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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Tyler C. Moore on October 25, 2015, 10:29:00 PM
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I have been wearing 2000 gram insulated Lacrosse rubber boots for a few years and they are ok to the high 30's, but below that I have trouble staying in stand.
I hunt no matter the temps, and am looking for any help from guys who have found solutions in better boots..
I saw the company Baffin, and they look like a good option. Any thoughts are appreciated, man I hate when my feet freeze. Thanks
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Muck Artic Pros are very warm just make sure to use boot dryer every time you wear them.. most comfortable cold weather boot Ive ever worn..
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Surplus Mickey Mouse boots and one pair of heavy wool socks. If they don't do it, find some surplus bunny boots. They are the warmest you will find.
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If you are just stand hunting, you can wear your normal boots in and slip on some insulated overboots over those. They work great.
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We work in Baffin Ice Bears here when it is minus 40...I also work in mine in the spring when it is plus 30 Celsius...there is not a more versatile boot made...the ones we wear for work have a steel toe insert...I think you can buy them without that which would make them lighter and less expensive
DDave
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Cold feet are always a problem with me, but using the surplus Mickey Mouse boots (as suggested above) has helped. If really cold, I pack a pair of Artic Shield covers.
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Originally posted by 30coupe:
Surplus Mickey Mouse boots and one pair of heavy wool socks. If they don't do it, find some surplus bunny boots. They are the warmest you will find.
Exactly what I was going to say.
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Steger Camucks
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you need to wear boots one size bigger for frigid temps then wear nice thick wool socks.
for seriously cold temps and stand hunting only I wear Baffins, they are from Canada and made for ice fisherman and rated to 100 below. they feel like walking with pillows on your feet but they work perfect for standing in 3' of snow in -15 wind chills.
from 30 to about 10 I wear Baffin again but these are like the sorel snow mobile boots, wool socks. tight boots mean cold toes, loose boots mean warm air around your toes.
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Nothing better than Lacrosse Iceman in my experience, even better than the surplus mickeys.
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I noticed that one guy on one of the Mountain Men Shows that I take seriously..he flies his own plane in Alaska and runs a serious trapline. He wears Micky Mouse Boots and you know he puts some time in serious snow.
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Trick with sitting in a stand is to keep blood flowing to the extremities...this can be done with Isometric contractions. The biggest muscles in your body are your thighs, get them working and the blood will keep circulating. When on the stand in a seated position, just raise your legs up so that your feet lift off the floor about an inch and hold that position for a while. This gets your muscles worked up, meaning heated up...then put your feet back down and wiggle your toes for a while.
If you do this for 15 minutes, your feet will be warm for a while. You can tense up your core muscles off & on too. All this muscle contraction creates heat, but at the same time doesn't make any noticeable motion. (same motions will keep you awake in church, catholic weddings, operas or any other activity that you find yourself sitting for extended periods :thumbsup: )
The only thing I wear all winter here in WI is uninsulated hiking boots or uninsulated LaCrosse knee boots. One good pair of wool socks, and if it's cold (for me that's 15°F or less) and I'm sitting, I'll pull out the Arctic Shield boot insulators. These are one size bigger than the packaging says, and they have plenty of room to put a hot hands in there if it gets to -10°F or so. (above that, and my feet will sweat in the insulators with a hot pad in them; wet feet = colder feet!!!)
For you, if its 30's and you are wearing 2000gr insulation, maybe your feet are sweating way to much on the walk in and that's why they are cold all day. Try uninsulated boots once, and put the boot insulators on when you are in the stand.
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Originally posted by 30coupe:
Surplus Mickey Mouse boots and one pair of heavy wool socks. If they don't do it, find some surplus bunny boots. They are the warmest you will find.
Exactly what I do and they work great.
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Originally posted by Hoyt:
I noticed that one guy on one of the Mountain Men Shows that I take seriously..he flies his own plane in Alaska and runs a serious trapline. He wears Micky Mouse Boots and you know he puts some time in serious snow.
Actually, he wears the white "bunny boots" rather than the mickeys. The white ones are the arctic version...even warmer than the black mickeys. I haven't found any of them locally, but my mickeys came from my local Mill's Fleet Farm. Mine were as new, but some of them will show some wear. They are heavy but surprisingly easy to walk in, although they are not the greatest on ice, traction-wise.
I have to be honest, since I bought my Lacrosse Alpha Burly boots with just 800 grams of thinsulate, I haven't had cold feet. I wear an 8 1/2 shoe, so I got 9s which leave me plenty of room for heavy wool socks. I'm sure it will get cold enough sometime that I need to break out the mickeys, but so far I really like the Burlys.
