Nice work! I feel I finally cracked the code this season to keeping my feet warm after all these years; 800G Thinsulate LaCrosse boots paired with a light merino wool sock (sometimes even a thin merino dress wool sock). After years of using neoprene rubber boots, the Thinsulate simply outperforms neoprene, particularly for moisture wicking and breathability. I found out wearing a heavily insulated boot with light socks allows the warm air to circulate/wick your feet and toes better (even on the lake with this recent 5 degree weather). Whenever I wore thick Smartwool socks in the past with an insulated boot, my feet would get clammy.
Neoprene isn't there to keep warmth in. It's simply to lighten the boot while maintaining it's water proof capability to the top, as opposed to a heavier, fully rubber boot.
I'd always looked down on the Muck Boot until I went against my unjustified prejudice & bought a pair... I now absolutely love them. A brilliant, comfortable, cold weather boot, I know own 2 pairs.
Lol, why would you look down on Muck's. I JUST replaced my originals this year.....after wearing them for 14 years and they still haven't been breached by water.
Do lots of sitting on deer stands in cold weather. Been wearing muck boots for years but the past 2 seasons been wearing Sorel Caribou felt pac boots. I like the felt packs more. Keep my feet warmer. I think the mucks make my feet sweat and wind up getting cold. Might work better if I change socks several times a day.
You do an awesome job but what I would like to see tested is different boots and socks like this test except use a section of tree stand ladder and set the boot on one of the rungs like your feet would set on the tree stand or even use a tree stand platform to see how much cold from the cold steel transfers though the sole of said boots and see if that has any affect on how warm a boot will keep your feet
Hi George, I was on a Sandhill Crane hunt to end out the season and my hands were freezing despite having gloves and the "Hot Hands" were pretty much worthless and inconsistent. Would you consider a video on hand warmers like the hot hands vs the rechargeable versions for hunters or any other hand warmth strategies for that matter? Man my hands were so cold they hurt and trying to run that shotgun with cold hands I almost felt was getting dangerous. Thanks so much for the great videos and proud to support you on Patreon.
Thanks Karl, that is a great idea for a video. I have some ideas for testing in that area as well. Tell me, was wet hands a factor? Or were you well below freezing? That is where I struggle, between dry and warm, the gear for each is different and it gets complicated.
@@TheNewHuntersGuidefor the crane hunt it was about 5 degrees above and 25-30 mile per hour winds. A challenging hunt sitting in a A-Frame blind out in a winter wheat field in West Texas. You'd think that enough wind would be blocked by the blind, but trust me it was pretty miserable. For the duck hunt the week before however, wet hands were definitely a factor. The guide didn't have a dog and we were in layout blinds in 1 person rafts on a small to medium sized pond. We got our limits but getting my hands wet retrieving ducks out of the water and dealing with 15 degree weather was harsh, at least for me. Not to mention picking up dozens of decoys. My "water resistant" gloves were NOT very water resistant :) Being diabetic, I don't have the best circulation in my extremities so I take keeping warm pretty seriously. I thought the gloves I had with the Hot Hand packs would do the trick...I was wrong. The Hot Hands didn't get very warm and took a long time to activate. Also if you didn't leave them out in the air long enough they were basically worthless in your gloves. It's what made me ask about the rechargeable handwarmers. On the flipside of things, the Tidewe neoprene Max 5 waders you reviewed, worked like a charm. That cinched it for me until I can get a pair of the High and Dry waders you also reviewed. You haven't steered me wrong yet! Now if I can just learn to lead those birds correctly :) Gonna have to spend a good amount of time at the skeet/trap range this year to prep for next season. Thanks again George!
Wow, thank you so much! I know what you are facing with the handwear. That is one area of my gear I feel I have yet to master for waterfowl hunting. For deer hunting I use a hand warmer muff with big heat packs. Works great. But for waterfowl, its not great for my style because I have to be fast on the gun. I also have some good electric gloves, but they are too thick to run a shotgun or calls, and aren't suited for much water. I have a few more gloves on my prospect list for cold wet conditions. Hopefully one of them will fit the bill. I will post content and recommendations accordingly. It's been one of the hardest pieces of gear to find a great solution for.@@karlkiessling3785
Very interesting test. What temperature were the boots and socks before you started the test? I have noticed its a huge help to wear your boots and sock in the car ride out the hunt. The "preheating" of the boot helps significantly over putting on boots the have been sitting in the backseat. Even though the backseat boot are room temp, ive feel like they suck the heat out ofy toes as soon as I put them on. I wonder if the socks were preventing the water's heat from being sucked into room temp boot. Either way, i love the test and agree with the results. No such thing as to warm of boot or sock when sitting in a duck/deer blind.
