damncold feet...ice breakers

[rangerod]

I have had trouble with cold feet my whole life. Once they're cold I'm done for. I've used the boot blankets and they work great if I put em on before the cold sets in.

 

[Brayhaven]

I found the ultimate solution. As I get older, my lifelong cold feet problems have gotten worse. The problem is that I sometimes stand hunt and other times still hunt. Things that keep you warm on a stand make you sweat when walking.
I guided an outdoor writer’s turkey hunt a few years back. One of the sponsors was Thermacell. They gave us a pair of their Bluetooth insoles. They have rechargeable lithium batteries and are controlled with an app on your phone. They work great. Last yr was up a tree in a climber in TN at 18 deg. Feet got cold after an hour. Pulled out the phone and turned up the heat. In 3 minutes feet were toasty. When I go walking, I turn them down or off.

 

[Smyrnagc]

I used to have the same problem...Toastie Toes are amazing!

 

[slowwalker]

Thermacell all the way!....kind of expensive...but worth it!

 

[Silenus]

I feel your pain. Cold feet is one of the things that will force me out of my stand early. Cold anything else I can muscle through it seems like, but once my feet are cold, it's over.

I have a pair of the Arctic Shield boot blankets, and they seem to work well provided you put them on BEFORE your feet start feeling cold. If you wait for your feet to start getting cold to put them on, they don't help much.

I also have an IWOM XT that I use when the weather gets below 35 or so.

Depending on the weather, I use the adhesive toe warmers (placed on the top of the foot on the outermost sock), a "kidney belt" that holds hand warmers at my kidneys, a large handwarmer in the "kangaroo pouch" of my hoodie, and the aforementioned IWOM and boot blankets. The kidney belt helps a ton in ensuring core temperature stays up. Unless the temperature is sub zero, I'm walking in wearing only a hoodie and pants, and then donning the IWOM and boot blankets in stand. If it is sub zero, I'll add a thermal base layer and maybe even go with a fleece jacket.

 

[Squeeze]

Ive tried them overboots they work OK..but they are huge and noisy. I did the heat pack in the boot for for years and swore by it. also the socks you wear matter a lot. Start with a light silkish under layer, no cotton against the skin. A few years back I bought an IWOM oversuit (its like a sleeping bag bottom and a jacket top) now when it gets cold, thats my new go to its really well thought out with pockets and such everywhere, seems thin but it wonderfull. I walk in light, with a portable stand and the suit strapped to it, set up the stand, and put the top half on with the bottom pulled up (theres a belt that holds it around your waist) climb, then drop the bottom and zip at the feet. theres a slit in the back where the climbing harness strap comes through. I can definitely sit longer with that thing than anything else ive tried. short of a heater.

 

[ShawnT]

Squeeze, Where did you get this IWOM?

Jim Shockey used to advertise for some "Suit" that was basically a sleeping bag that had legs and arms sewn in. I was thinking of making a set of the Ice Breakers from an old down coat.

Thanks,

 

[user 21248]

When i am in my deer blind/stand. I climb into a old cloth sleeping bag waist-chest high because it is silent. That gives me a couple more hours depending on the temp.

 

[twild]

What I've been doing the last 5 or 6 years. Basspro has a sock with a pocket over the toes and it's not a heavy thick sock by any means. I put a ToastyToe in the pocket and a disposable insole made by the same company under my foot. I've nrver had cold feet doing this and with the socks being kind of thin it really doesn't take up a lot of extra space in your boots and really no extra weight. It really is a great inexpensive way to keep your tootsies warm.

 

[ShawnT]

I have bought those chemical hand warmers, insole type foot warmers and the Toe warmers. I like the Hot Hands the best for Hand warmers and never had an issue with those, love them. On the other hand for some strange reason I have never had the foot and toes warmers work for me, they never heat up for me. Beats me why. They sell the dickens out of them so they must work for most.

 

[rangerod]

The foot and toe warmers don't work as well because they don't have air supply like the hand warmers do.

 

[SteveH]

I only buy the foot-warmers. Rangerod is likely correct about regarding air supply but also, and if your boots are tight already, they are less effective. My stand boots are neoprene pull-ons with a big toe box and I can really feel the heat when I use foot-warmers. When it's really cold and I am sitting a long time, it may seem like they are not working but without them, my toes get painfully cold.

Where foot-warmers really shine is when used on the upper body. Put a couple on your chest with the sticky stuff - not bare skin, but on your base layer - and you can really feel the difference during a long sit. Better yet, I learned to put them on my back right over the kidney areas. They warm up you blood and your whole body benefits. I go through a box a season.

 

[ShawnT]

the packets on the foot warmers tell you there are made for more confined areas like Shoes and boots. I have opened some and put them in my pockets and still nothing. Guess I just got bad ones. Last November/December I actually put handwarmers I took out of my pockets that were really warm and put those all the way into the toes of my boots and that worked for me.

 

[SteveH]

The ones I picked up at Costco are called Little Hotties Adhesive Toe Warmers, 5+ hours. They cook. I never considered whether there is any difference in the toe verses hand warmers other than the adhesive and perhaps size but I could be wrong. Occasionally I have had a dud in both types but I just figured they were old and some air must have got into the packet.

 

[ShawnT]

Don't really know why they don't seem to work for me Followed the instructions and tried several times. I know other guys that like them too. Beats me. I tried the Grabber brand about 2 years ago. Bought a big combo pack that had the hand and toes warmers in it. Nothing worked in that pack. I got to digging down in the larger duffel I carry my hunting clothes and found a few of my old HotHands hand warmers that were 3 or 4 years old and they worked perfectly. I swear by their hand warmers, just can't figure out the Toe warmers issue with me.

I remember watching a Real Tree Outdoors show once and the Hunter was David Blanton and he was Deer hunting in Saskatchewan. He said that he found that if he took a couple hand warmers and dropped them into the Boot Blankets then took of his boots off and put his feet in the Boot Blankets, when at the stand, they stayed warm the entire hunt. Just before leaving the stand he would drop those handwarmers into the boots to warm them up before putting them back on. Has anyone ever tried that?

 

[twild]

I think it is they are designed for less air. I've put the foot warmers in my pocket where they aren't designed for and they really get to cooking much moreso than the hand ones.

 

[Highoctane]

Ive got a pair of the Artic Shield boot covers. They work fairly well for me. They seem to work better with boots that have minimal insulation. Put them over your boots once you get to your stand. Once your feet start getting cold, it's too late....

 

[ourway77]

At 81 I have a permit to hunt from a car I just turn the heater on LOL