Cold Feet

[Reverie]

The last time I was out I experienced the coldest feet I have every felt while sleeping in my HH. I'm not really experienced with this but I think these are the particulars:

Outside Air Temperature was about 38F
Hammock Insulated with reflector
20F Kelty LightSpeed
Wool Socks (For Sleeping, not Hiking)

Any suggestions? I REALLY like using my hammock but if I can't keep my tootsies reasonably warm I might have to go back to a tent in colder weather. I read people on this site saying they have camped in some unreal cold weather. How did you cope? I hate to sound like a wuss but I finally had to get up and put on my boots. I have camped in far colder weather but that night was the coldest feeling night I have ever experienced.

Or I could just be getting old.

Reverie

[Lilred]

The last time I was out I experienced the coldest feet I have every felt while sleeping in my HH. I'm not really experienced with this but I think these are the particulars:

Outside Air Temperature was about 38F
Hammock Insulated with reflector
20F Kelty LightSpeed
Wool Socks (For Sleeping, not Hiking)

Any suggestions? I REALLY like using my hammock but if I can't keep my tootsies reasonably warm I might have to go back to a tent in colder weather. I read people on this site saying they have camped in some unreal cold weather. How did you cope? I hate to sound like a wuss but I finally had to get up and put on my boots. I have camped in far colder weather but that night was the coldest feeling night I have ever experienced.

Or I could just be getting old.

Reverie

Did you try taking your socks off?? I experienced the same problem with temps much colder. Soon as I took my socks off, my feet warmed up. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with your body heat warming up the inside of the bag. Maybe someone on here knows better why that worked for me.

[SGT Rock]

The last time I was out I experienced the coldest feet I have every felt while sleeping in my HH. I'm not really experienced with this but I think these are the particulars:

Outside Air Temperature was about 38F
Hammock Insulated with reflector
20F Kelty LightSpeed
Wool Socks (For Sleeping, not Hiking)

Any suggestions? I REALLY like using my hammock but if I can't keep my tootsies reasonably warm I might have to go back to a tent in colder weather. I read people on this site saying they have camped in some unreal cold weather. How did you cope? I hate to sound like a wuss but I finally had to get up and put on my boots. I have camped in far colder weather but that night was the coldest feeling night I have ever experienced.

Or I could just be getting old.

Reverie

My bet is your reflector isn't doing what you want. What I have found that works is to sleep with a pad inside the hammock (mine is only 10 ounces give or take) that goes all the way to my feet.If you change to an underquilt, also make sure it does the same thing.

[Fiddleback]

I've had the same problems but I've not used a bag or quilt. I slept in cold weather clothing with wool socks and down booties and still had uncomfortably cold toes. I think Sgt Rock's suggestion may be right...I have a long pad but it doesn't reach down to under my feet. 'Something' will next time...I'm looking forward to the improvement!

FB

[kncats]

What did you have on your head? An old outdoors trick says that the fastest way to warm up your feet is to put on a hat. Your head will lose a LOT of heat due to the closeness of its blood supply to the skin. The body's temperature regulating mechanism will cut off the bloodflow to the extremities in order to keep your head warm.

[Youngblood]

The last time I was out I experienced the coldest feet I have every felt while sleeping in my HH. ...
Where your feet cold all over or were they just cold on your heels where you were compressing your sleeping bag?

If they are cold all over, try using liner socks with plastic bags under your regular sleeping socks or just try plastic bags under your sleeping socks.

If they are just cold on your heels where you are compressing your insulation, try slipping some low compression insulation in the footbox of your sleeping bag to rest your feet on... clothes (maybe in stuff sack), small piece of closed cell foam, etc. It shouldn't take much, maybe an 8"x10" piece of foam.

Staying warm in a hammock is more of a challenge, you have to pay attention to exactly where you are getting cold and then figure out what you can do. Sometimes it doesn't take much.

Youngblood

[ncmtns]

I have found that after even a few hours of hiking my socks accumulate a certain amount of moisture. I have learned to either dry out my socks before I go to the sack or change to dry socks. Youd be amazed at the steam that comes out of those socks at a fire

[Footslogger]

[QUOTE=Reverie]The last time I was out I experienced the coldest feet I have every felt while sleeping in my HH. I'm not really experienced with this but I think these are the particulars:

Outside Air Temperature was about 38F
Hammock Insulated with reflector
20F Kelty LightSpeed
Wool Socks (For Sleeping, not Hiking)

Any suggestions? I REALLY like using my hammock but if I can't keep my tootsies reasonably warm I might have to go back to a tent in colder weather. I read people on this site saying they have camped in some unreal cold weather. How did you cope? I hate to sound like a wuss but I finally had to get up and put on my boots. I have camped in far colder weather but that night was the coldest feeling night I have ever experienced.
================================
I don't do cold weather hammocking any more ...but if the rest of your body is comfortably warm and just your feet are cold the problem is mostly likely circulation. Some folks were just born that way and people in general lose some peripheral circulation as they age. One solution, although it involves dragging something else with you on hiking trips, is to carry the small chemical hand/foot warmers with you. Activate them and stick one on the sole of each foot before pulling on your wool socks. They will cause dilation of the blood vessels and increase circulation near the skin.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Crash]

Try down booties. and make sure your pad is long enough to insulate your feet.