Thanks. The boots started at around 70 degrees. I kept them in my living room over night before going out for the test. They may have lost a little more heat during the setup period.
I wonder what would happen of the water, boots and socks all started at the same room temperature. Probably wouldn't change the ende result of boot and socks being the warmest option, but my show the boots having more effects than the socks. Either way. Great test and thanks for the reply.
Nice to see you doing 'other stuff'. If you are doing a lot of walking go with the lighter boots and the thicker socks. I bought a pair of expensive boots and wore them for everything -hunting,shooting and fishing- they did not last a year. So now I buy a boot that costs 5 times less ang give me 2 good years before the soles become inafectual. Wearing different socks to suit the temperature. Now! A bout the penetration test on those boots?
My guess is that boot insulation would matter much more if you did something to simulate a leg and foot as the open boot allows much of the heat that escapes the sock to simply escape out of the top of the boot (heat rises). If the leg prevents this escape, the only way for the heat to go is through the sides of the boot where the insulation is.
It's a fair point. I thought about jamming something down the leg of each boot, but I wasn't confident that I could get the exact same fit on each, so I opted not to in order to not introduce any additional variables that might skew results.
Will you do a test of super heavy duty wool base layers. I found a company that makes a 600g wool base layer called power wool and there is a few others that do some heavy duty stuff like 400 and 500 but I don’t know if I am better off spending money on more expensive stuff like Sitka core 330 or first lite 350 I feel the more expensive the better but I honestly don’t know and you never know.
The biggest difference is the socks you’re wearing. If you wear moisture wicking socks you will be a lot happier with your boots. Actually you also need. Yes NEED dead air space for warmth. You don’t want anything made of cotton. Polyester base sock next is a good quality wool sock. Which nowadays is very expensive and hard to find. This is our future people. All about profit 🤔most everything affordable is junk
I never waste money on insulated boots. You did not figure into the equation moisture from sweating. Harder to dry out insulated boots when wet if you are in water or rain/snow conditions. I prefer to rely on wool socks for warmth, which can be swapped out mid day or every other day. And the boot can be dried over nite much more thoroughly. Those is especially true on a canoe portage trip, where you find yourself in water at the shoreline constantly all day long and drying your boots slowly over the campfire at nite
The insulated vs. Non insulated of these kinds of boots have no difference in exposed material that will absorb moisture. But I take your point. This style of boot does not do much to evaporate moisture. I've filled them with water and you will be wet until you get home.
The warmth of the boot will wear out and you can’t replace that without replacing the whole boot. The warmth to weight of the boot vs sock isn’t worth it. Just wear more sock if you need more warmth.
I have the old style military boots that we called Mickey Mouse boots.I can wear 2-3 layers of clothes at 70 degrees and I can guarantee you that the Mickey Mouse boot is the warmest boot that you will ever wear.
They definitely will not win a comfort contest though, I believe that when I wore them regularly that I would also wear a soccer type shin guard as they will wear you out. The warmth is still worth the effort.
What boot companies don’t tell you is that their temperature ratings are not for sitting but are for walking
Oh yea, these were rated for -70. Which is totally not possible for sitting!
I like the way you conduct the study. Please keep making these videos coming. Thanks.
Thanks so much!
You did a good job explaining your testing methodology and then going over the results. Thanks for this video.
Thank you so much!
Alpaca wool socks were a game changer for me
Been enjoying them more and more myself!
Nice work! I feel I finally cracked the code this season to keeping my feet warm after all these years; 800G Thinsulate LaCrosse boots paired with a light merino wool sock (sometimes even a thin merino dress wool sock). After years of using neoprene rubber boots, the Thinsulate simply outperforms neoprene, particularly for moisture wicking and breathability. I found out wearing a heavily insulated boot with light socks allows the warm air to circulate/wick your feet and toes better (even on the lake with this recent 5 degree weather). Whenever I wore thick Smartwool socks in the past with an insulated boot, my feet would get clammy.
Nice! I cross alot of water, so neoprene style boots are invaluable for me. But on dry land, I may come to other conclusions.
Neoprene isn't there to keep warmth in. It's simply to lighten the boot while maintaining it's water proof capability to the top, as opposed to a heavier, fully rubber boot.
I'd always looked down on the Muck Boot until I went against my unjustified prejudice & bought a pair...
I now absolutely love them. A brilliant, comfortable, cold weather boot, I know own 2 pairs.
I really like them. I though they would perform even better here, but I'm not giving them up. A test like this can only really tell so much.
