Advice To Keep Feet Warm In Waders

[Chris350]

In the Bow for about 5 hours today and froze my feet. Any suggestions? I'm wearing Gore-Tex with some pretty hefty wool socks and good fitting boots.

 

- Battery heated socks? any good brands? do they work?

- Shove some hand warmers in my socks?

- Man up?

[ÜberFly]

In Fall, Winter and Spring I wear a liner sock, thin wool ski sock and thicker wool sock. Boots are snug but warm...

[SilverDoctor]

Thin sock inside with wool outside. Works for me

[FlyFishingEMT]

I find if I keep my boots a little looser than usual it helps quite a bit. I also wear wool socks.

[Paula]

I also found that a just a good pair of moisture wicking socks and a thick pair of very wooly socks works the best for me. If my boots are to tight then my feet get much colder much sooner! I have tried foot warmers but unfortunately they don't work, you need circulating air to heat them up.

[DonAndersen]

Chris,

 

Turf the wading gear of summer and get yourself some old fashioned boot foot waders sized for about 3 sock worth.

You will never have cold feet again.

Mind you, there is a price to be paid for comfort. You may not be asked to be a poster boy for Sage//Redington/TFO and the like.

My old and much used rubber boot foot waders have never let me down. Mine are industrial waders bought for $120 from Acklands. Heck, they even have steel toes.

 

 

Don

[RunnyD]

http://www.marks.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/marks-marksdefaultsalescatalog/mens-t-max-heat-socks---%28marl%29--29500

 

Best socks I've found for winter wading. These and a pair of fleece lined jeans and you're g' ta go. And the suggestion to keep your boots loose helps too.

[Hawgstoppah]

One suggestion that may help, try to find a place you can fling a few casts from shore for a while.... and mix that in with wading in your "run" that you want to fish... each time you even start feeling a bit cold step out, walk around get that blood flowing... flick some casts off shore or just walk about a bit warm up and take a look away from the river and take it all in, some great sights to see along the river if we take the time to enjoy them

[Flyfisher]

One suggestion that may help, try to find a place you can fling a few casts from shore for a while.... and mix that in with wading in your "run" that you want to fish... each time you even start feeling a bit cold step out, walk around get that blood flowing... flick some casts off shore or just walk about a bit warm up and take a look away from the river and take it all in, some great sights to see along the river if we take the time to enjoy them

 

Good suggestion and the only thing that really helps, no matter what socks used and loose fitting boots. I've always been prone to cold feet and hands. You gotta move...

[DonAndersen]

Folks,

 

Forget the wading boots and all that stuff. You need room in your waders for insulation. If your boots are comfortable with street socks in the summer, adding a layer of more socks in the winter compresses blood flow and you get even colder.

 

But I like the advice of what to do when you get cold.

 

1] Walk up and down briskly

2] Jump up and down [ this one may get you hauled away]

3] Stand in shallower water

4] How about a decent fire - that will keep the ajoining landowners pissed off.

 

I suspect it would be just plain easier to get decent fitting footware.

 

Got a kick outta a young guy last spring @ one of the local shops. Went in there to get some breathable waders. Told him I was looking for waders in stout or maybe just plain fat sizes as these waders were to be used in my pontoon boating while sitting in weather conditions that required 3 layers of fleece + 4 pairs of socks. Well, he drags out a "boys of summer" wader that made me suddenly slimmer. So, I put on my 4 pair of socks and my 3 fleeces. Took about 5 minutes to pull the waders up and then I waddled over to a seat and attempted to sit down. Ya' right!. So we started to peel the waders off, Things went OK will we got to the foot part. Now those socks weren't about to part with those neoprene feet. Thank God he was stubborn otherwsie I might have been buried in those things. He finally admitted that they had no stout waders in size 14+ feet. I went elsewhere.

[SilverDoctor]

Scotch

[Toirtis]

I bought a pair of 'limetime' socks from BassPro.....most comfortable socks ever, and my feet were comfy and warm after hours in the Bow this past weekend. Socks are about $15, and have a lifetime warranty....I am hooked.

[SilverDoctor]

I bought a pair of 'limetime' socks from BassPro.....most comfortable socks ever, and my feet were comfy and warm after hours in the Bow this past weekend. Socks are about $15, and have a lifetime warranty....I am hooked.

