I run snowmelt in my self-bailing packraft every spring and to keep my feet warm and well protected, I wear Argos 4mm neoprene socks and adidas hydrolace shoes. My feet stay warm in the bottoms of my boat with water constantly flushing around them.

Argos 4mm High Top Booties

Argos wetsuit booties are the pinnacle of spearfishing and freediving booties. Attention to detail and engineered for endurance, stability and longevity. Argos wetsuit booties are constructed of vigorously tested materials that withstand the elements no matter where your adventures take you.

www.lostwinds.com

These are the best neoprene socks made. I’ve had a couple pairs of them over the last 10 years and have done miles of hiking , boating, and canyoneering in all conditions in them. I’ll never buy any other neoprene sock.

I also own the low cut 2mm version which I also love for warmer conditions and different shoes.

As far as gloves go, I’m still searching. I had a pair of Stohlquist gloves that were incredibly warm, comfortable, and ergonomic. The problem was that they weren’t very durable and the seams came apart at the finger tips

Fortunately, I’m blessed with very good peripheral circulation and can usually get by with minimal handwear. I’m

 

This winter I've been using knee high seal skinz socks sea kayaking the desert lakes of the Colorado River. I look forward to hearing other possible solutions.

 

@GeoRon have you used their gloves by chance? I have a pair of their mid length socks which are waterproof and not true neoprene. The gloves look intriguing, and also pricey!

 

Yes, I have heavier seal skinz gloves and have used them for mtn biking and truly cold nordic sking. They are pricey. I liked them for nordic so much that I suggested to Danny(US rep at the time) a dedicated nordic glove but we lost track of the idea.

 

I don't really have a recommendation for gloves as I rarely wear them, I guess I don't really have a recommendation to stay warm with wet feet either. But if you're looking for the warmest solution I would recommend you buy a set of latex booties and install them yourself, on the drysuit you already have, probably about $75 to upgrade.

 

Gloves are always tough. If you are wearing a waterproof or water resistant top, even large heavy duty dish washing gloves with a long cuff, a jacket with tight or adjustable wrist cuffs, and with a fleece or polypro inner glove can work pretty good. The idea being that warm hands are easier to keep warm than wet hands.

Or a heavy duty lined gloved like this.

Showa 282 Temres Gloves | Fisheries Supply

Showa 282 Temres Gloves

www.fisheriessupply.com

The fishing industry has some serious insulated gloves since a lot of their employees are working 10- 12 hour shifts with frozen or nearly frozen fish. If you value function over fashion, they would most likely work better than the stylish and expensive options in the rafting, fishing, and outdoor recreation world.

 

Don't wear gloves at all, at least not if I can help it, and for socks, nothing beats good old fashioned rag wool.

My 2 cents, YMMV

 

I can promise you that waterproof sealz skin socks are substantially better then wool socks. On warmer days this winter I used NRS wet socks which work well. On cooler days when wearing the knee highs I can step out of my sea kayak and my feet will stay dry and warm all day. For the sea kayaking I wear the all terrain croc's and the combination works fine.

I would think that putting on the sealz's knee high sock then pulling your drysuit on while wearing a proper fitting bootie would work really well.

I guess some people do not boat in adverse conditions so they can get away without gloves or proper footwear. I'm sure that tbduwyo and most of us are well aware that soggy wet socks are not very warm.

 

I would think that putting on the sealz's knee high sock then pulling your drysuit on while wearing a proper fitting bootie would work really well.

I don’t think this would work in my situation. My drysuit has ankle gaskets and a knee sock would compromise the waterproof seal at the ankle. I would take Ricks advice of adding an entire latex boot but I like having the bare feet for when I take out my sup.
Would the ankle high sealskinz inside of my bootie be better than the NRS neoprene sock? Wouldn’t they still get wet? I’m half tempted to bring a thermos with hot water to pour on my hands and feet every couple of hours. I have to regularly expose my hands to sub 40 degree water in weather that is usually in the 40s. My booties and gloves just soak up water and they both are sopping wet within 15 minutes. The chill isn’t too bad for the first hour but it becomes annoying in the second hour and painful/numb after that. I’m becoming more of a wimp in my old age and don’t tolerate cold as well as I used to.
Has anyone tried latex socks? Those look promising. Is there a liner I can wear inside my neoprene gloves that would help?

 

Are you SUPing barefoot in 39 degree water/44 degree air temps???? No wonder you have cold feet/hand issues. Just saying. You got more problems then I can solve

I've seen desperate people use bread bags over wool sock.(Me, on a never rains in the desert Salt trip..... it snows.)

For the sea kayaking that I've been doing the knee high sock works better then ankle high neoprene sock when it is cooler. Properly done, most landings never exceed a need to slop around in more than mid-calf water. With the neoprene socks my feet get wet, with the knee highs my feet stay dry and the warm air pocket around them is not sacrificed getting in and out of the boat.

The water seal loss at the dry suit ankle probably would not be as bad as you might think. Stretching the gasket might be a problem over time. Order a pair via Amazon, check them out and return them no questions asked. Unused of course. I wouldn't hesitate using them with semi-dry bottoms which I usually find adequate for most rivers.

