Cold feet

pound foolish

Backpacker
I have always accepted cold feet in winter, whether it`s at work or play, because they warm up again with no apparent ill-effects. However, for the past 2 or 3 winters I`ve been suffering from chilblains brought about by exposure to the cold to the point where my toes become swollen and walking is painful. I would prefer to avoid this condition so I`d like to know how you all keep them tootsies toasty? Mukluks, bugaboots, or furry slippers?
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I find a vapour barrier really useful. We get them every time we go shopping, 5p each ;)
 

Teepee

Thru Hiker
Hi Pound Foolish. :)

The biggest culprit for delivering cold feet is reduced bloodflow. Elastic and tight socks, and footwear that doesn't have enough room to wiggle toes are fine when it's warm.

Ensuring you have toe wiggle room and loosish socks are the first port of call to keep tootsies happy in winter. Diabetic socks actually work very well to keep feet warm.

When the walking is over, a change of footwear into something warm and loose fitting in camp is my choice.
 

tom

Thru Hiker
I second teepee's suggestions. When hiking, good merino socks like Darn Tough might also help. They keep my feet warm in well fitting trail runners (not tight) in the wet, in snow and on glaciers as long as I'm moving.
 

Meadows

Section Hiker
I'm a long time sufferer of cold hands and feet and it's when it is wet and cold that really does it for me.
Strategies are all dependent on length of trip, location, time of year etc etc as they all have part to play in shoe / boot / sock choice.

Always have dry socks for camp. Sealskinz and sometimes an extra liner. Breadbags and sometimes some extra fluffy slipper type socks come aswell.
Small heat packs. Shove them down your socks at breaks while you make a brew then in to the sleeping bag until camp.
Spare socks to change in to during the day is a nice treat.
Tiptoeing around small puddles is very common.

Merino does not seem to suit my feet, I've got some Teko and Brasher for when it's cold that work well for me.
 

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
I’ve found that Bridgedale Woolfusion socks (Trekkers) are better than pure merino (Smartwool) at dispersing sweat and keeping my feet reasonably dry when using goretex lined boots.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
I’ve found that Bridgedale Woolfusion socks (Trekkers) are better than pure merino (Smartwool) at dispersing sweat and keeping my feet reasonably dry when using goretex lined boots.

They are great socks.

I've used the woolfusion range over the merinos for years.

I have 3 pairs of trekkers all going strong, none less than 4 years old.

For me they are a factor more hard-wearing than merinos. The guys in my local Cotswolds reckon they've never had a return with woolfusion, but regularly get any brand of merino based sock returned worn through quickly.

I certainly wear merinos I've had out quickly - at heel and forefoot.

Actually have a pair of the woolfusion trails on right now - relegated to work as they are a little worn at the heels. Bought them in 2009 at Fort William!
 

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
They are great socks.

I've used the woolfusion range over the merinos for years.

I have 3 pairs of trekkers all going strong, none less than 4 years old.

For me they are a factor more hard-wearing than merinos. The guys in my local Cotswolds reckon they've never had a return with woolfusion, but regularly get any brand of merino based sock returned worn through quickly.

I certainly wear merinos I've had out quickly - at heel and forefoot.

Actually have a pair of the woolfusion trails on right now - relegated to work as they are a little worn at the heels. Bought them in 2009 at Fort William!


That’s good to hear about longevity. I was amazed on this year’s TGO Challenge how dry they kept my feet and that I could wear a pair for several days at a time. Good find.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
I wear the same pair with trail shoes for up to a week - washed/rinsed ( like the shoes) in a stream each day and wrung out reworn wet.
Tough socks.

For the OP, in camp in winter I use Heatholders socks in camp. With bread bags if I need to put my wet shoes on for outside stuff. I get cold hands, but my feet are not so painful when cold. My partner gets chilblains, so I sympathise, as I see the pain she goes through.
 

pound foolish

Backpacker
I do use quality socks and when I chose my boots I made sure there was space for my toes to wiggle. I was thinking more in terms of outer footwear, for instance insulated boots. When I fished year round, the recommendation at the time was for Skee-tex cold-store boots which were supposed to keep your feet warm down to -30 C. Really? No, not even close.

