3 TOP Mistakes giving you COLD FEET!! + The Fixes!

Cold feet are one of the most common issues you'll face if you're an outdoor enthusiast. I've found there are a few misconceptions and mistakes to avoid or they could mistakenly make your feet colder! The best part is you can usually apply some of the systems covered in this video to optimize your existing boots to keep your feet from getting colder.
While the mistakes are common in general winter applications, they can especially be applied to Hiking, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing, Skiing, Snowmobiling, Backcountry Camping and most importantly, in prepping and survival scenarios.

The three types of systems I discuss in the video are:

1) The Two Sock Method - For regular boots without any liner.
2) The Liner Swap Method - For Pack boots and removable liner boots.
3) The Vapor Barrier Method - For completely waterproof boots.

Here's the gear that I personally use and can stand behind:
*Pack Boots*

*Modern Pack Boot Hybrid:*

*Leather Fall/Winter/Spring Boot (Great choice for hunting)*

If you are'nt doing activity where you'll sweat and want a modern style big insulated boot, make sure you still get one with a REMOVABLE LINER. The ones I recommend are these Baffin Boots!:
*Modern Heavy Duty Insulation + Removable Liner*

*Insoles and Socks*

Please note, I linked these all from amazon, I get a small affiliate commission when you click the links. It keeps the channel unsponsored and completely transparent and honest!!

OTHER GREAT VIDEOS !

His Video on Cold Weather Layering!

He Cuts 5 Winter Boots in Half to show how good they are!

No Sponsored Gear. All of it is my own which I've purchased years ago and thoroughly have used.
But if you'd like to support my channel via affiliate links, here are a few relevant ones of products I like:

DJ's Camping Gear List on Amazon

The Bear Essentials Handmade Gear:
00:00 Introduction
00:12 Mistake #1.
02:23 Mistake #2.
02:46 How to keep your feet warm with: A Leather Hiking Boot
04:45 How to keep your feet warm with: A Pack Boot.(Removable Liner)
06:23 How to keep your feet warm with: RUBBER BOOT
07:03 Vapour Barrier Method
07:50 Mistake #3
09:06 Bonus Tip!

[TheBearEssentials]

BRAND NEW Head To Toe COMPLETE Video on Keeping Warm in the Winter!

[ididntwantthischannel]

Glad to hear you mention wool socks. As a 365 cyclist, I would recommend using some type of oil to coat your feet, getting in between the toes. Cheap, reliable and easily applied. Plus you can use on any exposed skin. Then, pantihose. One of the cheapest, thinnest and most versatile insulation materials I've ever found. Then, of course the wool socks. Consider making wool insoles for your 2 sizes larger boots. Easy to make from shrunken wool sweaters. Finally, consider a pair of boot gaiters from a shrunken wool sweater. Just cut the arms off the sweater and wear inverted, e.g. the wrist becomes the top ribbing around the calf and the armsceye becomes a bell that protects the gap at the top of the boot and covers the tongue and laces preventing rain and snow from entering those spaces. Not complicated, cheap, diy coziness for your feets.

[jerrymoran]

Finally, some who understands basic heat transfer and ancillary effects. Merino wool socks Smart woof for decades . Last year woolrich made some we will see, both do not retain smell. For over 30 years I have been wearing French made rubber boots LE Chameau and AIGLE. Plain, leather lined, and neoprene. Often asked, don’t your feet sweat. Reply “ if your feet don’t sweat your going to die ( relieving heat ) You’re absolute about fit, however heel fit is paramount for wear and potentially forming blisters. I wear boots every day they last more than 5 to 10 years except soles at least 5 years. Hanging upside down to dry. Washing feet with snow and warming with body dryer size warmer before socks are damp. Reflective liner on bottom is a great way to keep moisture from bottom. A very thin wicking sock also works.
Living in the woods in log cabin for 22 years full time ( Michigan UP HURON MTS) reveals what is most effective. Baffin and Sorel make acceptable foot wear, but are bulky. A new light sport caught my attention, 1 size up. Another tip when not freezing, but snow with sun, I let my feet breathe with loosing the top cinch under my ski pants and that seems to reduce moisture in the socks. Your tips are spot on with carrying extra liners/ socks. Our back country skis ALTI have binding like snow board, and are troublesome with those bulky Caribou size Sorels. The body size hand warmers also keep your electronic equipment working in extreme cold. Appreciate your posting, very timely. Wear boots for week inside to gauge fit. Climb stairs as well to verify calf and ankle response when ascending or descending stairs. Bless you brother for you shared wisdom. TRJM 🦅🙏🍀✡️

[alieutier]

Adding a tip here given to me by a technical fabric expert: keep you legs well insulated!
We tend to not *feel* cold on our legs and because of that we don't really insulate them, but we actually lose quite a lot of heat through them, and cold legs will make your feet colder (the blood has to go through your cold legs to reach the feet). So even if you don't feel cold on your legs, make sure you have good insulation there, and that will help with cold feet.

[cindystucker]

Now that gentlemen is how it's done. No BS, no wasted time, no commercials and no begging or being TOLD to click, hit or smash buttons.👍

[CFEFABB]

damnman, that is really spot on! Tip from a medic friend with lots of nols and other outdoor experience. If you are in the field for many days at a time, allocate one pair of socks that you *never ever* remove from your tent. You put them on before bed, and remove them in the morning. The goal is your dry night socks (wool is best) remove the moisture from your feet and keep your feet from developing trench foot, you want to get your feet dry at night. You want those socks staying dry. I usually plan to change socks twice a day in the field, although I don’t usually use liner socks, and should probably start. That makes a lot of sense.

