Cold feet

To steps to staying warm: insulation and blood flow.  One pair of good socks is better than two layers of tight socks. If your legs are constructed anywhere, your feet will become numb. Also, remember to flex your toes ever once in a l while to keep blood pumping through. Guys with hobies of pedal yaks have an advantage because they can keep there feet warm just by getting the blood to them while pedaling. My feet would go numb during the summer in my last kayak just from sitting for too long. If I found a spit of land and got out and walked around, my feet would come back but that only works inshore. Adjusting position of your back rest and your seat might help.


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The many good suggestions made in this thread will help most people keep their feet warm while kayak fishing.  But a significant percentage of the population has Raynauds Syndrome, which causes the blood vessels in their hands and feet to constrict after even a minor amount of cold, such as picking up a cold drink.  You can spot people with Raynauds Syndrome because their hands will often be dead pasty white and cold even in a well-heated room.  I have several friends with Raynauds, and while I have no medical training, I have learned to spot the problem.  People with Raynauds often don't know that they have a named syndrome, and if they spend too much time in cold conditions, they can develop circulatory problems and tissue damage. 

Reynauds can be treated with a variety of drugs which dilate blood vessels.  These are typically very well-known and safe drugs which people with high blood pressure use full-time for years.  If somebody with Raynauds takes one of these drugs half an hour before going out into the cold, or before starting a kayak trip, their hands and feet can stay warm and pink for a number of hours, until the drug starts to wear off and another pill is required.

Lots of great stuff in this thread already, so I won't beat a dead horse.  One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that helps me is to do a little kayak contortion-ism to dump the water out of my neoprene booties once I'm launched and won't need to put them in the water for a while.  Replacing the water in the boots with air helps the insulation quite a bit.   

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that helps me is to do a little kayak contortion-ism to dump the water out of my neoprene booties once I'm launched and won't need to put them in the water for a while.  Replacing the water in the boots with air helps the insulation quite a bit.

When I'm kayaking in a dry suit, I wear wet suit booties with zippers on their sides to protect the dry suit's dry socks.  Because my feet go in and out of the water all day while fishing, my wet suit booties contain water, are cold and clammy, and don't do much to help keep my feet warm. What keeps my feet warm are the layers of warm fuzzy polypro socks I wear under the dry suit's dry socks.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that helps me is to do a little kayak contortion-ism to dump the water out of my neoprene booties once I'm launched and won't need to put them in the water for a while.  Replacing the water in the boots with air helps the insulation quite a bit.

When I'm kayaking in a dry suit, I wear wet suit booties with zippers on their sides to protect the dry suit's dry socks.  Because my feet go in and out of the water all day while fishing, my wet suit booties contain water, are cold and clammy, and don't do much to help keep my feet warm. What keeps my feet warm are the layers of warm fuzzy polypro socks I wear under the dry suit's dry socks.

I wear warm fuzzy socks too. Dumping that boot water out just helps with a little bit of extra warmth.


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Poor circulation can cause cold feet. Make sure you aren't constricting circulation with too tight shoes over multiple layers of sox. 


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+++ Bing! Bing! Bing +++

has anyone tried the battery powered socks?

has anyone tried the battery powered socks?

See post 14

After a long chat with John Barleycorn, I remembered a lesson I learned last year. We had an early departure for a fishing trip, and I had the brilliant idea to put my gear in the truck the night before, so as I wouldn't forget anything in my just woken stupor.

So instead of being at room temperature from being in the house, my waders and boots were around 38degrees like the inside of the car where they had been for 10 hours. No way my little toes could ever make enough heat to overcome that.

Now, we know handwarmers are toewarmers won't work so well - they take up space, move around, and stop working because there's no air/oxygen.

But they DO work well if your feet aren't on top of them and the legs of your waders aren't plugged up with your legs.

Ergo, if you want warm feet, start with warm feet in warm wader booties, not cold booties. A handwarmer tossed into each foot of your waders when you leave the house will make the booties toasty warm. When you get to destination, dump the handwarmers out and put them in your pockets, and stuff your feet into the cozy wader booties. I'm betting you'll be warmer, longer, and happier.

How cold was it outside? I usually do OK with a nice pair of Smartwool socks (under my drysuit) and a pair of NRS paddle shoes (neoprene) over the top.

Like others said, ditch the cotton (!!!), and make sure everything on your feet fits loosely.

Also, consciously wiggle your toes every few minutes to help blood circulation BEFORE you get chilled. Once you're chilled, it's much harder to warm up again on the water.


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