitetail Stand

[Vrybusy]

+1 on the Arctic Shield boot covers. I use them in the extreme cold with long stand sits. Place a hand warmer on top of the toe area on your boot and put on the covers. Your feet will be good for hours!! They’re light and don’t take up much room. I find this offers me the most versatility while hunting cold temps.

 

[wind gypsy]

Boot blankets + foot warmers is the only solution I’ve found. Maybe some of the warmest baffins would work but I’m happy to walk in with lighter boots. I use ice breakers, they seem like they’d be warmer than arctic shield but they are bulkier.

 

[prm]

My feet sweat so I have to use a very thin synthetic sock under an insulating sock. It‘s purpose is to move moisture away from my skin. That base layer can’t be merino because it doesn’t move moisture as well. Also helps a bit to spray feet with anti perspirant. Make sure boots are not tight. I’ve been meaning to try some boot insulators.

 

[fatlander]

Change your socks while you’re waiting for daylight sitting in the tree stand. Don’t fool with changing it at the base. It’s the only way you’re going to fix the problem.

The biggest issue with rubber boots is waiting for the sweat you’ve built up inside to dry as well. It seems counterintuitive, but just sit with your fresh socks on for about 10 minutes before putting the boots back on.


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[Squirrels]

Change your socks while you’re waiting for daylight sitting in the tree stand. Don’t fool with changing it at the base. It’s the only way you’re going to fix the problem.

The biggest issue with rubber boots is waiting for the sweat you’ve built up inside to dry as well. It seems counterintuitive, but just sit with your fresh socks on for about 10 minutes before putting the boots back on.


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This right here helps me more than anything

 

[journeyman713]

Don’t over think the feet, they key is managing your core temp and perspiration. I’ve found this becomes easier to do with more body fat than it was in my lean years.

Hunting Wisconsin winters for over 30 years, still hunting, sometimes below zero wind chill, sometimes dark to dark.

Here’s what I do if it’s going to be a cold day/long sit;
Backpack in the coat and mid-layer!
Walk in with only a wool base layer top. Maybe a light shirt over it, but only if it’s near zero windchill.
By the time I get to the stand, definitely not cold, might see steam coming off body. Sit, relax and let body cool down
Layer up fleece only when I start to feel cool. Wait and do the same with coat.

After hours, if feet feel are cold, I think of it as a circulation issue from not moving with knees bent.
Here’s what I do;
Remember to straighten and relax leg now and then.
Curl toes hold and then relax, extend toes hold and relax, repeat.
Stand up periodically and do tiptoe push-ups and relax.

 

[H80Hunter]

I have the icebreaker boot blankets and I have never had cold feet in the stand since I got them.

 

[furfishngame]

I'm going to be trying some NEOS overshoes this winter if I can find a cheap pair. If I don't think they'll help enough for a long cold sit, I'll get some of the arctic shield style covers of make my own similar to the arctic shields. Happy hunting! furfishngmae

 

[collind104]

Scentless antiperspirant has been crucial to keeping my feet warm this year. I've always had poor circulation in my feet and it's compounded by having them get rather sweaty with any activity at all. Antipersipirant definitely helps control moisture and keeps my feet much warmer once I stop moving.

I also wear Pac boots instead of rubber boots. Just got a pair of Hoffman's this season I'm looking forward to testing out now that the weather is getting cold.

Never heard this trick, thanks!

 

[cmwhitmoyer]

I change my baselayer top and socks as soon as I get in my stand. My lower body and feet get cold well before my upper body so I started using an old sleeping bag that I cut to just above my waist while seated. I take my boots off and put on a pair of heavy socks and climb into the bag. A piece of a foam sleeping mat helps insulate the feet on the bottom. I also throw some hand warmers in the bag. Keeps me toasty.

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[BDRam16]

As others have said, you have to ditch the rubber boots in winter man. You’re trapping in all that foot perspiration because the rubber boots aren’t breathable. Also, throw a pair of felt insoles under the regular insole. Will help prevent the transfer of cold air from the metal stand under you.

 

[grfox92]

Cabela's Inferno are hard to beat.

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[BoilerBowHunter]

I read about these on another forum and am a believer after using them the past two years. It’s almost like a sleeping bag material. I wear nothing but these and then wear my insulated rubber boots. When I take my boots off these things are wet from soaking up the moisture and moving it off my feet, but my feet are relatively dry and relatively warm. My feet still get “cold”,
But it’s manageable and they aren’t blocks of ice. I highly recommend giving them a try - cost is reasonable and they’d work with any type of boot.

Wiggy’s Lamilite Insulated Socks for Hunting, Backpacking & Climbing

www.wiggys.com

 

[Uppair]

Last year my feet for pretty cold during Whitetail season. I was using Lacrosse Alphaburly Pro's (800 gram Thinsulate). This year, I figured I had the solution and I upgraded to the 1600 gram version! Not so fast .. feet still turned into blocks of miserable ice.

