cgeorge

Hey guys, I'm sorta new in here. I was just wondering if any of you seasoned veterans could tell me how you keep your feet warm while in the stand. My boots are o.k. but I'm more interrested in a good pair of socks. I've seen some in Cabelas and at Dicks but I don't want to spend $12 on a pair of socks that really don't work.
Oh, by the way, Dicks has a Summit Viper Custom Climber on sale for $149.00. Does this seem like a very good deal to you guys? Thanks for your help.

uncle matt

YEs the Viper is a good deal at that price. I really don't like to layer up so in order to ward of any cold I use the thermal heatpacks. When it's going to be a really cold morning or afternoon I just duct tape a few of these around on my body. 1 on my sternum, 1 on my back, a couple on my lower thighs and yes, they have the toe warmers. It costs me about $3-6/day to stay on stand. Most of them (except toe warmers) last atleast 8 and up to 12 hours. So even after a day hun ting you can throw them down in your foot area of your sleeping bag or whatever and get some heat down there too (they're ready to crap out so there's not a chance of getting burned while sleeping-I would never put fresh ones near your body (parts) whale sleeping cause they can burn ya good).

If you get too warm during the day on stand, you can remove as needed or vent a bit.

cgeorge

Thanks UncleMatt. Where do you get these heat packs? I've talked to friends that didn't like them for various reasons. I don't know which ones they tried but, I'd be willing to give it a go. Can you pick them up at wally world?

kevin1

The heat packs can be hit or miss sometimes.I'd go for a pair of Arctic Shield boot covers instead , they're about $45 at Cabela's or Sportsman's Guide . Loosening your boots also helps , too tight boots reduce circulation in your feet . Always buy insulated boots at least one size too large , you can add additional socks if more insulation is needed.

DOUBLE-LUNG

cgeorge,
I have poor circulation in my feet, so there wasa problem with the coldwhenmy feet are not moving. I had to get a liner for my feet that fitsunder the socks to keep from sweating. My boots were not the problem. Seemed to cure the problem from the cold.Good Luck! David

buckeye

A quality boot to start with is a must. For warmth the best IMO is a Gore-Tex leather or Cordura style boot with 1000+ grams of Thinsulate Insulation. I choose rubber boots only for the advantages of less scent to the ground and the knee high water proofing they provide.

First layer you need a thin sweat wicking style sock to get the moisture off your skin and into the next layer. Next would be 1-2 pairs of a quality sock made up of at least 75% genuine wool for the warmth and comfort they provide. To finish off in extreme cold (20-25F and below) you may want to add the hot foot packs to the liners of your boots. They work great but can be uncomfortable walking on them for any lenght of time in my experiences.

IMO rubbers are the worst style boot to wear in cold weather if you are going to bewalking muchbecause they do not breath at all.

PABowhntr

I am with Kevin on this one. Boot Blankets are the way to go to trully keep your feet warm in any type of cold weather. I have never had cold feet when I have had these on. Heck, sometimes I actually take my boots off and just slide my feet in the boot blankets themselves. If it gets really, really cold then I will throw in some heat packs as well.

Great stuff those boot warmers though I prefer the thicker rather than the thinner version (I forgot the specific names).

cgeorge

Hey guys I really appreciate all of the feed back. I'd love to buy some new boots but I just bought my first gun and climbing stand. I've been borrowing stands and a gun for the past five years. If I go out and buy a nice pair of quality boots right now they'd better be warm because its going to get really cold when my wife makes me sleep outside. Actually my wife is the best she's the one who suprised me with the gun and the stand for my birthday. Anyway I'll probably just try and find some good socks. I've seen the boot blankets at rural king but hadn't heard much about them until now. I've learned alot from these forums and appreciate the feed back.

PhoenixMA

cgeorge,

you can get the heat pack here at walmart for like 2 dollars for a six pack, and they sell an insole for boots and shoes with a special pocket for the heaters. those are like 10 dollars. My wife(god bless her) got me that set up last year for christmas and my las week of hunting in january was much more pleasant.

the other option i'm considering is a pair of army surplus mukluks. A friend of mine was a navy diver and spent a few months at the north pole and said those mukluks were good to go.

Rebel Hog

Rubbing Uncented Secret Deoderant on your feet will keep them fromsweating
and getting cold, of course a good pair of wool socks and the applicaion of the
deoderant will let your feet breathe and not get cold. Unless you have poor
circulation in your feet, this will work! Sometimes you lace your boots to
tight and cut the propercirculation to your feet, causing them to also get cold.