Which Boot Would You Get?
 

I have always had trouble with cold feet and hands. I've tried many solutions over the years when hunting in cold weather here in WV. Don't look to start a boot war but I am looking at Danner 8-1200 gram Pronghorns or the Irish Setter Ice Trek boot in 1600 gr. (I pretty much stand hunt). Does anyone have a recommendation between these two boots based on your use and experiences? Thank You

I have stated this countless times
its NOT the amount of insulation in a boot that should be looked at for keeping feet warm
as if you have too much insulation and you walk in and feet sweat, your feet will get cold!
defeating the purpose your trying to achieve !
your best way to keep feet warm on ALL day sits in stands is this IMO
(i have spent many 10 hour sits in minus 20 temps)
wear in lighter boots for walks in!(actually I will add this, DON"T WEAR ALL YOUR GEAR IN< dress as light ta s you can handle it, and CARRY your heaver warmer gear in, it keeps you from sweating which is what gets you cold after your body cools off from the walk in, it also keeps unwanted moisture out of your WARMER heavier gear, that builds from your HEAT your body gives off while walking in), also , when you get to your stand, remove ANY and ALL clothing that got sweaty/wet, it will only make you cold as sit)
carry extra socks, (and any other gear you typically get sweaty on way in, a dry bag can be used to store sweaty gear if your worried about scent issue's))
next INVEST in BOOT BLANKETS,GOOD socks, too!
when you get to your stand,
THEN remove your boots,
let them AIR OUT!, and DRY inside!
then remove the socks you wore in, replace with GOOD warmer heavier socks(if they will fit in your boots with OUT being too tight you don't want too tight ANYTHING to prevent good blood flow)
MAKE sure inside of boots is DRY before placing dry socks and feet in them!
once that is done, place feet/boots on or OFF< in GOOD boot blankets, if you need extra warmth, buy heat packs and add inside boot blankets

NOW for cold hands, I again do not like thick heavy gloves there useless when you need to shoot, to bulky and well again hands sweat too
so again, walk in Light weight gloves,
get to stand, again, let yourself cool down! THEN replace again any sweaty gear/clothing
re dress(yes extra work, but? if you want to stay warm, it works)

replace at stand with lighter weight gloves you can shoot with, and use a hand MUFF, same like the boot blankets, if very cold out, adding a heat packet to inside the hand muff, and your hands will stay warmer than with heavy weight gloves , yet time to shoot, you can still do so!

as said,. YES this si extra work, more gear to carry in, more work to get changed at stand and blah blah blah, HAHA< BUT, I simply go in extra early, allow time to do all needed, and have sat in some super cold tree stands and blinds/ground set ups for 10+ hours for weeks on end,
it has been the ONLY way I have found to be able to do so!
YES 100% having GOOD gear is also a big part of it, but good gear alone will never undo the damages of having been sweaty from the walk in and then sitting in cold air all day long!
sweating is the start of the end all IMO!
maybe if your in super tip top shape, you won;'t or, have super short walks in, but if not, the above will serve you way better than buying super heavy insulated gear that will just make you sweat faster and won'rt really keep you any warmer once your wet close to your skin!

Thank you mrbb, I have read your comments on other posts regarding boots and warmth and I understand the logic and appreciate your input. I have virtually no walk at all to my hunting stands and I have tried some of your recommendations over the past 50+ years of bow hunting in the cold and none of those have worked. My feet start at the toe area and slowly the entire foot gets cold enough to hurt after maybe 3 hrs. in the tree. It is not that I am concerned about the amount of insulation in the boots that I need but why not the max if nothing has worked over the years. I just would like to know fit, comfort, durability, best socks with these boots, etc, and anything that I should be aware of with these two boots. Thanks

I used to wear the Danner boots with 400 grams of insulation for duty. They were pretty warm even in the snow but I was not sitting or standing still in the snow a lot. Have you considered a pac style boot? They have some thick inserts and you can bump up on the insert thickness if the one you have isn't enough. I tried a pair of pac boots for a cold weather blind hunt last winter and they were very comfortable. I hiked less than a 1/4 mile to get to the blind and the boots were reasonably comfortable for hiking that distance.

