Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
General => General Chat => Topic started by: LandyLiam on December 01, 2010
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Loving all this snow but I work outdoors a bit and after an hour of standing still in the fluffy white stuff my big toes get so cold they ache, this is while wearing goretex boots and good hiking "1000 mile" socks, also tried those ultra warm ones you see in all the garages for sale at £4.99, no different :'(
So it there an ultrawarm sock out there? i really only need the heat at the toes (reckon i have poor circulation there) so is there any other method of heating them, any magic gels? or maybe even a mini sock for my big toe :)
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Do some work instead of standing still ;) I have bad circulation in my right foot ever since I broke it and to stop it getting cold I start to twitch it just to keep it moving , drives the wife mad as I do it in my sleep , you could try deepheat for when it's bad but I'm sure too much usage would make things worse
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Loosen your boots a bit. Give your feet room to swell a bit and allow the blood to flow freely. 1000 mile socks are great, but even the "Winter" ones are a bit thin. Try a thin wool sock worn below a thick wool sock (think M&S wool dress socks below a Brasher 4 season hiking sock) Do your boots up as normal when walking, but loosen them when you stop. I've worn normal Hiking boots at -25C and not had any problems by using 2 pairs of wool socks and keeping my boots a little bit looser.
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Not having your boot tight over the top of the foot is important - lots of blood vessels there.
But... if you do have a lot of room, try cutting a really thin closed cell mat to replace your insoles: will provide very good insulation from the ground.
and wiggle your toes... or cut a hole in the end of an old warm pair of socks and wear them round your ankles to keep the incoming blood warmer for longer. No one will see your ballet leg warmers under trousers ;)
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I do tend to have my boots tight (keeps the snow out ;) ) so will try loosening them, tempted to just bring a flask and pour hot water over my boots at the toes, or maybe just get a warmer boot, i don't need to walk much (more metres than miles) in it so wouldn't need to spend much.
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EUREKA
http://www.heatpacksuk.co.uk/toe-warmers/uniheat-toe-warmer.php
(http://www.heatpacksuk.co.uk//components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/toe-warmers.jpg4ca059327623a.jpg)
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Get a gaiter to keep stuff out, or just tighten at ankle, which is not 'top of foot'; or if really bad, make a neoprene gaiter to strap over the whole top of boot. Sorted.
I'm knocking around in a pair of liner socks and slip-on Vans... your toes soon go numb and can't feel anything good or bad. Loads of drink also appears to help as my toes currently feel nice and snug... may affect your work performance though :D
I'm away to bed before I spout more crap advice... got a week's worth of work to do tomorrow - if you see me on the forum tell me to get back to the grindstone!
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Harsh ;)
Do some work instead of standing still ;)
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Harsh ;)
Do some work instead of standing still ;)
Tis a bit :)
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I work outside too (land surveyor) and footwear of choice is a pair of wellies and the sockettes you get from Agricultural stores. The nature of the work means that out of a team of two people, one is on the move and the other standing still. The person on the move has to ditch the woolly hat, the gloves and open the ol' yellow coat. The one standing still stamps around a bit and still freezes.
The sockettes are very well insulated, like blue slippers. Not attractive, but hey, who cares.
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Tried loosening just one shoe yesterday and noticwd the difference very quickly, still got sore toes eventually though. Anyway I'll be spending the next 2 weeks indoors :)