Cold Feet
 

Before I posted I did search around on this forum for some insight and I found nothing that really answered my question.

I have goretex lined boots, one pair has thinulate soles, I have tried thin socks, thick socks, cotton socks, wool socks, wool/cotton blend socks and my feet still get cold.

So how do you deal with cold feet?

Keep your feet and socks as dry as possible.
Rotate socks frequently (We carried another pair under our shirts to dry as one pair is worn).
Don't lace too tight. Let your blood circulate.
Wear Gators when possible to add more insulation to your boot tops and ankles.
Use the combination of two pairs of socks at a time (layer over feet is thin polypropylene while the outer layer is thicker wool).
Every hour or so check your feet while doing your sock-change to massage your feet and get more circulation moving.
Some guys like to use foot powder in combination to the tips above.

I'm sure other winter-warriors here have more advice than I.
Good luck.

Keep rucking!:D

Since every one has a pair of feet, you should get some good answers, but varied.

Keeping feet dry is critical. Rub your feet with powder and add a dash to your socks.

Change your socks.

Loosen the boots around your ankles to let blood circulate.

Flex your feet and toes.

If this fails , recite the following phrase to yourself,

" Discomfort is a state of mind."

;)

Sleep....
 

When I sleep I stay well over on my side of the bed.:D

Some people have cold feet and there just is no way around it.

Just a bit of advice. If you want to wear two pair of socks get a set of larger cold weather boots. Stuffing two pair of socks into your normal 1 sock pair will restrict the flow of blood in your feet.

If you are cheap like me (spare me the obvious come back) take the pair of Army issue socks and turn them insisd out and put them on. Now you have the smooth, comfortable side against your skin. Now take another pair of the same issue army socks and put them on without turning the inside out (Inside- in or Outside-out). Now you have the fuzzy parts together between the two socks and this gives you more insulating airspace and it wicks moisture away.
Or if you can find them buy the 100% wool thick yellow one in the PX. Turn those inside-out but only wear one pair. Just be sure to wash in cold and NEVER put in the dryer. You have to keep your boots loose (but not so you slide around in them). And you have to keep your boots dry, wet boots; nothing you can do in the cold. Your feet need to come out of the boots at least once per day and get a good airing and a dry and a massage (mention that you really love them alot -- they like that!)

What to do about cold feet.
 

As stated above many people have different levels of cold sensations. Many will give you info and some of it good. You will have to try what sounds weird because you've already tried what sounds good.
I've been in subzero weather a lot in 10th Group and found that a thin set of thinsulite inside a good wool sock seems to do the trick.
You can avoid the early morning cold boots by putting the two upper ends into each other and using the "U" shaped pair as a pillow. Your body heat is released into the boots all night long and are very warm first thing in the morning.
Bet bet is good circulation and dryness. Blitz

Wow! Did that bring back memories of Korea in the Winter (November 1 - March 31). Never having been in a place that cold, I got a chance for a nice sleep in the bag, on the pad. Realizing that I might have to get going, or might have to just go in the middle of the night, I put my boots within easy reach near my head (It worked great at Ft Benninng). The next morning I woke up and had to slip my tootsies into a pair of boots that was probably 10 below zero! I walked all morning trying to warm them up. And I don't think I ever did -- the boots became heat sinks! After that I used Blitzzz' technique only I laid them sole to sole under my knees ( but between the pad and the bag). I actually looked forward to putting them on in the morning! They were probably 80 degrees! This was in the days of the old chicken feather bags so I also learned to take off my field jacket, but keep the liner on, zip it up and wrap my feet in it. Then wrap up in a poncho liner then zip up the bag but first make sure the poncho was covering all of the bag. I remember waking up in the middle of a Team Spirit Recon one night, roasting and feeling squashed. It had snowed about a foot. Pick your spot in the lee of a paddy dike, too. Oh and wear a wool hat or you will burrow down in your sleep. That just got the bag wet from your breath.
Do you know a sure way to tell if it is -50 or colder? Spit freezes before it hits the ground. That's amusing for a few minutes! :eek:

Thanks for the replies, I was hoping there would be a few ideas on here from folks that truely have had to rough it.

The larger size boots crossed my mind as a means of having providing additional air space and the loosening makes sense in that regard as well. I like the idea of foot powder because it is a damp cold that is bothering me. I found out hunting this year Thinsulate insole make a difference for awhile. Might help to have some additional body fat as well...a rare comodity for me.

Another question I had was whether or not hydration has any bearing on the extremities and how they handle cold.

E. All the above.

Plus I use a wool cap over my head. Works for me.

AL

well, while we're in the cold.
 

Yes to wool hat at night. Also, and this may sound odd, but we used to carry a collapsable stool on our rucks (it slides between the rear of the ruck and the straps nicely. Why a stool? because it's much better than sitting in the snow. I used the stool when sleeping as a tunnel frame over my head. This formed a dead space and oddly,it kept cold air off of my head.

Also used to take and wrap my feet in a poncho liner and put them in a waterproof bag inside the sleeping bag...and very warm.
With regards to the sleeping with the boots under your head, one loses 50% of body heat through the head. Enjoy the cold, it falls under Paragraph 3 of a field order..
Out, Bllitzzz

Here is another good cold weather tip. Reschedule your bowel movements for the evening, most folks like to do it in the morning. You don't want to expend body heat keeping a big piece of waste warm overnight. You will sleep more comfortably. There was a great WWII movie I saw once, where the Germans snuck up on the Brits in the desert in the middle of the night. Everyone was ready just before dawn. The German Commander ordered his force to hold fire until the Brits went to "take the morning constiutional" then they let them have it! The attack did not take long. As for me, personally, that is not the way I want my body found. I try to be a "tea-time" guy!
Here is one I've read about but never tried. High altitude mountaineers take a hot water bottle and pee in it at night. Then hold the bottle between your feet, or where ever is coldest, I guess. The fluid will initially be almost 98.6 degrees. The technique might also make it so they don't have to get out of the bag to take care of that. I would imagine that when the liquid begins to get cool you could put it outside the bag, but I would not want it to freeze solid. Again, no personal experience.
As for the larger boot size don't try to get warmth at the expense of blisters. You can still walk on cold feet and be comfortable. Blistered AND cold feet, no thanks.

Ever since I started hunting when I was 10 I've had problems keeping my feet warm. Every other part of me stays toasty except my toes. My father wears the same socks and boots as me, and never has a problem, although his hands get cold and mine don't. Everyone is a little different. Here's what I did -

I took a pair of warm socks and sewed onto the top of the toe a pocket that stretched to the middle of my foot. Find some way to fasten the opening of the pocket, velcro or buttons have worked. Then get some of those "toe warmer" packs and slip them into the pocket. The "hand warmer types" don't work quite so well, they require more air than the toe warmers and therefore stop reacting if placed in the confines of a boot.

Hope this helps.

ATR

I moved to Southern California. :D

I used to use these:

Electric Socks

Pat

For hunting it's a great idea but if the problem is in a tactical environment, toe warmers can make things worse.
- It's one more thing that you'll have to pack in and pack out.
- They also can make your feet sweat. While the heater is working, it's not a bad thing but when the heater stops, it makes things worse.
- A bunched wad of sock is bad enough, but buttons will be serious hell on your feet while on a movement.

About those electric socks - they can go haywire! My father had battery powered ones that got too hot and burned him. He cut the wires, and no damage was permanent.

I was unsure whether or not the solution was under tactical constraints. My apologies.