Can boots be too warm?

[BRL]

I hunt in Florida in various temps. Usual overnight low (during hunting season) can get as cold as upper 20's and as warm as upper 40's. Two seasons ago (I didn't get a chance to hunt this past season) I had an older pair of uninsulated, leather boots that I hunted in over Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was damp and overnight low was around 32 - 34. My feet froze after I got into the stand.

So, I bought a pair of Irish Setter boots with 800 gram ins. last year with a Bass Pro gift card that I had. Now I'm thinking I made a bad decision. I bought them mainly because they were the most comfortable that I tried on and are waterproof.

I probably would only wear these boots with one light pair of socks and that's it. What am I in for if I wear these boots all day in stand? Can it be just as uncomfortable to have hot feet as it is to have cold feet? IS 800 gram too much or will it be fine with light socks?

Any thoughts? Thanks!!

[rdmallory]

If you are not walking you should be OK.  My issue comes in when I wear boots that are too warm when I start walking my feet sweat. Then when I stop they are gold because they are wet.



Doug

[bulletstuffer]

I have several pairs of boots and use the pair that best fits the weather at the time.  In cold weather I always go with the warmer boots as it is more comfortable to have your feet a little warm than cold.  I even wear boot blankets when sitting on stand when it's single digits or colder with 1000 gram boots. That has been my experience and finally feel like I figured something out after all those years

Good luck,

Bulletstuffer

I agree with rdmallory too

[BRL]

Thank you for the posts so far.

[spruce]

I agree you should be okay with those boots and light socks as long as you're not doing much walking.

Personally, in the temps you're talking about I would probably choose a 200 gram or maybe a 400 gram boot and then vary my socks to match warmer or colder temps.

Our deer season temps run anywhere from below zero to upper 50's.  I wear 600 gram boots, polypro liner socks, and either midweight or heavy wool socks depending on expected temps.  I also use the chemical toe warmers that stick on the outside of your socks in the really cold temps.

One very important point is to buy boots that are large enough to accommodate the heavy socks and not be tight on your feet (and don't lace them too tight!).  Boots that fit tight are guaranteed to cause cold feet.

[BRL]

Thanks for the info. Good tip about not tying too tightly. Something that is easily understood but also something I wouldn't have thought about when putting them on.

[Savage .250]

To hot....To cold is a relative term to some folks.   I live in Fl as well and see no need for any type of insulated boot, but that`s just me.   

[dks7895]

I would recommend a moisture wicking sock.  Your feet will be warm, but they will sweat.  The moisture wicking sock will draw the sweat away from the foot.  Without them you may get blisters.  I hunt in Missouri and have 400 gram Irish Setters.  I wear a moisture wicking under sock and a wool sock on top of that during the winter months (20-30 degrees).  When the weather is in the 40-50 range I don't use the wool sock.  Works for me.  If it drops in the single digit range... I stay home.   

[charles p]

You can get a boot that is too heavy.  Some pac boots are very heavy and amost impossible to walk in.

Muck boots can cause your feet to prespire a lot if you have to do much walking.  They are "too warm" for walking a long way then sitting still on a stand.

[mechanic]

A tip you might want to try.  Get a can of UNSCENTED spray antiperspirant, and spray your feet well before putting your socks on.  When your feet sweat, they are going to get cold when sitting.

This little tip has worked well for me after someone told me about it.  I live in GA. and the only  time I wear insulated boots is when the temps get into the teens.  I have a pair of Rocky 16" boots I wear for everything else, with no cold feet.

Ben

[Empty Quiver]

I ice fish in 800g Danners, they will go down to about -10 for a couple hours easy. Honestly your feet won't go over 98.6, but they will be sweating and with all that insulation, Goretex or not, getting rid of the moisture will be a problem. The worse problem as I see it is the physical bulk you are carrying around, that will be what you are going to learn to hate.

I understand that a body gets used to a climate and adapts. I would look into about 200g and wear some Merino wool socks if it gets down under 40 degrees. This would be comparable to a blanket lined Carhart coat. 400g would be comparable to a red quilted Carhart coat, and 800 would be the black arctic quilted carhart coat. I hope that will give you some idea which way to go.

 Moisture management is the key to warm feet. Stuff the inside of those boots with news paper after the hunt and change out before bed. By morning they will be much dryer than if left to there own devices.

[BRL]

Wow, some great tips here. I wouldn't have thought of those on my own. Thank you!!

[SHOOTALL]

sorry didn't read all, some feet just sweat and then get cold . Socks are as important as boots in this case. I like boots that let air circulate around the foot. I wore lace up boots for years but now its more pull on type boots , less sweat and drier feet. I seldom wear insulated boots unless its below 32 and I will be in it for hours .

[Dand]

My feet sweat a lot.  I hunt in real cold at times but I've found these newer goretex / dry plus / whatever new insulated boots do help wick off moisture. I also like really long over the calf liner socks, and then a heavier wool sock.  For years my liner sock were some thin wool socks I got from Vermont Country Store that they called Mounty Socks - love them but they are wearing out. Lately I've been using some Cabela's 17" Ultimax® Lifetime Liner Socks that are working very well.  This winter in very cold weather (somewhere around -20F to -45F)  I finally tried those disposable toe warmers by Grabber - THEY WORK!  And for quite a while - I was out for 6-7 hours per day and they felt warm the whole time.  I was wearing Bunny boots (Mickey Mouse) that don't breathe so some times my feet were a bit damp.  I carried extra socks and would go to the truck and switch. Don't know if switching socks would work if you are trying to keep scent down near a hunting stand.