I have to ask, breadbags?
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
Bread bags - to keep your camp socks dry if your footwear is wet. ( As mine usually is )
http://trek-lite.com/index.php?threads/camp-footwear.3833/

Probably irrelevant to you as it sounds like wet feet walking is not suitable.

The fluffy slippers comment in your OP led me to think you were talking camp footwear rather than about walking boots/shoes.

I think dry and roomy is the key.
 

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
Do you suffer with Raynauds at all @pound foolish? My mrs suffers quite badly during winter, more in her fingers than feet though.

Are you looking for something to wear whilst hiking or for the evenings in camp? Neos overboots are useful for winter camps but I wouldn't want to walk very far in them.
 

pound foolish

Backpacker
I see now that my original enquiry may have been a little ambiguous. ATM I only do day hikes so camp footwear is not the issue, more what to wear during cold and snowy conditions. I have considered buying a pair of oversized boots just for winter and wearing more/thicker socks but are there usable boots out there which are insulated in their own right? Thanks.

Edit: I`m pretty sure it`s not Raynaud`s syndrome, just common chilblains.
 

Gadget

Thru Hiker
II only do day hikes so camp footwear is not the issue, more what to wear during cold and snowy conditions
The boots you like at the mo, just half/one size bigger, more room for bigger sockage. Cramming a lot of sock in a small boot is worse than having thinner socks, reduces insulation and restricts blood circulation.
And change your socks at lunchtime, fresh dry socks insulate much better than pounded, sweaty ones.
 

WilliamC

Thru Hiker
If you go up half a size or so in your normal shoes, some 3mm neoprene socks can add a decent amount of insulation. They're pretty cheap.
 

Teepee

Thru Hiker
Gadget hits the nail on the head.

To illustrate the point, I have a pair of Baffin Doug Stoups rated to -100c. Likely the warmest boots in the world, barring boots for spacewalking. This means nothing in the real world. When I first don them, the memory foam layer has sprung back to as new and when stationary, I have to remove them in temps under -20c and change into a much thinner pair of booties as my toes are suffering. By doing this, I'm reducing the insulation by 70%, but my feet are warmer. After a couple of days, the foam has relaxed and they feel like wearing foot ovens, stationary, even at -40c.

This is simply due to unimpeded blood flow, all whilst wearing the warmest inelastic socks on the market.

Loose footwear for winter; even blisters are better than the delapidating effect of prolonged cold feet.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
Yep - for cold winter work (which is nothing like the temperature Teepee is talking about:sorry:) where I don't need to climb or use PPE, I tend to wear a roomy pair of soft wellies with good insoles and not too tight thick outer socks with wool liners.
 
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pound foolish

Backpacker
Before spending more money I`m going to experiment this week-end based on some of the suggestions which have been made. I`m going to remove the footbed from my winter boots to create some space and try them with a pair of neoprene socks, no liner sock as I`ve always been a one thickish sock man and never had a blister. If that is unsatisfactory/uncomfortable I`ll order liner socks and try them with the neoprene.
Thanks for the responses, I knew I`d come to the right place:)
 

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
If you do wear liner socks, I’ve found M&S mixed merino/synthetic suit socks to be the best and not as expensive as specialist brands. I didn’t like socks made from Coolmax. The worst liner socks I’ve ever had were Smartwool merino, not because they were cold, but because they felt like cheesegraters! I’ve also experimented with neoprene in unlined trail shoes and found them comfortable. Hadn’t thought about them as a warm sock, but don’t see why they shouldn’t be comfortable. They might get a bit smelly though.
 

Gadget

Thru Hiker
Bit of a tangential thought.
Foot warmth relies on maintaining blood flow. Keeping your lower legs warm may delay the shutdown of your circulation. Try knee-length socks, long gaiters, etc.
 
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