I tried several sock combinations. Always starting with a thin Merino liner and then adding 1 or more pairs of heavier Merino socks as I experimented. Too many is clearly an issue as you lose the ability to trap warm air and limit mobility. Temps were in the 20's (on the high end) this year and lows down to ~10 deg and several days with 30 mph wind. Invariably, my feet were damp if not wet at the end of the day when I pulled my boots and socks off. I've yet to feel like my feet were overheating on the way to the stand or in the stand. My upper body did get pretty warm somedays and I typically went pretty light on upper body garments and often ditched the hat to try and stay cooler.

I know lots of folks change socks after they walk in. I personally hate the idea of having to pull my boots off and change socks. Tall rubber boots don't slip off that easily and sitting in the snow with a bare foot to change socks seems like it could lead to it's own issues, not to mention the time/noise/commotion at the base of my stand seems like a bad idea. Even worse would be trying to pull this off in the stand where the chance of something being dropped makes everything that much worse.

One thought that comes to mind is that I always tuck my Pant/Bib Legs down into my rubber boots when I put them on. If I'm. not crossing water on my way to the stand, I could forgo tucking them in ... Not sure if this is contributing to overheating.

I figured that I will try using a close cell foam section under my feet in the stand and am considering Arctic Shields / Icebreakers. My concern is that if the issue is I'm overdoing somehow ... this might make things more bearable, but isn't solving the primary problem as wet invariably leads to cold at some point. It's worth noting that last year with the 800 gram boots, I was cold .. but don't recall always being wet at the end of the day.

FWIW, my favorite sock pairing has been a liner and a First Lite Zero Cold Weather OTC sock, sometimes with a Triad as well.

Curious what others have found when it comes to pant leg tucked In or Out?
How much extra room do you feel you need inside the boot?

Thanks!

I’ve done a fair amount of boot and sock research. I’m 180lb and have skeleton feet. I finally landed on Darn Tough wool socks ($22 lifetime warranty no receipt required) and Themacell heated insoles and Redwing or Danner leather resoleable boots made with Gortex liners. The heated insoles have 3 heat settings and is controlled by phone via Bluetooth. Don’t get the insoles with the remote unless you have no choice or no chance of losing important things. I’m an HVAC tech and know it sucks to have cold feet when you need to use your concentration elsewhere besides my damn feet are cold. With the Gortex bootie it’ll allow the sweat vapor to slowly evaporate out of the boot. I turn them on when I’ve settled in for a little while so I don’t sweat because you’re already heated from the walk in, depending. When I was young and lived in Ohio, I learned the hard way that water is a damn good heat conductor as the snow made its way through the cheap ($10 new in 1972) leather boots, wonder bread bags for wonderful waterproofing and cheap cotton socks so worn that you’d lose them if you laid them on a piece of graph paper. Also, if you plan on hunting a while to come, the 7.2v heated vest is nice just as a vest or adjusting it onto your neck and face to help keep from making noise from sniffling due to our sinuses creating more mucus from the colder drier air we can inhale. I got the heated gloves too because of my skeleton hands. When you research all this, the people who have suffered extremely cold extremities are normally the ones who buy this stuff. BTW does anyone remember seeing articles about nano tech camo technology (Popular Science and such) a few years ago and then it quickly ceased from being published?

 

[roadrunner]

I have discovered over the years that too many layers of socks in boots already heavily insulated cause feet to perspire more than intended. One pair of medium thick to one pair of thinner hiker socks is all I wear anymore with insulated boots - I let the boot do what it was intended to do. I also previously bought boots anywhere from a half to one size up to allow for extra socks. Not anymore.

Also, as tight (or loose) as any boot may be when worn, either slip on rubber or laced up, with pants tucked in creates a barrier making it more difficult for perspiration to escape when needed.

I wore a pair of Baffin Yoho's on a mid Dec elk hunt recently with a morning temp of 0-5 deg and daytime high's in the mid to upper 20's. Activity was some walking with longer periods of standing still in 6 to 8 inches of snow. Zero issues and just wore a pair of regular Merino hiker socks and gaiters.

 

[BugleMeTimber]

Have always dealt with this problem in the late season stand. Finally gave the arctic shields a try this year and they are amazing! The last morning I dropped them out of the stand climbing in and two hours later really wished I took the time to climb down and get them. I wouldn't hesitate getting a pair of these, they are worth it.

 

[Beezy]

Get the foot warmers that have adhesive on the back side. You stick them on the insole by you toes and it works wonders!

 

[*zap*]

I wear non insulated boots and put on icebreaker boot blankets when I post up. Longer sit nd they each get a bodywarmer inside, up to 1.5 hrs and I do not usually need a warmer.

 

[DComer_55]

If I were you I'd get some heated insoles, I saw a pair from thermcell for around $120 I think. Leave them off while walking in to minimize sweat issues and turn them on once you feel like they have cooled from the walk in.

 

[rkcdvm]

I cheat. I have a pair of battery operated heated insoles . They are awesome for stand sitting . I would never use them for anything else except maybe fishing in January/February