[FantasticOtto]

If your feet are cold, check your fit. If your boot is too tight and you’ve stuffed it with socks, it doesn’t matter how good your gear is, you will freeze. Lack of circulation in your foot and air for insulation around it is the number one reason for cold feet in arctic conditions.

[johnwright]

All your advice is really useful. Old soldiers who have served in cold climates usually give good advice for foot care. They recommend wearing leather boots in before going out in the field.

[moredac]

This is awesome. For us desert hikers, cotton socks may not be a good idea, but cotton shirts and bandanas can be a life saver for the exact same reason you never wear them in the cold. Just remember that deserts get cold overnight so bring a synthetic back up.

[RichardL-yzfm]

Tight TIGHT TIGHT information presentation. You could teach most Youtubers how to streamline their information. Big kudos to you!

[DangerousPancake]

I'm a service member who's Arctic qualified. Without a doubt, wool socks are an absolute necessity. Another thing to keep in mind is that your skin should also be clean. If you're gonna be out for that long, wipe your feet with baby wipes and then wipe them down again dry. Things like that make up the difference.

[donaldmcmillan]

Similar situation but work related. I live in the South and it rarely gets really cold down here but when I first went to work we had some really cold spells. I worked in a shipyard where I had to stand on metal all day and the metal was extremely cold. The ground was much warmer then standing on the cold steel. We tried all kinds of ways to keep our feet warm and one way was to put on a pair of socks then a plastic bag over it covered by another sock... I tried that and like you said my feet sweated and then exposed to the super cold metal the sweat would freeze around my feet! I found 2 things that helped me, first, wool socks as you mentioned really helped keep my feet warmer and then I found a sawed off piece of scaffold board that I claimed and guarded with my life for as long as I could that I would use when I had the opportunity to stand in one place while doing my job. The 4 inch thick board acted like an insulator to keep my feet off the deck allowing them a chance to warm up. I know this really has nothing to do with what you are talking about but cold feet is no joke. I was an electrician and had the chance to work dong hook up where I had to stand in one place throughout the day, and standing there with frozen feet was absolutely miserable and not being able to walk around to stimulate circulation... But discovering wool socks was the best thing that happened to me, before then I had only worn cotton socks. I wish I had known about them from the beginning!

[SiegHart]

I have no idea why youtube recommended you in my feed but I'm glad to know how to preserve my feet in snow even through I never get out

[alumniduck]

Here are a few tips I have learned through the years. 1) Dont let your boots freeze over night. Putting feet in frozen boots is a recipe for frost bite. Feet are not made to defrost boots. Keep those boots under your bag and keep them from freezing. A couple of hot water bottles can work to keep them warm over night and they will also drive some moisture out. 2) Vapor barriers work wonders. Liner sock, Vapor barrier, insulating sock, vapor barrier, boot. It is a hassle but the moisture is kept in the liner sock. the insulating sock stays dry. The liner socks also dry out faster than a thick insulating sock. Wool is great, but there are other materials that make great insulating socks. Just stay away from cotton. Make sure your foot system fits. If the boots are too small and tight, you are doing yourself no favors as you are hindering the flow of warm blood to your feet. Socks that are too small hinders blood flow too. I have seen frostbite because boot laces are too tight. 3) Keep the body core warm. If your core is freezing, your feet wont stand a chance. 4) when you are "standing around" on the snow, a small piece of closed cell foam to stand on makes a huge difference. 5) Dont ignore cold feet. Do something about them sooner than later. You need your feet to carry you home. While at camp make sure you get them dry and warm, air them out. Keeping them in wet socks leads to a colder foot, ie frostbite, and even what is called trench foot.

[larrycutting]

When I worked in the US Arctic many years ago, I learned to use a pac boot and needed a steel toe. Today they make a fiber toe that replaces the steel. The argument at the time, 70s, was it was more important to keep your feet warm with Bunny Boots than to worry about protecting from fracturing your toes.
I learned at the time to buy a pac boot one size larger than you normally would wear. They place a wool liner in the insole made of the same material the inner boot was made from. At night, change out the insole and the wool boot. Never had cold feet even when just standing around observing others at -50s with wind chills greater than -100.
All the rest of your suggestions with wool socks, etc. are wonderful ideas too!!

[natlee]

Thanks! You covered all the info for selecting winter boots and socks in 9 min and 34 sec than the last ten videos I viewed in two days. Thank You.

[MrDkgio]

So much good advice in one video, I’ve always stuck with leather boots, too large with thick wool socks, with spares to swap, I made insoles from tinfoil topped with wool blanket top layer.

Tested to the limit in Germany during the winter excercises, occasionally we would be out for 3-4 weeks in freezing weather, snow and rain. Dry sock rotation is key

[CraigBaughan-mghf]

Good advice: Pack boots, wool felt liner and heavy wool socks. Laced tall gaiters keep some water out during a stream crossing, or wear large plastic bags to the other side of the stream. Keep boots on when wading, and drain the boots and dry the socks as needed. Unlined boots retain less water. Start warm, stay warm, keeping the whole body warm will help the feet.

[philipburke]

I live in the UK and often hike in Scotland in winter where it can get very cold and very wet. I found the advice in this video an excellent resource; clear and very informative. Well done and thank you.
Phil

[nycrae]

Thank you for being so thorough. I don't weigh a lot so I run cold. I always have to manage what I wear and all ears for tips and tricks.