Same
Lol, why would you look down on Muck's. I JUST replaced my originals this year.....after wearing them for 14 years and they still haven't been breached by water.
The muck boot for the women. Real men never wear something like those. @@TaCtiCaL323
Do lots of sitting on deer stands in cold weather. Been wearing muck boots for years but the past 2 seasons been wearing Sorel Caribou felt pac boots. I like the felt packs more. Keep my feet warmer. I think the mucks make my feet sweat and wind up getting cold. Might work better if I change socks several times a day.
Yea, that is a weakness. I often hunt near alot of water, so the Muck boots work well for cross steams, puddles, and marshes.
Good video. I watched the video on the socks & ordered 2pr off Amazon that night.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for the testing
Thanks for watching Ben!
I have a pair of Irish Setter insulated "Muck boots" . Here in Montana they work ok till the temps hit -40.
Not much works when it's that cold!
@@TheNewHuntersGuide True. But thats the weather we get sometimes, lol.
Wow, that is brutal!@@montanamountainmen6104
You do an awesome job but what I would like to see tested is different boots and socks like this test except use a section of tree stand ladder and set the boot on one of the rungs like your feet would set on the tree stand or even use a tree stand platform to see how much cold from the cold steel transfers though the sole of said boots and see if that has any affect on how warm a boot will keep your feet
I used a wire metal table which is almost exactly like a tree stand platform. I can't really get any closer than that.
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Thanks George God bless you and go get them in the marsh.
Thanks so much Jeff!
Hi George, I was on a Sandhill Crane hunt to end out the season and my hands were freezing despite having gloves and the "Hot Hands" were pretty much worthless and inconsistent. Would you consider a video on hand warmers like the hot hands vs the rechargeable versions for hunters or any other hand warmth strategies for that matter? Man my hands were so cold they hurt and trying to run that shotgun with cold hands I almost felt was getting dangerous. Thanks so much for the great videos and proud to support you on Patreon.
Thanks Karl, that is a great idea for a video. I have some ideas for testing in that area as well. Tell me, was wet hands a factor? Or were you well below freezing? That is where I struggle, between dry and warm, the gear for each is different and it gets complicated.
@@TheNewHuntersGuidefor the crane hunt it was about 5 degrees above and 25-30 mile per hour winds. A challenging hunt sitting in a A-Frame blind out in a winter wheat field in West Texas. You'd think that enough wind would be blocked by the blind, but trust me it was pretty miserable. For the duck hunt the week before however, wet hands were definitely a factor. The guide didn't have a dog and we were in layout blinds in 1 person rafts on a small to medium sized pond. We got our limits but getting my hands wet retrieving ducks out of the water and dealing with 15 degree weather was harsh, at least for me. Not to mention picking up dozens of decoys. My "water resistant" gloves were NOT very water resistant :) Being diabetic, I don't have the best circulation in my extremities so I take keeping warm pretty seriously. I thought the gloves I had with the Hot Hand packs would do the trick...I was wrong. The Hot Hands didn't get very warm and took a long time to activate. Also if you didn't leave them out in the air long enough they were basically worthless in your gloves. It's what made me ask about the rechargeable handwarmers. On the flipside of things, the Tidewe neoprene Max 5 waders you reviewed, worked like a charm. That cinched it for me until I can get a pair of the High and Dry waders you also reviewed. You haven't steered me wrong yet! Now if I can just learn to lead those birds correctly :) Gonna have to spend a good amount of time at the skeet/trap range this year to prep for next season. Thanks again George!
Wow, thank you so much! I know what you are facing with the handwear. That is one area of my gear I feel I have yet to master for waterfowl hunting. For deer hunting I use a hand warmer muff with big heat packs. Works great. But for waterfowl, its not great for my style because I have to be fast on the gun. I also have some good electric gloves, but they are too thick to run a shotgun or calls, and aren't suited for much water. I have a few more gloves on my prospect list for cold wet conditions. Hopefully one of them will fit the bill. I will post content and recommendations accordingly. It's been one of the hardest pieces of gear to find a great solution for.@@karlkiessling3785
Very interesting test.
What temperature were the boots and socks before you started the test?
I have noticed its a huge help to wear your boots and sock in the car ride out the hunt. The "preheating" of the boot helps significantly over putting on boots the have been sitting in the backseat. Even though the backseat boot are room temp, ive feel like they suck the heat out ofy toes as soon as I put them on.
I wonder if the socks were preventing the water's heat from being sucked into room temp boot.
Either way, i love the test and agree with the results. No such thing as to warm of boot or sock when sitting in a duck/deer blind.