Which brings up the question, what rivers are you doing in Wyoming this time of year? The Snake? I ask because I lived in Casper for several years and generally you climbed ice rather than boated during the winter.

I'm surprised we haven't heard from the Alaska folks. They wear mudders but then again proper planning means you hope not to be tromping in water deeper than mid calf. But you're not going to want to sup in mudders.

I've got to admit, thinking more about it, the solutions you need are out of my league and the smartest solution of a full footed dry suit you say is out of the question.

 

I moved away from Wyoming a few years ago and now live on the northern coast of Washington. When I lived in Cheyenne I would run the Poudre.

When I’m on the sup, I go in the Puget Sound where the water temp is mid 40s. I also will only sup for an hour or two at max but I’m also working hard and generating heat. I don’t tend to have frozen hands and feet on the sup.

Most of my issue is on the raft in the rivers of northern Washington where the water tens are often sub 40. I’m going to buy the ankle length sealskinz with the silicone gasket and snug that gasket against the latex ankle gasket of the drysuit. I might also buy the sealskinz knit gloves and wear them under the neoprene gloves I already have. I have a swiftwater rescue course coming up where I’ll be in the water for most of the day for a few days in a row. I’ll see what the other boaters are wearing.

 

I understand better. The west coast has an excellent winter boating season. I used to have a motorhome and would enjoy the Cal Salmon, Illinois, Siletz, Sky, Snoqualmie and others in winter.

Excellent idea to see what the locals are doing. Swiftwater rescue instructors up there probably have possible solutions.(Probably a full footed drysuit. Unfortunately for you not much help.)

 

Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

I just got off the water today and I need new socks and gloves. The water temperature was 39 F and the air temp was 44 F. I've done this before without too many issues as I sit up out of the water and usually everything stays relatively dry; however today my friend was rowing and I was in the front of the raft. Needless to say I had much more contact with cold water than usual.

I have a drysuit with ankle gaskets (not dry feet) and my current foot warmth solution is NRS hydroskin 0.5 socks and booties zipped over those. My current gloves are Level Six Proton which are only 2 mm of neoprene. I need to upgrade both. What should I get? I am looking for the highest level of warmth and comfort possible without buying a new drysuit with dry feet.
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I like the NRS Mitts. Mine are the older version of what they sell now. I have enjoyed warmer hands on December all-day floats. I was skeptical at first but they worked better than I expected. Not in very cold weather; air temps ranged from 28 to 38 F Water temp most days were 32-36 F. with ice in the water some days. When it gets cold, ice keeps us off the river. Mitts trump gloves in the cold. With the mitts, dexterity is reduced, but I could record data without too much trouble. Overall much better than the wool gloves I used for years. I ended up taking a mitt off about half the time to write. Fairly easy to get on and off. We have our hands in and out of the water all day to work up dead spawned out salmon. NRS mitts handled being in the water well. I still bring extra gloves and mitts but don’t usually need them. Big fingered rubber gloves over wool liners worked too, but not as warm, and were harder to get on and off. Also harder to write with than the NRS mitts.

 

Anyone know if there is a decent oar pogie on the market. Haven’t looked in a year or so but as of then there wasn’t shit. Kinda surprised considering all the other bells and whistles gear wise that are in the stratosphere. I simply do not like wearing any type of thick glove while pulling on the sticks. I guess a 3mm glove with a thin palm be good also.

 

They make sculling pogies

RegattaSport | Pogies

RegattaSport the online storefront where you can buy quality dragon boat and rowing clothing and racing gear, including unisuits, unitops, tights, and custom team and crew apparel.

regattasport.com

I tried them on a winter grand trip, they were OK, and better than nothing on the cold mornings, but I preferred seal skins waterproof mittens.

Waterproof, Breathable & Windproof Accessories | Sealskinz UK

The leading waterproof accessories brand, Sealskinz create the most advanced waterproof gloves, socks and hats available.

www.sealskinz.com

 

Yeah that’s kinda what I found. I don’t think the sculling pogs are going to cut it. The seal skins look better. I icefish and do arial roped work in the winter in Wyoming, so I have a plethora of non neaprene waterproof hand wear I’ve experimented with. And my findings are that they are either not waterproof/ warm enough OR palm is too thick. It does help to use par rights with the thick palms but I prefer not to. Can’t believe with all the flashy “gear” (apparel) companies make now, there isn’t one such item on the market. Apparently NRS is more concerned with making sure I look good at the Brew pub on Thursday night than producing such an item hahahaha. Ok, I’ll stop being a princess!

 

Also to add to the original post, I have had good luck with Micky boots and Muck boots for winter rafting. With a dry pant that has ankle gaskets rather than built in socks. Pros are both really warm. I also like having the heel and solid sole to bear down on the foot pedal. The mickeys make a good rubber on rubber seal. They are extremely clunky inside the boat. I have swam with them and are pretty buoyant but still clunky. Would not recommend if your running class 4 or better in which you are needing to be extra squirrelly the whole day. But I shit you not…..your feet will stay warm. I’ve reverted to using a light lower cut muck boot. Still a little clunky. Definitely a chance you could lose one in a thrasher of a swim. But I like them. Muck and Extratuf make a low cut shoe style clog that I bet would work well for that app, but I have yet to try