sOcKs

“Hey kid-o's

Anyone know of some awesome warm socks?? I have feakishly cold feet and need some warm and toasty socks to keep my wittle toeseys warm. I've seen several options in the store but don't want to throw down $30 on socks unless I know they work!! I've put the hot hands in my socks too but was hoping there was a brand that actually works?

signed
cold toes in Tennessee”

“Are you looking for something for use in camp and or sleeping or are you looking for something for use while hiking?

For hiking what are you using now? You might try some of the thicker Smartwools.

For camp what about fleece socks or down or synthetic booties? I have an older pair of Sierra Designs Mutts (Down Socks) that I wear as camp shoes in the winter and sleep in them when need be.

REI Fleece Socks:
http://www.rei.com/product/728055

Integral Designs Hot Socks (Primaloft)
http://backcountrygear.com/catalog/appareldetail.cfm/ID4000

or if your feet get really cold:

Feathered Friends Down Booties
http://www.featheredfriends.com/Picasso/Bed.Acc/Down%20Booties.html”

“seirra designs has a nice pair of down booties, pretty solid bottom, I kick around camp with mine.

Down booties are the way to go, right Toph?”

“Here are mine, I finally found them:

http://www.prolitegear.com/sierra_designs_down_mutts.html”

“For hiking, my favorites are Thorlo and Wigwam. I bought my wife some down booties by Sierra Designs for sleeping and she loves 'em.

Yep, that's the same one's Mocs has.
last edited: 10/20/08 8:19:55 PM”

“Spam swears by the Walmart Hunting socks.. I use Swartwool and don't have a problem, however I may try out a pair of Spam's Walmart Special's...

'32oz”

“get sock liners. I have cold feet too. especially my toes...I typically use smartwool socks but my toes still get cold unless I use liners. With the liners, my toesies stay toasty...”

“i wear the target brand.”

“A note about the Hothands in socks, particularly if you are moving around. If your cold feet are caused by Reynaud's syndrom or peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) be very careful about using any kind of extra heat source. You can seriously burn your feet before you realize anything is wrong. I will use fleece booties for kicking around camp but I just go with well fitting socks in my boots. My wife, however, has Reynauds and she can't even go out in the cold for very long before her feet shut down. Socks don't help. Been there done that. Got the tee shirt, hat and tote bag.”

“I love Ingenious by wigwam, but they are hard to find, and may have been rebranded.”

“I do love my expedition weight smartwools. Toasty warm, even when damp.”

“My mother got me a pair of alpaca wool socks for Chistmas. They are like nuclear heaters.”

“Now that's what I'm talking about...lil nuclear heaters!!! And I love seeing all of you type the word booties!! Such a fun word! BOOTIES!! BOOTIES!!! BOOTIES!!!”

“SHAKE YOUR BOOTY.........

I like socks on the trail. I never get enough socks.”

“bargain basket in the shoe department of cabelas I personally don't even like the smartwools and most of the other expensive "high tech" brands out there I have always been just fine with the cheaper wool socks”

“I don't like liner socks. My feet are misserable in them when I'm hiking. I don't know why. My feet do better without them! I don't know what brand I have. I have diffrent ones. Maybe I need some of those booties though.”

“In my experience cold feet are often the fault of your boots. You need to be able to wiggle your toes in your boots with your socks on; some boots have toe boxes that are too tight for some feet. The best combination I have found are Ultimax polyester liner socks and Smartwool socks. I wear a size nine and have had problems with socks bunching up at the toes because they were just slightly too big. I now buy the 7 - 9 and, although they seemed a little tight at first they work fine.

Another trick is to wrap some electrician's tape roung your ankles to stop socks from bunching.

If your feet get cold in camp booties (see above) are fantastic. The trick is to buy some El Cheapo ensolite (blue) foam and cut two squares of about 2 ft. X 2 ft. one to sit on and one to put under your feet. That works even in winter up here in Canuckistan.

A winter camping adage is that if your feet are cold put on your hat. This is because your body will sacrifice heat to your feet before anything else when it begins to feel cold. In this case, while in camp or in your sleeping bag you need to pay attention to your whole body. A toque and gloves may make your feet much more comfortable.

Good luck.

doug”

“good advice, gremlin. thanks.

i've used the expedition weight rei smartwool knockoffs recently (as in, the last two years) and have been pretty happy with them. I'm not convinced they are as good as the real thing. i've used expedition smartwools until they've worn through and that's taken 10 years. the rei brand was just about 40% cheaper. i use the hiking smartwools in the summer with my lightweight hiking boots and have found them to be sufficient. i found the thorlos, when i used them for several days in a row, got pretty stiff and funky.

as you can tell, sock opinions are like, arseholes...”

“also if your cold, remember to pee”

“pee on your feet?”

“During deer hunting in 1970 (yup, not a typo) I was getting cold feet after a five + mile mountainous hike to my spot. My feet would sweat and then get cold when I was sitting.

I don't know how I got smart, but I removed my liner socks one day and voilà the problem was solved. More room meant better circulation and warm feet.

Doug”

“i carry a pair of socks to sleep in. put them on when i go to bed and put them back in the pack in the morning. solved my "cold feet" problem when i tried to sleep. i use polypro liner socks that are so thin that wearing them isn't taking that much space -but- what i find is key is unlacing my boots and taking my boots off at rest stops... let my socks dry even a little bit, then put the boots back on and re-lace them... so they fit my feet that have swollen as i hiked. otherwise the boot gets tight, circulation is bad, and that = cold feet when i rest. so for me the "magic trick" was just relacing my boots from time to time to compensate for swelling in my feet. just thought to add to your comments, doug. great tip.
last edited: 10/27/08 8:32:35 PM”

“Good advice, Yogisan.”

“On a follow up to Yogi's note.. If you are like me, and your feet sell up fast you can simply do this.

When I get to a lunch spot, I take my shoes and socks off, wash me feet and dry them good, then put on a dry pair of socks... I then put my shoes back on right away.. They may not dry as well this way, but at least my feet don't have time to swell..

This forces me to carry an extra pair as I like a clean dry pair to sleep in, but the little extra weight of a pair of socks is worth it.

'32oz
last edited: 10/28/08 8:58:57 AM”

“I wear the silver sock liners with Smartwool hiking socks. My feet have not been cold on the trail with these. The silver sock liners never give me blisters.

In camp, I have down booties which I sometimes sleep in, but I also carry very thick wool socks (Land's End) to sleep in too.”

“I never heard of these. Are they silver colored or some special fabric?”

“I think silver thread is used as a odour supressant. A friend of mine is working on a fabric using fibres from coconut husks for the same reason.”

“never heard of that either. silver would make sense as it's antibacterial. not sure about coconut husks.”

“That's it - anti-bacterial to kill the thingies that smell. The husks are 'carbonised' whatever that is.
last edited: 10/30/08 8:22:17 AM”

“i know patigonia was making undies with silver in the fabric for the same application. somehow i am thinking i am ok with stinking based on the prices i saw for the stuff.”