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How to Keep Your Feet Warm in Winter.Knowing how to keep your feet warm in winter can help prolong your time outside on the coldest days.
Ever notice how fingers and toes are the first unexposed body parts to get cold? This is caused by the reduction of blood flow to those extremities. When your overall body temperature drops, the innate physiological response of the body is to reduce blood flow to the arms, legs, etc. in order to keep the vital organs warm. Think of your core as the body’s heater.
As we tromp around the woods in the dead of winter to see what bucks have survived the season while also avoiding cabin fever, it’s important to think about keeping the body warm. Especially the feet. Knowing how to keep your feet warm in winter can help prolong your time outside on the coldest days.
Wear Quality Socks How to Keep Your Feet Warm in Winter
Wear the appropriate socks according to the season. Just as we’re privy to wearing ankle socks or no socks during the summer, the thicker wool variety in the winter will make a huge difference. A quality sock should do two things to keep your feet warm. First, think of it like a heavy jacket to trap in the heat your feet are putting out. Second, when the feet get a little too warm, these socks should wick the sweat away so that dampness down there doesn’t lead to blisters. For this reason we recommend a light liner sock. If your feet sweat the liner sock will push the moisture away from your feet and to the outer sock. If the moisture stays on your feet this is a typical way your feet get cold. The weight of the sock you use on top of the liner would depend on the type of hunting and conditions, but wool is always a good way to go.
Upgrade the Insoles
If you were to stand on a sheet of ice in a thin-soled shoe versus a heavy-soled boot, which would work better? The latter, every time. So while you can’t just replace the sole of your favorite hunting boot, consider upgrading the insoles. Some people who spend time in extremely cold conditions will even add two. The thicker you can find that will keep your feet comfortable and up off the cold ground, the better.
Start Warm
Most of the time, we begin our days in a warm cabin or house. Sure, there are those trips when waking up in a cold tent is the only option for pursuing remote animals. But considering there is a fireplace or heater at our disposal, use it to your advantage. Place your boots at a safe distance from the heat source right before going to bed. Starting the morning with warm boots means your feet won’t have to work as hard to achieve optimal warmth. At least for the first couple hours.
Keep Your Boots Dry
Keep your boots as dry as possible on both the inside and outside. This probably seems like a given though it can be much harder than you think. If you’re in the land of snow, consider a pair of gaiters that will keep moisture out in case you post hole. The icy feeling of snow running up your leg and down into your boot after stepping through is quite shocking to the system.
These Kuiu Yukon Gaiters keep water, snow, and debris out of your boots.
Avoiding a wet exterior is a bit more tricky. Extreme cold can play to your advantage sometimes because snow and frost don’t have the chance to melt. In other instances, when you do have to walk through slush to reach a stand or vantage point, consider getting up and moving as often as is reasonably possible. If your boots have liners you may want to remove them to make sure they are dry at the end of the day. Just the condensation that forms from going from the cold outside to a warm cabin can cause your boots to remain damp.
Keep Moving
This will help keep the blood flowing in the feet and toes. As we mentioned, the body is designed to heat the vital organs first when your temperature begins to drop. Getting some flex in the toes and feet will allow circulation to increase. This will cause your entire body to warm up and disperse heat faster. Plus, when you’re moving at a fast pace or uphill, you stop thinking about how cold you are.
Loosen the Laces
Say you’re sitting somewhere with a lot of wildlife activity and can’t very well get up and move. This is when loosening the laces can really become beneficial. By doing this you are accommodating your sock and insoles and giving your toes wiggle room. Oftentimes, we lace up our boots first thing in the morning as tight as they’ll go. While it may seem like a tightly laced boot will trap the heat, it also cuts off circulation. You’re far better off allowing blood to flow freely versus trapping in whatever warmth you captured from the furnace.
It’s a great feeling to return to the cabin after a long time outside to warm your feet by the fire. It’s a terrible feeling to sit outside for just an hour or two to have your feet and toes go totally numb from the cold. Hopefully these tips will help you find a balance of cold-weather comfort that will keep your feet warm throughout your winter outdoor experiences.
