C-Forum

I'm still trying to figure out warm feet while paddling below zero...

Tried socks under dry socks with 7mm neoprene booties over - cold
Tried socks under dry socks with shoes over - cold
Tried neoprene socks under dry socks with shoes over - cold

Thinking of wearing my winter boot liners under the dry socks. No idea what I would wear over though. My winter boots are too large for the boat.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Dave

Haven't paddled that cold. At 36 degrees, I was absolutely comfortable wearing over-the-calf merino wool socks under my drysuit with neoprene booties over. Merino wool is my favorite cold-weather product. It's wicking and warmth are unparralelled in my book.

I'm assuming that Dave's 0 degrees is celsius (about 32 F), correct? I haven't been able to find an answer to this problem either, and it pretty much stops me from winter paddling. Do you have Raynauds? If so, maybe nothing will work. I've tried all the sock combinations that you mentioned, to no avail. I even tried heavy wool battery socks under my dry socks, and they didn't help. I'll be following this thread closely for any new suggestions!

Deb

I'm going to post on a diving forum and see what they have to say

Dave

How is the circulation through your knees? I have seen threads in the past where people got better results with less clothing when they removed material that was bunching up inside the knees and reducing the blood-flow to their feet.

Hope this helps,
Shep

Maybe something like these under the socks?
http://whitesdiving.com/sport-diving/mk ... mal-socks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, many dive shops can install permanent hard waterproof boots into a suit. That sounds real toasty to me.

Dave

I paddled last night in 28F air temps in basically ice water. Thickest wool sock that Smartwool makes inside the drysuit boots. I wear NRS Hydroskin socks over the drysuit to protect it from rubbing inside my shoe. Then 5.10 Water Tennies (1 full size bigger) over the whole package. I was trudging through snow, sitting in water a couple of times and was fine for 2 hours, could have been out much longer. Wasn't even beginning to feel chilled.

When we surf in winter on the Great Lakes most everyone wears 7mm surf booties. Most wear Excel brand. My feet don't get cold ever in these. They are extremely snug and are worn over bare skin. I would wear them boating, but I prefer a stiffer sole in my canoe.

I get cold toes really easy and both of these methods keep me warm when it is well below freezing.

Marcus

Battery powered heated socks. No, I'm not joking.

I've never paddled in anything that cold, but I used to work in the ski industry and often custom fitted people for boots. The quest for warm dry feet is a constant. There are a few things we would regularly tell people to do.

1) Don't put the warm socks you're going to wear on until right before you go out. If your feet get warm in a toasty car or house and you don't add any insulation, they will get cold.

2) Try to keep your feet from sweating. My feet sweat like crazy and they will get cold fast even with a good wool or synthetic wicking sock. You can put some kind of foot powder on your feet just before you go to adsorb moisture or you use a spray deodorant that has an antiperspirant in it to stop perspiration. Just make sure to wash your feet when you are done.

3) Limit constriction on your feet. A lot of the fancy outdoor sock have elastic in them to conform to your feet and wick moisture. This is good for activities like running and hiking where your feet are moving, but not for skiing (sitting on the lifts) and paddling, where your feet are more still. Try find a wool sock that is essentially a tube sock and then cut off the elastic at the top. You may also be constricting your feet with the cinches on your booties or the gaskets in your dry suit, so don't make them any tighter than they have to be.

4) Use heaters was suggested. There are also chemical heaters that work pretty well. http://www.warmers.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Good luck!

Jamie

Not a problem if you paddle a C1. Toasty warm inside.

What do you wear on the rest of your body? I think the only way to stay warm in cold weather, is to wear a dry suit with integrated socks. I go as follow, heavy socks in my drysuit socks, light socks( to protect the drysuit socks) over the drysuit socks, and my neoprene diving boots on top of all that. It seem to work real good.
Hope this help.

Some very useful tips and tricks above there. Looking forward to trying them out.

I've paddled down to -8 C, and I've found that if its cold enough, it may be impossible to keep your feet warm. But on the bright side I've never heard of anybody getting frostbite or some other serious cold-related injury to their feet from a day of paddling with cold feet (expeditions surely a different story).

If you're using neoprene - socks or booties - one thing that can help is to bring along a thermos of hot water. Save it until your feet are really cold and then pour some into your neoprene, saving some for a second dose later in the run.

Try using the disposable boot heaters that a lot of skiers use. They help. Cost about $2 for a pair. Apparently Cosco sells them by the box at a good price.

I wear a thin polypro sock under heavy wool socks with neoprene boots over. I find adding that thin polypro somehow adds a lot more warmth. I'm fine down to the freezing mark like this. I don't go out in sub zero.

Failing this I'd go with the battery powered socks. They are not expensive and work well. I use them while snowmobiling when the merc drops past -20C. I never thought to use them canoing until Todhunter suggested it.

Thank you for all the suggestions!

I think I am going to go shopping and straight up ask for their warmest pair of socks.

I love the idea of the electric heated sock, I would just be scared of one failing on me.

Dave