CalHunter, Yes I have tried several pac boots such as Sorel, Lacrosse, and even Baffins. I gave the Baffins to a friend because they did nothing for me and a little heavy even for short walks. I remember long ago as a kid wearing a light boot and the old buckle up overboots (we called them artics) and I still got cold but not as bad. I thought maybe of trying that again. I've not had Irish setter but I have had Dinner uninsulated for early bow and turkey hunting and they were fine for wearing but nothing in cold weather. Thanks for your response.

OK well, then, with this info, I suggest and take this with no ill thoughts meant
MAYBE you should take to a good foot DR, as you might have some blood flow issue's

as 3 hours sitting, pending HOW cold it is isn;t very long
As honestly everyone has different tolerances to cold, and honestly;y blood flow is a BIG part of keeping digits warm(toes and fingers), as there the farthest from the heart!
also, pending any med's you might be on could be causing you some issue's too!

NOW< again, a short walk in heavy insulated boots again can MAKE a foot sweat, all the more so when you go from hot/warm house into a COLD air
ever see condensation build on a window when cold air meets warm air?
there simply is moisture in the air,
NOW< again as for boots, Yes more insulation SHOULD help prevent cold from seeping into boots before hitting toes
with this mind set, again, having the most insulation you can get and THEN adding Boot blankets can only help you more so??

But I hate walking in big heavy boots, I again prefer lighter GOOD fitting boots I find comfortable, and I have many times in extreme cold weather, taken my boots off and just used a few heat packets and boot blankets on long all day sits!

something else to think about, is what do you KEEP your feet on when on stand?
the ground, in the air ina stand or??

adding a layer between you and the frozen ground can also help, like adding some thick carpet between your feet and ground or stand

you also might benefit from something like a body suit, or heck even bringing a good heavy insulated blanket to wrap your feet in(if you san safely do so!)
as it sort of sounds to me like your hunting private lands close to home
if this is the case, you can also LEAVE many things at stand site in waterproof totes or?? saving carrying in ever day

I used to do this on many hunts as well FAR in, , only I used water proof dry bags and would some what bury them to hide my things, this was I could walk in and out not having to carry much of anything!

but I am a firm believer in the fact walking generates body temp rise, your working muscles and that makes heat, as you sit still and don;'t move , all that heat dissipates, and many times leaves moisture behind, and then that makes you COLD a LOT faster, this is why I always wait about 30+ minutes at a stand to cool down, before adding the new DRY layers from socks to ??
same with letting heat OUT of boots and things

a TON of folks Love the old military Micky mouse boots for extreme cold weather, there proven to work
but back to that EVERYONE has different feet shapes and needs for them, I have Never found Micky mouse boots to be comfortable or even close tom fitting my feet!

so, this is why IMO, its very hard to ever recommend a BOOT model , for anyone else! what fits me perfectly and keeps Y feet warm, just might not fit your feet!
ever try a few pairs of different OEM boots on all CLAIMING to be the same size and see the difference in how they all fit>
same deal when recommend a boot period IMO!

This said, me I know I am more cold hearty than most, I was snowmobiling 2 yrs ago in minus 20 air temps*(not counting wind chill riding 70-80 mph) wearing 400 gram insulated boots, and mid weight gloves and jacket!, heck at times I was sweating!(working hard ruiding builds a sweat for me)
but buddies with me were freezing wearing many heavier layers than me!
sop again, we all don't handle cold the same

but my thoughts on HOW to stay warm still work the same
its starting off dry, adding good layers of gear that breath and are known to HOLD in warmth!

many guys I know (even me) have found some of them reflective type gear to work well, they CLAIM they reflect body heat back at you, winch is OK for sitting, but I melt in it walking!(like stuff made by Arctic Shield, I have a bunch of there gear, parka, jacket, pants, boot blanket and hand muffs and maybe more I forget, I have a LOT of gear HAHA)

but IMO again, boot blankets over ANY good boot will help a bunch, or JUST boot blankets and good socks and some heat packets in there
since you KNOW your toes get cold first
you can also, try this, a good base layer sock, a heavy weight sock, add a heat pack to toes, then a another heavy weight sock, and in boot blankets
I think doing this will add a lot of time to your hunts before your toes get cold, just watch out, some heat packs can BURN your toes, you need a layer between them and toes!, and they NEED to be close to toes to work, just not TOO close

