Cold Toes

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XterraRob
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by XterraRob »

I wear a light pair of dress socks underneath my woolies to help wick moisture away from my feet and that helps.
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ltlFish99
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by ltlFish99 »

I think it is important to start the hike with warm boots. Not only are cold boots quite uncomfortable, they will drain your feet of heat to warm the boot which of course is not good.
in the beginning of my first winter of hiking peaks I frost nipped both small toes. This was on a cold December (-10 F) hike in a lot of snow, with snowshoes. No frostbite, but small toes were numb for a long time.

The next week I purchased some winter mountaineering boots and that solved the problem. I like using a thin liner under wool socks and last year upgraded my footwear relics to Nepal cubes and they are great.
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montanahiker
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by montanahiker »

I'm sure there are threads that talk about this but since we're already essentially on the topic: which boots to people recommend for winter hiking?
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by cougar »

Do the penguin dance to warm up and get blood flowing in your extremities.

https://youtu.be/uf0uKmKwnKs
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geg86
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by geg86 »

I have really bad raynauds (a circulatory issue) so my system may sound like overkill but it works well for me: I use battery powered heated socks inside gortex boots and I always wear gaiters. If I’m still cold, I’ll tape hand warmers (they work better than toe warmers for some reason) to the inside of my ankle (around the posterior tib area/pulse).
Teresa Gergen
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by Teresa Gergen »

Seems like I've seen a discussion about Raynaud's Syndrome on this forum before, but I can't seem to find one by searching now.

Google it, look at the images of fingers and toes that turn white, and if you think that's what you have, ask your doctor about Procardia (generic: nifedipine).

Raynaud's often gets worse as you age, or seems to comes on at some point in time, so it's possible for someone to have enjoyed time outdoors in the winter without issues and then develop them, or find that it's become more problematic and needs a better solution than it did before.

The standard 10mg dose of regular nifedipine can cause dizziness due to lowering your blood pressure, so if that happens, you might try the timed-release version instead.
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E_A_Marcus_949
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

cougar wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 5:31 pm Do the penguin dance to warm up and get blood flowing in your extremities.

https://youtu.be/uf0uKmKwnKs
Only if you sing the song too.


Edit: In all seriousness, though, I tend to get cold feet. Starting with warm boots is key. Toe-warmers are great too but, as stated earlier, must be warm before putting them in your shoes. Wiggle those toes nonstop if you start to feel any bit of cold!
Lioness
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by Lioness »

4thPlaceAtFieldDay wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 8:44 am A few things:

1. Did your feet get wet? I know you said you had warm boots, but when you took them off, were your socks wet? Obviously, make sure your boots are waterproof. Don't wear summer hiking boots in winter, go for a mountaineering boot. Did you have gaiters to prevents snow from getting in the top of your boots?
2. I usually wear two pairs of socks in winter (a liner and a wool sock). The liner won't help a lot with warmth, but every little bit helps.
3. Don't tie your boots TOO tight. This can limit circulation to your feet. You want boots tight enough where you won't get blisters, but don't suffocate your feet.
4. Stay hydrated. Dehydration causes the body to store energy and decrease circulation. This can make your hands and feet cold.
5. If you think you'll need toe warmers, you can put them in before you start hiking. That way you don't have to take your boots off once your feet are already cold. The only thing to be careful of is your feet sweating too much and getting wet. Don't put the foot warmer directly on your skin. I usually put it between my two layers of socks.
All good points. Boots can shrink a bit in the cold so you need to tie the loose at the start. I ball up my toes when I tie up the boots.

Also, you need to tie them in zones ... Use a sergeon knot at the instep.
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kingshimmers
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by kingshimmers »

Something else to think about... if you have too many layers of warm socks on, or if your thick warm socks cause your feet to fit too tightly in your boots, that can affect circulation as well and cause your feet to get cold. In some cases, a thinner sock with more room for your feet to move is better than jamming your boot full of a thick sock and reducing circulation in your foot. Counterintuitive.
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dreaming13000
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by dreaming13000 »

Lioness wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:42 am
4thPlaceAtFieldDay wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 8:44 am A few things:

1. Did your feet get wet? I know you said you had warm boots, but when you took them off, were your socks wet? Obviously, make sure your boots are waterproof. Don't wear summer hiking boots in winter, go for a mountaineering boot. Did you have gaiters to prevents snow from getting in the top of your boots?
2. I usually wear two pairs of socks in winter (a liner and a wool sock). The liner won't help a lot with warmth, but every little bit helps.
3. Don't tie your boots TOO tight. This can limit circulation to your feet. You want boots tight enough where you won't get blisters, but don't suffocate your feet.
4. Stay hydrated. Dehydration causes the body to store energy and decrease circulation. This can make your hands and feet cold.
5. If you think you'll need toe warmers, you can put them in before you start hiking. That way you don't have to take your boots off once your feet are already cold. The only thing to be careful of is your feet sweating too much and getting wet. Don't put the foot warmer directly on your skin. I usually put it between my two layers of socks.
All good points. Boots can shrink a bit in the cold so you need to tie the loose at the start. I ball up my toes when I tie up the boots.

Also, you need to tie them in zones ... Use a sergeon knot at the instep.

Do you use 2 sets of laces ? I want to know more about this please???
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wushock316
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by wushock316 »

What helped me the most, outside of better gear, is taking a N.O.(Nitric Oxide) booster during training workouts. Helps promote vascularity... blood flow in body.
**I am not a Dr. Just seemed to work well for me. Lol
Lioness
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Re: Cold Toes

Post by Lioness »

dreaming13000 wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 8:56 pm
Lioness wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:42 am
4thPlaceAtFieldDay wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 8:44 am A few things:

1. Did your feet get wet? I know you said you had warm boots, but when you took them off, were your socks wet? Obviously, make sure your boots are waterproof. Don't wear summer hiking boots in winter, go for a mountaineering boot. Did you have gaiters to prevents snow from getting in the top of your boots?
2. I usually wear two pairs of socks in winter (a liner and a wool sock). The liner won't help a lot with warmth, but every little bit helps.
3. Don't tie your boots TOO tight. This can limit circulation to your feet. You want boots tight enough where you won't get blisters, but don't suffocate your feet.
4. Stay hydrated. Dehydration causes the body to store energy and decrease circulation. This can make your hands and feet cold.
5. If you think you'll need toe warmers, you can put them in before you start hiking. That way you don't have to take your boots off once your feet are already cold. The only thing to be careful of is your feet sweating too much and getting wet. Don't put the foot warmer directly on your skin. I usually put it between my two layers of socks.
All good points. Boots can shrink a bit in the cold so you need to tie the loose at the start. I ball up my toes when I tie up the boots.

Also, you need to tie them in zones ... Use a sergeon knot at the instep.

Do you use 2 sets of laces ? I want to know more about this please???
https://blog.tatonka.com/en/how-to-lace-hiking-boots/
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