Author: Article & Photos by Jeff Davis
Source: Whitetails Unlimited Magazine

Getting older is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that you gain experience and (hopefully) learn from your mistakes. The curse is, well, you’re getting older.

One thing I’ve learned from experience is that when you are outside, if you can stay warm, you can still have fun no matter how cold it is. But ‘staying warm’ is a flexible concept—I can tolerate a good deal of reduced temperatures on my torso and arms, while friends are wearing additional insulated vests and long-sleeved shirts in the same temperatures. However, as the hair on my head got increasingly sparse over the years, I found that stuffing a knit cap in my day pack was essential in case a ball cap failed to keep my head warm.

Single-digit temperatures require warm footwear, but you can have problems with cold feet regardless of the ambient temperature.

The feet are one area of the body that’s almost universally cited as necessary to keep warm if you want to stay in the field. If your feet are cold, you’re going to be miserable, and if you’re miserable it’s impossible to enjoy yourself.

The good news is there has never been a time when there is more quality gear available to take care of any conditions you are going to experience in the field. When looking at boots, there are so many options it can be overwhelming, and I must admit I’ve been confused when faced with trying to find the right boots for hunting. When Thorogood joined Whitetails Unlimited as a national sponsor, I spent some time digging around their website (there’s lots of good information at thorogoodusa.com) and found the answer to one of my enduring questions: How much Thinsulate do I need?

The right hunting boots can make or break a hunt, and since the vast majority of my hunts take place in the upper Midwest, fall and winter hunts can happen in temperatures anywhere from 70 degrees above zero to terrible, bitterly cold below zero. I don’t have the resources to have a collection of boots for every eventuality, so I go through a process to figure out what to use on my feet. I appreciate the outline below from the Thorogood website.

• Season—Are you looking for boots you can wear year-round, or are you specifically looking for the warmest hunting boots for winter? Will you be actively walking through deep snow, or are you spending your winter hunting in southern states? The level of boot insulation you need will vary if you’re planning an expedition in Wyoming vs. Georgia.

• Types of hunting—Big game, small game, elk in the mountains, upland birds—the type of hunt and the distance you’ll have to walk will influence the level of insulation and type of hunting boot you’ll need to stay comfortable and warm.

• Hunting method—Will you be using a gun or bow? Tree stand hunting or trekking through fields? Which approach you take on your hunt can determine whether you’ll be seeking out your target or waiting for it to come to you, and how close you’ll need to be to get in a good shot. Because of the incredible sense of smell deer and other hunted animals have, what you wear on your feet can make the difference between getting close enough for a good shot or scaring off a potential animal. Wearing insulated rubber hunting boots will help keep your scent from spreading across the ground while you walk, while leather hunting boots won’t mask human odor and can send your target in the opposite direction.

If you are moving constantly, you will need less insulation than if you are going to be stationary for hours in a stand. In addition, if you are heading out before dawn through heavy dew or on a rainy day, the chances of getting your feet and lower legs soaked will also affect how much insulation you may need. There is no easy, set answer to the question of which boots are ideal, and you will have to consider a variety of conditions.

 

	Boots will list the amount of insulation on a sewn-in tag. The amount of insulation needed to stay comfortable will vary from person to person.

How Much is Enough?

As with most things in life, understanding what things mean is vital for solving problems, and until recently I was flailing around with my understanding of a pretty basic concept: How much Thinsulate is enough?

Thinsulate is a patented product of the 3M company and was introduced in 1979. It is a combination of the words ‘thin’ and ‘insulate’ and was first marketed as a thinner and less expensive alternative to down insulation, with the claim that it insulated twice as well as an equivalent amount of natural insulation. It is widely used in apparel (where it also has wicking properties), as well as in the tops of some convertibles, and as a sound deadener.

So what does it mean to me to see ‘800 grams of Thinsulate’ listed as a component of the new boots I’m looking at? Until now, I simply assumed that 800 grams was twice as warm as 400 grams, and half as warm as 1,600 grams, but I still really didn’t know which boots I’d need for an early-season bowhunt or a late-season Minnesota muzzleloader hunt.

Thinsulate is measured by weight, but that does not mean an absolute weight of the product in a boot. A size 6 boot is physically much smaller than one of my size 14s, but they both list the same 800 grams of Thinsulate.

The weight of Thinsulate is based on how much a square meter of the product weighs, regardless of the amount in a specific item. Many fabrics are described in this way, although instead of grams per square meter, many traditional fabrics, like cotton for T-shirts or canvas for tote bags, are described in ounces per square yard, and then shortened to something like “20-ounce canvas.” Thinsulate in boots typically ranges from 200 to 2,500 grams.

The chart to the left lists typical insulation levels and general activities that most people will encounter. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines and everyone will feel cold differently. If in doubt, choose the higher insulation level so you can wear your boots longer into the season, and supplement with warmer socks as needed.

One More Space-Age Product

Solarcore is a patented, NASA-inspired product that is now being used in footwear designed for hunters. It is an ‘aerogel,’ more a thermal blocker than an insulator, that is proven to retain 50% more heat with minimal bulk to block the cold. It uses the same concept that is used to insulate spacecraft working in temperatures as low as -450°F. Only 2mm thick, Thorogood is using it in the soles and toes of boots intended for very cold weather, and if you’ve ever been in bitter cold standing on metal, ice, or concrete and felt the cold infiltrating from the bottom of your feet, you’ll understand just how appealing this design is.

 

	These socks made from buffalo wool are the warmest ones I own, but they are thick. Wearing them in regular boots makes for a tight fit, and that compression will reduce their ability to insulate. These socks in pack boots can keep me outside in any temperatures.

Don’t Forget the Basics

Choosing the warmest hunting boots and higher insulation levels is a great way to keep your feet warm while hunting, but don’t forget the classic ways to keep your feet warm:

• Upgrade your socks to Merino wool or a performance material that will wick away sweat.
• If you’re not moving, use cardboard or an insulated mat to keep the freezing ground or blind floor from leaching cold into your feet.
• Avoid metal conductors like steel tree stands or seats, and use cardboard or another layer of material between yourself and a metal object.
• Avoid staying stationary for too long and loosen your boots so you can wiggle your toes or ankles and keep the blood flowing to your feet.
• Use small heat packs as feet warmers.
• Make sure your boots aren’t too tight since that will restrict blood flow.
• Use an antiperspirant on your feet before you go hunting.
• Bring spare socks in case your feet get wet or sweaty.

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