Cold feet thread

[petemaz]

Probably been done before, so apologies, but if it's winter/early spring time and I kip down for the night in my sleeping bag with cold feet (from hike-a-biking through marshes), will my feet stay cold all night? I mean the sleeping bag can't do it's thing and create heat from my feet? I thought perhaps upper body heat might find it's way down (along?) to my feet, but not sure! Rest of me is warm enough with my bag/mat set-up, just finding my feet are cold! Any advice? Thanks much.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Make sure your feet are dry then give them a good rub before putting them in something like these.

[Chew]

It’s catch 22
If you have cold feet, they don’t generate the heat to warm the bag and then there’s no warmth to heat your feet.
Sounds like the simple answer, but some spare long warm socks should help to wear on a night.

[Mart]

Make a hot water bottle, if you have a suitable container. Water just needs to be warm (not boiling)
Wrap bottle in a sock before snuggling down

[benp1]

Feet don't generate heat. If they're cold they stay cold

My nighttime routine is just before I hit the pit (assuming a bivy with damp/wet feet and damp/wet shoes) I talc my feet so they're dry, rub the hell out of them so they're warm, then put warm socks on (often Heat Holders)

I find that a reliable way of keeping my feet warm - make sure they're already warm and dry!

[Taylor]

Open a hand warmer then sandwich it between your thighs, the heat will transfer through you femoral arteries and you'll have warm feet in a matter of minutes.
It also works going upwards.

[99percentchimp]

Open a hand warmer then sandwich it between your thighs, the heat will transfer through you femoral arteries and you'll have warm feet in a matter of minutes.
It also works going upwards.

This is what I do.... with a warm water bottle/bladder against my groin/thighs - transfers the heat most effectively to the blood, along with a pair of down socks to prevent the heat loss once it gets there.

[BigdummySteve]

Open a hand warmer then sandwich it between your thighs, the heat will transfer through you femoral arteries and you'll have warm feet in a matter of minutes.
It also works going upwards.

works a treat.

[petemaz]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated. I do make sure my feet are dry and I use some dry chunky merino socks for sleeping in...plus I used a klean kanteen with very hot water wrapped in a buff, but the water cooled pretty quickly. I'll try the trick with the hot bottle between my legs, plus will invest in some down socks I think. (Might grab a bargain somewhere now winters almost over!)

[ianfitz]

Make sure your feet are dry then give them a good rub before putting them in something like these.

Montane do a similar warm sock/Bothy-creeper too. Have kept my feet’s warm many an evening

[petemaz]

Montane do a similar warm sock/Bothy-creeper too. Have kept my feet’s warm many an evening [/quote]

I'll check them out, thanks!

[Lazarus]

I bought a cheap jacket from Go outdoors and cut the arms off to use as socks I also gained a body warmer - Think it cost me £10 in sales
I toyed with zips/velcro so i could still put the arms on the top and use it just as the bodywarmer when i slept but I have not got round to it /bothered
Those socks are quite spendy for what they are IMHO

I dont do down so no idea how easy it is if you try it with down

[whitestone]

Keeping everything warm down to the feet helps as well so put some long johns/jim-jams on.

I had fairly wet and cold feet on Saturday night after traipsing through several kilometres of bog. Dried them off before getting into my bag and they were still cold. They warmed up in half an hour to an hour. I'd forgotten to pack a spare pair of socks so couldn't add a bit of warmth that way.

[redefined_cycles]

Dont forget to keep wiggling them feet aswell pre and post drying them... If things start becoming desperate you can try and recreate your own shiver dance (not joking... apparently theres a guy that manages bare chested activities by doing such things in extreme temps and dont forget that shivering is the bodies way of generating heat anyway).

[redefined_cycles]

*wiggling of fingers and toes should be a given (IMO) during winter madness...

[Bearbonesnorm]

For those who realy suffer, how about rechargeable heated socks?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Svpro-Recharge ... s_sp_1_vtp

[benp1]

I've used a USB hand warmer between my legs in warm me up. I also found that whisky (actually all alcohol) increases vasodilation - hence a beer coat

[frogatthefarriers]

I suffer from cold feet too, even in summer in my own bed. When I'm sleeping out I take a couple of those chemical foot warmers. Aldi/Lidl. They have a sticky back that I stick to my socks. For a hot water bottle I use a half-litre clean water in a Platypus bottle. Once my feet have warmed up, I move it higher against my body. This keeps it at body temperature and saves on fuel when making a brew in the morning - the water starts at 30C or so...