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Thread: Cold Feet?

  1. #1
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    Cold Feet?

    No, I'm not talking about getting married.

    Since developing plantar fasciitis in one foot I've learned that trying to walk on cold feet in the morning is a very bad thing. So I was thinking about buying some down booties, or just wearing multiple wool socks when sleeping in cold weather. But yesterday I had a thought that might be a better light weigh, low pack volume idea. I'm sure somebody else has already thought of it, and maybe determined it's a poor idea, but here it is.

    Use polyethylene foam (PEF) as an insulator, either next to your skin with a sock over it, or between 2 layers of socks. As a test, I took a sheet of 1/16" thick PEF and traced the outline of my right foot. Then I rotated the PEF sheet 180 degree and took my left foot and lined up the toes with my right foot trace, and traced that foot. The left foot tracing is so you can fold where the toes meet and use that part as the upper covering for your right foot. (Of course the top part only needs about 1/2 the length of your foot.) Then I extended the width of the left foot tracing by about 3/4". Now I cut out my pattern.

    To wear it I put my right foot down on it's tracing, and fold over the left foot part on top of my foot. The extended sides help to cover the sides of my foot. Then just slide a sock on over the top.

    I immediately feel the heat being radiated back at my foot, and it doesn't feel that bad, even directly on my foot. They weigh next to nothing, and don't take up much space when folded up.

    I expect they wouldn't last a long time, but who cares, it's simple to make more from packing supplies.

    There would be many more ways to approach this including maybe wrapping your foot with a 2" wide strip, kind of like a cast. Another option may be finding a bag made of PEF that fits over your foot.

    I haven't tried it yet while hanging, but I bet there are other people who can try it and improve on this idea.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BearChaser's Avatar
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    Sounds like a great idea to me. I sometimes have the same problem with cold feet. I found that just stuffing my Reflectix food pouch/warmer down into the bottom of my UQ so that the bottom of my feet touch it helps radiate the heat back to my feet.

    After reading what you did with the PEF and talking of making a bootie. I may try to make some refectix booties. Of course to allow the feet to breath a little and not sweat I'm thinking I would need to add some holes for breathing. Maybe some velcro or holes for lacing them on. They could possible be used as a crude mitten while hiking.

    Hmmm.. I'll keep you updated if I make these if you like.

    Edit: Would also like to add that I like the smartwool double layering socks. The one's with a lightweight liner then a heavy weight smartwool sock. They work great, but I'm still liking the bootie idea for setting or lounging around camp in.

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    I think that a bootie made out of this stuff might cause a sweating problem. My experiment with primarily covering the top and bottom of the foot might allow it to breathe enough. I won't get to field test it for another month. Maybe I'll just try it in bed and see how that works.

    I love smart wool socks...just trying to reduce the number of socks I need to take.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Raul Perez's Avatar
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    Similar idea to what I described in my winter reflection video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jof4hMzx8l4
    "If you give a monkey a gun and he shoots someone, you dont blame the monkey"

    The end of the world is not coming in December, it is happening now in my living room. - TFC Rick

    http://watermonkey.net/

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    http://www.youtube.com/user/RaulPerez1?feature=mhee

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    Raul, I think your idea using the foam on just the bottom would work better than my idea. Last night I tried wearing my foam (top and bottom of foot) on my right foot with a light sock over the top. On the left foot I just wore a sock.
    I woke up 2 hours later with an uncomfortable right foot. It wasn't much warmer than my left foot, and it was a little wet.

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