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Mickeys.
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Muck Arctic Pro
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Wow I never expected this type of response.. I really appreciate it. I am going to check out the surpluss boots and a slightly less extreme boot also.. Thanks guys !!
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Originally posted by Mint:
Originally posted by 30coupe:
Surplus Mickey Mouse boots and one pair of heavy wool socks. If they don't do it, find some surplus bunny boots. They are the warmest you will find.
Exactly what I do and they work great. [/b]
Yep.
I get cold feet real easy.
Switched to a LOOSE pair of mickeys with a extra heavy weight pair of smartwool socks that go up to the knee...never been warmer.
3 things about them..
1-they're not light, but fine for some walking.
2- wear high socks. If your socks get down past the top of the boot the rubber will pull out your leg hair and it's surprisingly uncomfortable.
3- I do all ground hunting. When I'm sitting on the ground with a leg tucked in, the valves on the sides can press into the ground and then put pressure right on the side of my ankle..through thick socks and all. After a couple days of that, the side of my ankle was getting pretty tender.
The boots have an inner and outer layer of rubber at that spot.
I took an exacto and carefully cut the valve right the heck outta there. Then I roughed up the surface a bit with a tire tube patch roughing tool and took some clear 100% silicone caulk and filled up the hole and spread it around the surface a bit.
WOW! what an improvement. I did that 4 years ago the the silicone is still holding strong.
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Muck Arctic Pro! Used mine for the first time last year in single digits and 20 mph winds. Put a chemical foot warmer in each one and they are not tight even with my heavy socks. Feet never got cold and my feet are usually the first to get cold.
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Baffin titan boots for me.
I hunt northern Michigan until Jan. And love the baffins!
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I have personally found..... It's not the BOOTS, It's the SOCKS!!!
I wear 1 pair of wool socks. PERIOD!!! The wool against my feet, keeps them warm. When my feet get cold... I change my socks!!! (usually, they're wet)
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I have a pair of schnees then my wife sewed a goretex overboot for me that I take hand warmers and put in the toes. I have never had cold feet with this method.
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I like hot toes too....they are light and cheap...
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I have trouble keeping my feet warm and I hunt in some cold weather in ND -10 20 and even have stupidly been out in -30 when I was young . I use one pair of Fox River boot socks these are very thick wool and La Cross Iceman with a toe heater in the front . I tried mickey mouse boots and had cold clammy feet.
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You might try some insulated Neos. They're light weight overboots that significantly increase the R value of your current boot. Throw them in your back and use them when it's cold.
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I don't think anyone can deny Mickeys don't work,, I heard they are the platform all others were made from.
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one thing about stand hunting and boots. Bring a pair of socks or two, and USE THEM!
the hike in your feet will sweat! you need to change....and change again when you get cold!
Neos is a good option, but noisey!
mickeys work, but are heavy. If your feet are cold and clamy you are not changing socks enough, thankfully with mickeys you can wipe them out, shove a new pair of socks on and be good to go. Spent a lot of cold weather time in them -50! If anyone gets a smart idea to go for a run in them at -25, shoot'm LOL! I had shin splints for weeks after that escapade.
-100 sorels are nice. They are also waterproof up to the ankles, and fairly quiet over all. You can easily change the liners and I'd HIGHLY recommend buying an extra set or two!!! swap them out regularly and replace as needed, nothing lasts forever.
Socks is the next issue. boots are boots, you still need good socks. too tight and it wont matter how good your boot is, your feet WILL FREEZE!!!! let them get damp from sweat, again you'll have cold feet.
For really cold I prefer the smart wool trekkers (knee high red heavy wools). If I'm sitting I MIGHT add the liners once I get to where I'm sitting. My issue with liners is my feet end up soaked, too warm! I haven't tried adding them when I changed socks but that is something I would highly consider.
Another cold feet issue already stated is sweating. A spray on deodorant works wonders!
A pair of steiger mucks are light and will work, but are NOT water proof, they don't eliminate the need to change socks either. They are however nice! and work well with a pair of NEOS over them for winter sled riding. Its what I wear down to -40 on the trapline.
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If your toes are cold, put on another hat. It's not uncommon for me to wear 2-3 stocking caps. Get a windproof one too to cut down on the wind zapping the heat from you.
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Muck Artic Pro, and a couple pair of felt souls . Change felts daily . Make sure you also wear wool socks. I wear these boots all winter.
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forgot to mention, gators work wonders! A pair of wool/fleece gators will really up the warm factor. It will also up the amount of sweating going on so keep that in mind!
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I use the little hand warmer packs and get by with a lot less insulation than what your wearing