I am trying to get everyone's opinions on what is a good insulation weight to go with in boots. I am from Georgia and it doesn't really get cold here until towards the end of the season. When it begins to get cold I wear a thicker sock but after 3 to 4 hours on stand my feet tend to get cold and once they get cold everything else seems to follow. I am wanting to get a good boot with good insulation 600 gram, 800 gram, etc. so I was trying to get some advise on what would be a good range to go with ? Thanks in advance for everyone's help !
I live in NC and 400g is usually enough for all but the coldest days. Your problem may not be your boots... I'd suggest taking a look at all of your base and insulating layers (the merino stuff was a key add to my gear), especially your head covering. Once your core body temp starts dropping you really notice it in your hands and feet first.
This^^^^ I used to have the same problem but once I got a good merino base layer with some good merino socks just could go from being cold and getting out of the stand at 10 to sitting all day because I'm comfortable.
Or it could be your boots-just not the insulation. How tight are they on your feet? If they are tight and you were a thicker sock, it becomes even tighter. How tight do you lace them up? You could be cutting off circulation and that will cause cold feet regardless the insulation value. One last thing to consider: do you have sweaty/stinky feet in tennis/running style shoes? If so, that will be a problem in hunting boots. If this is the case, there are many remedies that you will find on the interweb.
I have two sets of boots, first pair has no insulation that I start with, as it starts to cool, I will add a thin liner sock and Wool. Those will get me until the temp gets around 25. As it continues to get colder, I move to my other boots that are 800gr, and those with Wool socks will get me through almost any temp I will be hunting in. Also as stated above, make sure your boot are lose enough, when you try them take a set of wool socks with you. You can always cinch the boots tighter when not wearing heavy socks.
I've got some 600 gr boots that with good socks keep my feet nice and warm on days that don't get too crazy cold.
It's all in your imagination. Just keep telling yourself "I'm a bowhunter, I don't get cold" and you'll be fine. Seriously though, I really like Muck boots. I don't know what kind of insulation rating they have but I like the job they do protecting my feet from Nebraska winter.
my problem is the sweat, if I wear my boots and heavy socks on the drive to my area, my feet sweat and will get cold, even in moderate cold temps. my solution was to wear thin socks & sneakers for the drive and not put boots/socks on until I get ready to leave my truck, then remove my boots once I climb to allow any moisture to dissipate for 10 minutes or so, then re-boot. back into the sneakers for the drive home this also allows my boots to only walk in the woods, no foriegn scent on my boots.
This is the only way I can keep my feet warm and I have tried every combination except the thermo cell liners. Typical sock you would run in. Muck Woody Max 1 to 2 sizes to big. Arctic Shield boot blankets. If really cold a chemical hand warmer in the boot and one in the arctic shield. Get some big band aides for your heels. With the boots being over sized they will slip and wear blisters on the back of your heels. I'm sure there is a easier way just what works for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I used to wear muck boots, and they were great. But I switched to lacrosse aeroheads because it seemed on long cold hunts, (lower 30s or colder) the rubber of the muck boot soles soaked up the cold from the platform. I have less of an issue with the aeroheads.
I just use 400 grain lace ups until it gets closer to teens out then i use muck boot and then arctics for when it gets to be in the negative temps
I might be late but just to add, You might want to consider checking other Winter Jacket as I found mine at https://www.footweartop.com/best-insoles/ (link is external). You'll also get best tips on how to and what Foundation to buy. Good luck on choosing!
My feet sweat easily and I've always had a problem with cold feet in the stand. I don't like to use heavily insulated boots because by the time I get to my stand my socks are so soaked it never fails that I'm cold a couple hours later. Me and my buddy were using the Arctic Shield boot covers for several years. They work very well and allowed me to use a lighter insulated boot to keep from sweating. If it was really cold I would just throw a hand warmer in them which helped. Last year I upgraded to the Thermacell Pro Flex heated insoles, wireless version with the little remote to control and removable batteries. Couldn't be happier with them. Very comfortable to walk on, I never felt the removable battery. I liked them so much that I upgraded again to the Pro Flex Heavy Duty version. They have an additional couple hours of battery life over the regular version and use Bluetooth on an app on your phone instead of the wireless remote. One concern I had with the previous version was always worrying about losing the little remote which would mean you're out of luck. I bought them at the end of the season on sale and haven't been able to use them yet but based on the previous version I would highly recommend them if cold feet are a big issue for you. A little pricey but worth their weight in gold when you're feet are nice and warm 4 hours into your sit.
