moisture in insulated boots

[rpm4463]

I have two types of hunting boots, hiking boots I use for early season mild conditions and Cabelas (Meindl) Alaska hunter boots for late season or stand hunting. The Cabelas do good for the first couple days of a hunt, but eventually moisture will build up inside the boots and reduce the insulation qualities. I also notice the leather becoming saturated after a couple days of hunting in the rain or snow. I clean and treat the boots every few months depending on how often I use them. My questions is this, is the moisture from the outside elements or from sweat...or both? Do you wear insulated boots and risk sweating in them, or hiking boots with no insulation but your feet may get cold when you are sitting in a stand or glassing for long periods of time? At times sometimes I think my regular hiking boots keep my feet warmer than insulated boots.

just curious if other folks run into this same hang up?

 

[todd kelly]

For cold weather I switched to pac boots just for the reason your talking about here, damp insulation. I bought a second set of felts for my boots and switch them out every night. I have really sweaty feet and this solved my cold foot issue I had with standard insulated boots.

 

[idahoelkhunter]

RPM,
In my case its sweat in my boots that gets trapped in the gortex liner and cant evaporate quickly enough and becomes too large molecule for the membrane to pass , thus wet socks and boot lining. I know there are quite a few things guys do to limit the amount moisture on a multiday hunt .I have came to the conclusion that the best so far for me has been to have multiple pairs of boots and rotate them out so that the moisture can evaporate from the boots (this is what I am currently doing ) there is also a propane peets boot dryer that I have been talking myself into trying . I have the luxury of having horses and pack mules and being able to carry multiple pairs of boots .

Mark

 

[DaveC]

For deep cold (less than 20F) I find vapor barrier socks invaluable. They eliminate the buildup of perspiration in your boot insulation entirely. The RBH socks work very well, but you can try the concept on the cheap by wearing subway bags between liner and insulating socks.

 

[rpm4463]

I've thought about getting a pair of good quality pack boots for hunting near my truck or in a treestand/blind. How do they perform on the trail? I don't think they would be ideal for walking several miles on a trail, but be good enough for a 1/2 mile walk to a tree stand. What are the limitations for pack boots?

 

[Take-a-knee]

What are the limitations for pack boots?

You mainly. I've walked and dragged a sled for many miles in sub-zero cold wearing GI bunny boots. I used to go sockless if a long hump was coming up. When I could finally stop, I'd pour the sweat out of the boots, wipe the insides of the boots out with a cravat, and don dry socks.

Pack boots only work if you can keep the insulation dry. Having an extra set of liners is part of the system, being able to dry the other pair is essential. Vapor barrier socks work as DaveC suggested, but if you step through the ice at minus 20 and your boot fills up with icewater, and you are wearing anything besides Bunnies, you are still screwed.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Whether the moisture comes from inside (perspiration) or outside, a damp boot is still a damp boot. In low-humidity situations boots will tend to dry out fairly easily. Pac boots were all I used in AK until recently. My rubber-bottom/leather-top Schnee's were my dependable boots, but my feet just couldn't stay warm n them below 20-25F while sitting. They accumulated moisture in the leather and liners. Changing liners helped, but in all honesty changing socks does almost the same thing. My liners were wicking moisture inward from the damp leather. After 4 days of hunting I was always working to get my boots dried out. I've worn all kinds of boots in all kinds of conditions from ice-fishing the Great Lakes to desert hunting in the southwest. A damp boot is simply a problem boot on multi-day remote hunts. Sooo....

I took a page out of my whitetail hunting notes. Last September I ditched the Schnee's and anything with leather. I brought rubber (gasp!) boots for a twelve day moose hunt in AK. Specifically I brought Lacrosse Alphaburly Side-Zip boots with 1000G Thinsulate. I also brought 3 pairs of Darn Tough Mountaineering socks and Smartwool Merino liners. I changed socks every single day at noon, and I took my boots off to air dry when I could. The bottom line was warm feet, dry feet, no skin maceration, no liners to switch around and no wet leather to be cold and clammy. I have never been happier in a choice of boots for that hunt. I did the weight comparison and it was actually a few ounces less going with the Lacrosse and no extra liners.

A lot of guys are hung up on rubber boots as being somehow inferior to high-dollar leather/Gore or other boots. Me, I'd rather have dry, warm no-hassle boots and I will sacrifice laces and ankle support unless I know it's a critical issue.

 

[rpm4463]

I agree moisture form the damp leather starts to soak into the insulation of the boot after a couple days of hunting in wet conditions. The same thing can happen with my hiking boots but in mild conditions it is less noticeable. Well, sounds like I'm not the only one that gets in this situation, but I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing out on a possible solution. Dry socks and try to air your boots out when you get a chance.

One interesting note, 5 years ago my wife and I did a 3 week backpack trip to Mt. Everest base camp and wore hiking boots the entire time. Temps did not get too cold except for the nights. Once above tree line temps were around 50 during day but dipped to teens at night. We would wake up with ice inside our tent and frozen boogers on my beard. My boots were rock hard, but there was very little moisture for them to really "freeze". After a day of trekking I would put on my "slippers" and let my boots and socks air out. Of course we never sat in one spot for a few hours glassing for goats or elk, so my feet never had time to get cold. I think trying to keep socks, boots, and feet dry are the best ways to reduce chilly feet.

Do goat and sheep hunters in BC wear hiking boots or insulated hunting boots? I know in Alaska many use rubber boots because it rains so much.