a Crazy old guy I know does this but he adds aluminum foil wraps his feet in it after the second pair of socks goes on, (heat pack added too), and says that traps ALL heat inside, but seems like work to me and well NO breathing of toes, might come out at end of day a size smaller LOL

but those are some suggestions from me on this, I know I have a LOT of time spent in extreme cold, so much to the point, I think its ruined me for warm weather
as anything above say 70 I find very uncomfortable any more, opposite issue than you maybe, only, I don;t know what else to take off at times to try and help ,without getting rather naked HAHA!
cold, I can always ADD layers, but heat, just cannot shed enough to find it comfortable, I live in AC in warm weather!

some extreme cold pac boots to try if you wish, first are TOP shelf boots, owned severaal of there brand over the yrs, all were GREAt boots but NOT cheap
https://schnees.com/extreme/

and some more run of the mill brand name but with proven good records and in the game a LONG time

https://www.scheels.com/p/mens-sorel...start=26&sz=24

but I think both of these will be heavy to walk in!
ONE advantage of pac boots with removable liners is, you can BUY extra liners, and carry in a DRY one and swap at stand, something you cannot really do on other types of boots!
assuring you , you are starting off with DRY boots on stand!(there also nice when on drop hunts and no other way to dry things, you can dry one and wear one)

or again, I have also just worn the liners inside boot blankets!
so food for thought!

Thanks again mrbb, Thanks for the information. I will be looking around. I like the Schnee Extremes and then I read a review that said his feet got cold after 3 hrs. and there may be reasons they did so. I don't know always that way with reviews. Like to know someone who has them and is a stand hunter wit feet that get cold easily prior to the boots.

the problem, again for you is, if your asking or thinking someone else will say GOOD or bad, your NOT goping to get any honest help that way
as what someone elses feet will handle in cold might again NOT be what your's will
I can sit for house in sneakers in 20 degree dasy, but doubt you will, and only difference is MY feet as to YOUR feet!, its NOT always the boot that matters
its how ONE person handles cold as to how you do!

and as you already stated, your more sensitive to cold than many others are(or IMO, no bad intentions meant just saying)
and that more sensitive to cold, might be from a LOT of things, from health reasons to just body type and where you LIVE
folks that live in warmer ALL yr pl;aces , tend to find cold harder to deal with, and vice versa
this is again why reviews never tell the story on how they will work for YOU, as to other's!
the schnee's I ,listed state good for non active temps to 20 , and the sorels claim OK to minus a 100, but I doubt that is in non active situations for long!
I might last 5 times longer in same boots as you will, due to I tolerate cold better than most due and again, its just like HOW one boot fits YOUR feet and how same boot might fit MY feet, ALL feet are not created the same, so, a general size and molding ONE company uses is Not going top work for ALL feet
and FIT is a BIG part of how well a boot works

sadly about all you can really do, is buy things based on materials and designs, and FIT to YOU, it sucks and can get costly, but its the nature of the beast!, and trust me I have spent an embarassing amount of $$ on hunting and cold weather gear over the yrs to p[rove this point, ain;'t NO magic item out thee I am aware of!

I again, would also suggest talking to a good foot DR, never know, might have something slowing blood flow or?? and its causing your toes to get cold sooner than needed, this again can happen from fitment issue's putting pressure on veins and slowing blood even slightly can make them get old faster!
same can be said if you have any heart issue's,a s its your heart that cycles the warm blood to toes and there the farthest away from the heart, thus why they get cold fastest, is any heart issue
s that will make blood flow slower or weaker and thus, cold toes faster!
same with many med's we use that THIN blood or thicken it, never under estimate health issue when you get CLOD faster or slower!
a heater body suit type clothing might really benefit you too over just new boots, as it will help keep your core warmer longer ans that will allow for warmer blood to be flowing to ALL things!

I have always been cold natured. I have a BHS and it is marginally effective and I do have good clothes. I really like the Minus 33 stuff. I can't say for sure about circulation but I went to one of those LifeScreening things all they said all is well as did the Dr. who reattached my Achilles in Dec. 2019. So I just do not know quess I will just keep on keeping on. Thanks for your time.