Frozen feet at 45 degrees (again)

[oldgringo]

Are your socks too tight?

Good point.

Any constriction is too much, especially if your feet run cold, anyway.

[JohnSawyer]

John
If I understand right you used an underquilt as a top cover and some thin insulation under your feet and socks.

1) Increase the insulation under your feet with a foam pad.
2) If the blood getting to your legs isn't warm (cold legs), your feet can't get warm.
3) If the hammock compresses the insulation around your feet, they won't get warm.
4) too thick of socks may keep your feet from keeping each other warm.
5) I mostly never wear socks in a sleeping bag and I never get cold feet.

An observation. I sleep in sleeping bags, and they have a "footsack" designed for toes to stick up with out pushing into the insulation. Just maybe a quilt doesn't surround your feet with insulation the way a sleeping bag does. Have you tried using a sleeping bag over you as a quilt with your feet in a proper foot sack?

Jim S

I am using my sleeping bag as a top quilt. To keep my feet and legs warm, I pinned the zipper in place just above my knees. It's possible I was pushing my feet against the bottom and compressing it.. It's hard to say.

Pan: My feet were slightly elevated... just enough to keep me from sliding down to the foot end... You're right: I probably need a longer hammock for a flatter lay...

I'll keep experimenting... Thanks all for the suggestions!

[ikemouser]

Not that it helps in the immediate sense (or any sense what-so-ever)... and is purely anecdotal....

I used to get cold feet all the time. It could be 90 degrees outside and i'd still wake up with my feet cold.

Once I started walking and running barefoot and my feet got stronger, no more cold feet! In fact when winter was ending here even when there was still slush on the ground I was going out for 1 mile runs in the afternoon tromping through the slush and snow barefoot with only a slight twinge of "cold!" got a few wierd looks and people gave me a wide berth LMAO.

And even if you do lots of walking and hiking your feet can be even weaker than someone who barely does any exercise because of all the arch and ankle support your hiking gear has....

Which is why i like inov-8, less support.

[OrionFyre]

Which is why i like inov-8, less support.

less is the key word.

I am quite the ardent barefoot proponent. Speaking from my personal experience of course... Once you get a feel for walking and running barefoot, then ANY amount of cushioning or support or constriction really starts to get annoying. I even gave away an expensive pair of hiking boots because the arch support actually inflamed a case of plantar troubles to the point I couldn't walk for a day, and I only wore them for an hour!!

I do believe that anyone with "cold foot syndrome" should consider barefoot and minimalist footwear to help strengthen and stress the muscles in the feet. When these muscles and tissues are being subjected to the rigors of supporting your body all by themselves like they are designed to it will encourage increased blood flow which in turn means warmer feet. I used to get complaints from those sharing my bed about my freezing feet. Now even on the coldest nights they're toasty warm. Not only will it help with circulation, stronger feet (the tissues, muscle and bone) will last you much longer on the trail with fewer complaints.

[ikemouser]

less is the key word.

I am quite the ardent barefoot proponent. Speaking from my personal experience of course... Once you get a feel for walking and running barefoot, then ANY amount of cushioning or support or constriction really starts to get annoying. I even gave away an expensive pair of hiking boots because the arch support actually inflamed a case of plantar troubles to the point I couldn't walk for a day, and I only wore them for an hour!!

I do believe that anyone with "cold foot syndrome" should consider barefoot and minimalist footwear to help strengthen and stress the muscles in the feet. When these muscles and tissues are being subjected to the rigors of supporting your body all by themselves like they are designed to it will encourage increased blood flow which in turn means warmer feet. I used to get complaints from those sharing my bed about my freezing feet. Now even on the coldest nights they're toasty warm. Not only will it help with circulation, stronger feet (the tissues, muscle and bone) will last you much longer on the trail with fewer complaints.

Barefoot is cool, but how can you go barefoot on jagged terrain, scattered sharp rocks, like in a creek bed? You would get all kinds of abrasion, not to mention poison ivy/oak/sumac, snake bites, etc.

[Kallorne]

vibram five fingers

http://www.rei.com/search?query=vibr...x=0&button.y=0

[JohnSawyer]

Starting with Pan's advice for a longer hammock for a flatter lay...

I pulled out 11'4" of fabric, hemmed it all around, cinched up the ends WBBB style, and hung it. (somehow this hammock took me 1/3rd the time of the first... I must be getting used to my thread injector -- Thanks to Ramblin Rev for the video lessons!)

It barely fits my folding hammock stand and my ridgeline is 30" above me, where my first was a bit claustrophobic with an overcover.

And along with the myriad of comments on me being too warm, sweaty, and too cold, I hung in the new hammock with my lost river UQ, my sleeping bag as a top quilt (with the zipper pinned up to enclose my legs.) wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts.

It took some fiddling to get my UQ set right, but I was immediately comfortable, and reasonably warm. My feet felt cold, but when I reached down, I found they really weren't... I just perceived they were...

I'll try again this weekend, but an hour and a half nap in the new hammock was a big improvement.

The only problem I had is my feet still had a tendancy to slip over the edge of the hammock, which is why I sewed a triangle on the end of #1... I might just have to do this to #2...

Darn, someday I might be like Tinker (Jerry..) Isn't he up to 6 DIY hammocks? I love his latest creation.

Ugh... I might just give up and buy that WBBB I've always wanted...

More to come..

Thanks everybody!

[HappyCamper]

How wide is your new hammock? Great that you keep experimenting. You'll get there!

[OrionFyre]

Barefoot is cool, but how can you go barefoot on jagged terrain, scattered sharp rocks, like in a creek bed? You would get all kinds of abrasion, not to mention poison ivy/oak/sumac, snake bites, etc.

I know it sounds crazy (or I do at least) But your feet can put up with a LOT of abuse when they're strong. I'm not svelt buy any stretch of the imagination but I'm able to run right over crushed limestone paths without a complaint. sharp and pointy rocks are fun to walk across.

The skin on the bottom of your foot is said to be 6 times more puncture resistant than any other flesh on your body. And us dedicated barefooters probably even more Plus walking on sharp stuff isn't all that challenging anyways. Just put your foot down and lift straight up.

And as Kallorne posted, Vibram Five Fingers are absolutely amazing if you're worried about punctures or cuts. For poison ivy... just... walk around it like you would dog poo

[vitamaltz]

For the cold foot problem, 45 degrees isn't too warm to give plastic bags under your socks a try. I know some people that disagree, but I find that cold feet at almost any temperature can be mitigated by a vapor barrier. It's free to try.

I'm on the barefoot bandwagon now too. I haven't had much cold weather camping experience since I started running barefoot; now I'm curious to try it. There are a million other reasons why it's awesome though.