Thanks might give thos a try

[Toirtis]

Of course, that should have read 'lifetime', rather than 'limetime'.

 

These things: http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Lifetime-Guarantee-All-Purpose-Socks-for-Men/product/34713/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

[fishpro]

I bought a pair of 'limetime' socks from BassPro.....most comfortable socks ever, and my feet were comfy and warm after hours in the Bow this past weekend. Socks are about $15, and have a lifetime warranty....I am hooked.

 

I'll second that recommendation, extremely good socks, very warm and comfortable.

[Sean84]

Scotch

Agreed, That falls under number three "Man Up"

[angler]

I use these in ski boots. TOASTY. Haven't tried in waders yet.

Another option is toe warmers, like handwarmwers. There are also full foot warmers. Check a ski shop.

[scel]

To keep your feet warm, you need to keep your entire leg warm. If the blood cools down too much on the drive down to your feet, it will be very hard to keep your foot warm through metabolic activity.

 

Silk long johns, plus either fleece or jeans works best for me for leg warmth.

 

For the actual feet, you need at least 2 pairs of socks. Sock liners are nice. truthfully, a pair of dress socks actually serve as great sock liners. Then a full pair of wool/thermal socks. You will want the wool socks to come up over the top of your boots, if possible.

 

Blood movement in the venous system (i.e. the return to the body core) requires muscle movement. So your feet need to be able to move around. If your boots are too snug, it will prevent the micro-movements for blood return.

 

If your feet are already cold, get out of the water (water has such a high heat capacity that it will be almost impossible to warm up in the water). You can warm them up quite quickly by engaging the big thigh and buttock muscles (as aforementioned, it is muscle movement that helps drive venous return). If you have the room, 10 burpees will usually warm up everything. Otherwise 10 squats will usually get enough blood flowing to start your feet warming up.

 

Although, not critical like the above things, bring all your gear inside for an hour before you go out. I keep my gear my waders and boots in the garage (something about smelling bad, and always making a mess). I just find the whole winter fishing more pleasant when I start out warm. Sticking your feet into cold boots and waders probably has a negligible effect on overall warmth, but I *feel* it makes a difference.

[jfid]

I'd have to agree with the others on the redhead lifetime socks from basspro. I have used these socks up north in -40 temps and they work perfect. also cant go wrong with a lifetime warranty!

[Chris350]

Thanks for the responses all. I'll give some of these suggestions a try. With 15 cm of snow coming to the Calgay area today, it might be a good shopping day.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

I noticed no one mentioned the importance of foot dryness - wool and some sythetics are great because they will still insulate when wet. That said...

 

Be aware of your situation on the hike in - if you wade in, and your feet/socks are already damp or outright wet from sweating from the approach your almost certainly going to have cold feet all day (can be a real problem with heated socks) - I make it a point to haul my gear if I am going more than a click or two, or a few, depending on conditions, up a trailhead, and then change my socks bankside (Typically I will do this on lakes, especialy if using the belly boat, especially since most lakes around here are accessed after an uphill hike) A good example is Smith Lake, it is only a 1.2 km hike in, so most folks wader-up at the trailhead, but the whole route in is a fairly steep uphill and most folks, despite fitness level will be pretty sweaty by the time they get to the lake if wearing waders, especially with a belly boat on your pack - You'll notice most skiers wear a very thin sock as opposed to a thick woolly, this is to prevent sweating and ensure a good comfortable boot fit that does not inhibit circulation. Problem with sweating is it is very hard to notice as it is fairly comfortable until you go in the water. I find the same principle applies if you are wadering up at the house and driving somewhere fairly close by - cranking the heat isn't the best idea if you want to stay warm once your fishing.

 

Moisture wicking fabrics generally work well if you anticipate light sweating, but if you can deal with the discomfort a scratchy pure wool sock is best for wicking moisture, and it leaves a better airspace next to your skin, which is the best insulater.Just not particularly comfortable compared to the sythetics available these days. I use the thin merino wool socks for walk and wade and the thick ones if floating.

[SilverDoctor]

Although we all carry lots of fishing items in our vests and packs, I have always carried an extra pair of warm sox, nothing like pulling on a fresh warm pair half way through the day. Hot coffee or Tea also does wonders if nothing else to warm the spirit.