cold weather work boots???

[agsolder]

Brrrr!-- anybody know about anything user-proven wonderful in insulated leathern boots (not Sorels, they are indeed wonderful but are rubber bottomed and will melt) that will keep my tootsies warm whilst (love them Brit words, love 'em!) welding, smiting, outdoors in c. zero F. weather but won't cause the dread foot-sweat chill? I've tried two layers of woollen socks and Ensolite insoles inside my Red Wings. Lasted a few miserable hours but had to stop for fear of frostbite and gangrene. Steel toes and built-in metatarsal guards would be nice, too. Any such around? Many thanks!

[Rich Hale]

Cold tootsies are plum miserable, They are also a sign of a low core body temperature. A favorite thing for me to do is to wear a woolen snug fitting knit cap. Your head is like a radiator in a vehicle it radiates heat from you blood stream even if you do not want it to.
Cover the head and ears. A wrap on the neck will also help. The old miltary style watch caps are great but have not seen any for a long time Avoid synthetics,,If they pick up a spark they will melt to your head. Works for me, good luck.

[Glenn]

There is a "hot pack" called hot hands for keeping the fingers warm. It consists of iron powder and some other stuff so when mixed it produced heat for 8 hours or so. They came out with one last year called tostie toes for the feet. Check with your sporting goods or hunting store.

[keykeeper]

A lot of people around here swear by the Rocky boots insulated with Thinsulate. They have rubber soles, don't know how that would hold up, though. Usually of pretty good quality.

Just my .02 worth.

[Finnr]

I have a sweet pair of insulated Georgia boots that keep my feet nise and warm without a lot of bulk.
Finnr

[Dale Russell]

ag , youse could move ta OZ , this time of year i wear my " special " safety " thongs " in the shop ....

Dale Russell

[jimmy seale]

i wear redwings have for 27 yrs. and the only thing i can say is..keep em dry dance around a bit and don let the fire go out

[Hillbillysmith]

I don't get cold, but I suggest Georgia Boots. I have some and they have been the best boot I've ever worn. I haven't worn anything BUT work boots since the third grade and I'm graduating this spring. So I've had ALOT of boots. I usually go through about 2 pair a year, but these have lasted me almost 2 years now. Georgia Boots!

P.S.
Don't just get the Wal-Mart special. I, personally, hate those.

[irnsrgn]

most people buy their boots too small, steel toed boots are especially bad as the steel toe takes up room inside the boot. Feet get cold mainly thru the soles of your feet as that is where the most contact is. Buy your boots one size larger than your foot. Put felt insoles in them to insulate the bottom of your foot from the part of the boot that gets the coldest. Wear only one pair of socks, but make sure they are Boot Socks, a wool synthetic blend. When you are standing for long periods of time wiggle your toes around inside your boots. Also if you are going to be standing on cold concrete or ground, stand on some wood, its a good insulation material. A piece of 3/4 plywood 2foot square with a cotton rope attached so you can drag it around is good as it lets you move around a bit. A lot of people that wear Rubber overshoes or insulated boots complain of their feet getting hot when they go out in the cold, and then when they come in their feet get cold. This phenomenon is caused because inside the boots are warm and when going out into the cold, the cold has a tendency to push the heat in, same when going from cold to a warm environment, the heat pushes the cold in. Wearing several pairs of socks you would think would keep your feet warmer, but in reality it makes your feet sweat as there is no space for air to circulate, dead air is a very good insulate. I have had all my fingers, toes and my ears frostbitten from working in extreme cold when I was younger. Also remember if you wear insulated coveralls or other clothing, buy them larger so you have an air space inside. If you wear long underwear in the winter, you know it fits rather tight, this is fine if your outerwear has enough air space to provide an air barrier, I have found that ordinary sweat pants keep me warmer as they are a sort of fleece and you have an inside and an outside air space, kind of double insulation. If you are going to be moving between inside and outside temps frequently don't wear coveralls, instead wear insulated bib overalls with a vest and an outer jacket, make sure they fit loosely as you can shed the coat if you use your arms a lot and can slip in and out of the insulated bibs easy. During Cold Weather survival training in preperation for wintering over at Antarctica we were taught to dress in layers, the worst thing you can do is dress in a heavy single layer and in times of exertion or strenuous activity you can get to sweating, eventually if you are inactive for awhile the sweat will have a tendency to freeze, next thing is chilling, getting sleepy and when you go to sleep in this condition, they will find you stiff and cold. If you dress in layers you can shed a layer if you start getting hot. Same with gloves wear a pair that have some air space inside, and they make glove liners that are just a space age concoction that has a tendency to reflect your own body heat, you can also slip a glove off without the liner coming off too for the delicate jobs. As my fingers get numb very quickly, the only way I have found of keeping them warm is to wear the mittens that have all the fingers in the same space. They are unhandy until you learn how to pick things up with them.

When buying insulated footwear look for a soft supple outer layer and a structured airmesh lining which has thousands of tiny vertical fibers allowing air to circulate throughout the internal lining surfaces providing a comfort range of 75°F to -20°F: without the sweat and heat build up of TPR and PVC moulded footwear.

[Mills]

Strange that somebody else was asking the same question on a different forum.

If you missed it I looked at Hoffman boots and may try what they have. Gonna look at the Georgia boot right now.