[denali1322]

So going on Middle Fork trip and my wife has issues on colder water trips keeping her feet warm. She has a dry top and pants, but the pants don't cover her feet so she wears neoprene booties, but those have not been warm enough on a cold rainy day. Without telling me to buy a new pair of dry pants that cover her feet, what are suggestions for what to put in her neoprene booties to better keep her feet warm - wool, polypro, another pair of neoprene socks?

 

[griz]

Tell her to harden the fuck up.

 

[powrider686]

Wool socks for sure. Poly pro won't help much when soaking wet.

 

[Conundrum]

Wool Seal Skins. Not a cheap pair of socks but will make YOUR trip a lot better.

 

[cmharris]

Not sure but . .

I have the same problem. It's a hard one with no good answer. You can try the pants over bogs if the cuff is large enough or see if some kind of gaiter set up will keep her feet dry. The key is keeping the feet dry all day.

 

[protechie]

Good wool socks, gaiters would be good if they work. Muck boots for any walking around to keep her feet as dry as possible when working around/in the water.

 

[theusualsuspect]

Seal skins

 

[briandburns]

I've found the NRS Boundary Sock under a neoprene bootie is a good way to go for what you're describing. The bootie needs to be a little oversized for a comfortable fit, though.

 

[Pine]

So going on Middle Fork trip and my wife has issues on colder water trips keeping her feet warm. She has a dry top and pants, but the pants don't cover her feet so she wears neoprene booties, but those have not been warm enough on a cold rainy day. Without telling me to buy a new pair of dry pants that cover her feet, what are suggestions for what to put in her neoprene booties to better keep her feet warm - wool, polypro, another pair of neoprene socks?

Alpenglow Sports in Boise has rental drysuits for a very reasonable price.



Alpenglow Idaho

 

[Andy H.]

Alpenglow Sports in Boise has rental drysuits for a very reasonable price.
Alpenglow Idaho

This ^^^ Drysuits are awesome and my wife's was a game changer for her.

Also, if the booties don't dry out overnight, you can do like the old log rollers used to do and pour warm water into them in the morning before she puts them on. I'd say hot water, but I'm not sure about heating up that neoprene glue too much...

Have a great trip!

-AH

 

[raymo]

"Crosspoint waterproof socks". Don't know much about them, I just ordered two pair. Advertised as waterproof and warm. I would try them at home for a few day's first though, before trusting them on the river.

 

[Treswright3]

If it’s sunny I sometimes prefer just sandals. Feet get wet in cold in a rapid but dry fast and warm up in the sun which is overall better than wet feet all day.

 

[MT4Runner]

Rent a drysuit with booties


Boundary boots/muck boots


Plenty of calories. A cold water trip is not the place to skimp on your metabolism. A good hot breakfast with plenty of carbs and fats will keep her much warmer than a granola bar.

Keep a thermos of tea/coffee in the boat. If her core is chilled, she will never warm her feet up. If her core is warm, she will do much better keeping her toesies warm.

 

[smhoeher]

My kids have used the HotHands toe warmers in their ski boots and seemed to work. Maybe an actual battery powered foot warmers I've seen in ski boot?

Ditto to MT4Runner's comment - Start off warm and keep your core warm, which includes wearing a good hat and gloves. How about a warm water bottle around her feet in her sleeping bag right before breaking camp? Good dry wool socks and several pairs she can change throughout the day.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Hot hands hand/foot warmers don’t work once they get soaked.

In my decade plus of rafting in cold weather and cold water, fleece socks (I prefer acorn brand) inside a neoprene bootie work the best for me.

My wife has the shin high boundary neoprene boots from NRS and really likes those.

You can also make the wife row. That’s probably the best way to stay warm

 

[sauth857]

I can't believe more people haven't mentioned Sealskinz! Waterproof socks and gloves. They were a game changer for my wife.

 

[cupido76]

I can't believe more people haven't mentioned Sealskinz! Waterproof socks and gloves. They were a game changer for my wife.

Tell me more.

Will water come in the top if you fully submerge?

 

[markfortcollins]

Depending on how big you want to go. Dry suit is definately a game changer and I agree with others... the key is DRY.... but the dry suit can still get chilly on the feet if they are submerged in water from time to time. Not to mention that a dry suit is Freakkkking expensive. If you dont use it enough, then it wont be worth it.

My wife has circulation issues and once her feet get cold it is game over. She has come up with a pretty good solution. She uses rain pants over her bogs with wool socks and those toe warmers inside. Mainly she is protected to about mid calf if she steps off the boat into water and safe from splashes while river running. Best alternative to a dry suit IMO. If your wife is needed to get off the boat and help with anything in deeper water it may not work.

Good luck! Warm wife = happy river life. Ha!

 

[cupido76]

Some friends I boat with use rain pants above regular rubber boots, and they carefully duct tape the shit out of the overlap, keeping the tape as flat as possible.

Decently submersible as long as you're not standing in water deeper than the overlap for too long.

At least that's cheap to try.

 

[jpurkiss]

Sealskinz are the way to go. We have our first MFS trip in late June and my girlfriend has the same issues so we bought some Sealskinz. She loves them. The pair she has is not 100% waterproof and water will get in them, but they have great insulation. I couldn't bring myself to pay $50 for socks but I found a pair of them on poshmark for $18 and yes, that might be why they leak.

JP