Thanks. The boots started at around 70 degrees. I kept them in my living room over night before going out for the test. They may have lost a little more heat during the setup period.
I wonder what would happen of the water, boots and socks all started at the same room temperature.
Probably wouldn't change the ende result of boot and socks being the warmest option, but my show the boots having more effects than the socks.
Either way. Great test and thanks for the reply.
Nice to see you doing 'other stuff'. If you are doing a lot of walking go with the lighter boots and the thicker socks. I bought a pair of expensive boots and wore them for everything -hunting,shooting and fishing- they did not last a year. So now I buy a boot that costs 5 times less ang give me 2 good years before the soles become inafectual. Wearing different socks to suit the temperature. Now! A bout the penetration test on those boots?
Hahaha, I'm gonna have to wait until they wear out before doing a penetration test, but that's a fun idea. What would you shoot at them?
My guess is that boot insulation would matter much more if you did something to simulate a leg and foot as the open boot allows much of the heat that escapes the sock to simply escape out of the top of the boot (heat rises). If the leg prevents this escape, the only way for the heat to go is through the sides of the boot where the insulation is.
Note that the sock doesn't allow this upward escape route as you aren't holding the top of the sock open.
It's a fair point. I thought about jamming something down the leg of each boot, but I wasn't confident that I could get the exact same fit on each, so I opted not to in order to not introduce any additional variables that might skew results.
I can't stop looking at that burnt brick behind the BBQ. Good thing you don't have vinyl siding.
Yup, it's a not a perfect spot for the grill, but it's the best we got.
@TheNewHuntersGuide just busting your balls... LOL
Great video
@@johndeere2799 Thanks!
Will you do a test of super heavy duty wool base layers. I found a company that makes a 600g wool base layer called power wool and there is a few others that do some heavy duty stuff like 400 and 500 but I don’t know if I am better off spending money on more expensive stuff like Sitka core 330 or first lite 350 I feel the more expensive the better but I honestly don’t know and you never know.
That is hoodie thickness right there. I haven't seen those. I'd like to test them if I can come by a pair, but I'm sure they aren't cheap.
I have the Muck Arctic Pro. Just got back from sitting in a stand with them, wool socks and 14 degree weather. My toes froze.
Thats real cold to be sitting with any boot.
I have 2 pairs of bog boots and my feet never get cold and all i wear is a pair of light white socks
That's pretty good. What Temps are you hunting in and what surface do your feet rest on?
@@TheNewHuntersGuide the coldest was 16 degrees
Personally I find the muck boots too loose. If I buy another boot like that I’d buy the ones with a strap at the top
Have you tried using a heavier sock to fill them out a little bit?
The biggest difference is the socks you’re wearing. If you wear moisture wicking socks you will be a lot happier with your boots. Actually you also need. Yes NEED dead air space for warmth. You don’t want anything made of cotton. Polyester base sock next is a good quality wool sock. Which nowadays is very expensive and hard to find. This is our future people. All about profit 🤔most everything affordable is junk
Yea, that sounds right.
I never waste money on insulated boots. You did not figure into the equation moisture from sweating. Harder to dry out insulated boots when wet if you are in water or rain/snow conditions. I prefer to rely on wool socks for warmth, which can be swapped out mid day or every other day. And the boot can be dried over nite much more thoroughly. Those is especially true on a canoe portage trip, where you find yourself in water at the shoreline constantly all day long and drying your boots slowly over the campfire at nite
The insulated vs. Non insulated of these kinds of boots have no difference in exposed material that will absorb moisture. But I take your point. This style of boot does not do much to evaporate moisture. I've filled them with water and you will be wet until you get home.
The warmth of the boot will wear out and you can’t replace that without replacing the whole boot. The warmth to weight of the boot vs sock isn’t worth it. Just wear more sock if you need more warmth.
Unless there is a hole, how does the warmth of the boot wear out?
@ the same way a sock wears out. The thermal material breaks down over time from stress (friction, compression, etc.)
I have the old style military boots that we called Mickey Mouse boots.I can wear 2-3 layers of clothes at 70 degrees and I can guarantee you that the Mickey Mouse boot is the warmest boot that you will ever wear.
They definitely will not win a comfort contest though, I believe that when I wore them regularly that I would also wear a soccer type shin guard as they will wear you out. The warmth is still worth the effort.
Uninsulated boots, thin socks, and toe warmers sit for hours
Glad that works for you. That's only working for me if its 50+ out.
Of course the insulated are warmer. Duh!
The question was really by how much.
Why didn't you use the same sock for all boots? Your test is not accurate.
No, I used the same sock in both boots. There are 2 of each boot and 2 of each sock.