[icemanat95]

Chemical heat packs are extra stuff to bring in and extra stuff to carry out. Instead, boil up a liter of water, pour it into a good nalgene bottle (of course you have to carry one of those, some of us still do). That bottle goes in the foot of your bag, perhaps wrapped in a spare bit of clothing to keep the bottle from scorching your feet. Guaranteed to keep you warmer. Use a 1/2 liter bottle if it's not that big a problem.

[NECKBONE]

rock hit it about right. the reflector has to be under the feet to be able to keep them warm. one thing i noticed is that when i tie my hammock up with the head too high (or even with more rope between tree & hammock) i have a tendency to slide closer to the foot end of the hammock. this will also put my feet off the reflector. if i tie it just a slight bit higher at the foot end (or with more rope between the tree & this end) my feet will stay on top of the reflector area and stay warmer.
NECKBONE

[NECKBONE]

i might have got my wires (ropes) crossed a bit. the rope on the head end needs to have just a bit more between the tree & the hammock than the foot end does.

[Pooja Blue]

Those Mycoal/Grabber hand warmers work pretty well. I also sewed a pair of double-layer fleece booties and carried them in my cold weather gear. I could never stay warm enough in a hammock, but then I sleep really, really cold.

[Reverie]

Thanks for all that great advice. I have to admit that cold feet were never a problem until the last three years or so. This roughly coincides with middle-age (according to my physician) so I suppose that might be it. I do need to remember to tie the foot of the hammock a little higher. I was off the reflector. I can't afford the price of the underquilt just yet but I am dreaming.

I absolutely love my hammock and really want to use it in every circumstance that will allow it. I will be back out in a couple of weekends so I'll cheat and bring both (It's a truck camping weekend, anyway). I'll try the hammock and if it works out I'll leave the tent in the truck. If it doesn't work out then the hike back to the truck will warm up my feet anyway...

Reverie

[rpettit]

When I backpack at 40 degrees or below, I take a heavier "winter jacket", the insulation is thinsulate. I zip it up and pull it on over top of the foot area of my down sleeping bag, it adds extra insulation up to my calves. No more cold feet.

[Footslogger]

Chemical heat packs are extra stuff to bring in and extra stuff to carry out. Instead, boil up a liter of water, pour it into a good nalgene bottle (of course you have to carry one of those, some of us still do). That bottle goes in the foot of your bag, perhaps wrapped in a spare bit of clothing to keep the bottle from scorching your feet. Guaranteed to keep you warmer. Use a 1/2 liter bottle if it's not that big a problem.=======================================
This is a great idea and I've done it on weekend hikes when I've had a lot of extra stove fuel to spare.

'Slogger

[peter_pan]

Have to agree with Sgt Rock, and in my pre under quilt experience, cold feet was normally a result of no or inadequate insulation under the heels....

OBTW, down booties are super addition to any winter set up for the cold footed sleeper...much better than wool socks...combine them for real heat... get them with the thin insole of CC and a waterproof material bottom and you are set for the mid night call...hassle free warm hammocking...mmmmm.

[oldfivetango]

Have to agree with Sgt Rock, and in my pre under quilt experience, cold feet was normally a result of no or inadequate insulation under the heels....

OBTW, down booties are super addition to any winter set up for the cold footed sleeper...much better than wool socks...combine them for real heat... get them with the thin insole of CC and a waterproof material bottom and you are set for the mid night call...hassle free warm hammocking...mmmmm. Most of you know i am in the yard testing phase with the HH before i go into
real time mode.Cold feet had been a problem until i put on extra heavy duty
wool socks that i got from Cabela and did the following.One of those space
blanket material bags that Campmor sells is in the bottom of my sleeping bag.
I do not get in it inside the sleeping bag because of moisture problems.
HOWEVER, if i leave it sort of wadded up in a heap and get my feet on top
of it with DRY socks on then i am warm as toast.Biggest problem i have now
after fixing my airleak is one most of you older guys like me know something
about.
Here's the scenario- you are laying there in the HH in your bag warm as toast.You have your mummy bag adjusted "just right" so that the incoming
air is not scalding your nose and throat with its frigid temp-then the thought-"I gotta go.No i dont.Yeah you do,too.Not now,just hold it.Man,I
am so comfortable otherwise.Just a little longer-you can make it a while longer yet.OH NO YOU CANT!!! WHERE'S THAT ZIPPER?!!!!! WHERES THAT SLIT IN THE BOTTOM OF THIS HERE HAMMOCK?GET ME OUTTA HERE!!
-Then when it's all over and you are outside in the cold night air looking in.
SHAZAM! I got to get back in this thing and start over again.I will likely buy
that underquilt and just use the bag as a quilt-I JUST CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!:bse
Cheers to all,
Oldfivetango

[Fiddleback]

[QUOTE=oldfivetango]
Here's the scenario- you are laying there in the HH in your bag warm as toast.You have your mummy bag adjusted "just right" so that the incoming
air is not scalding your nose and throat with its frigid temp-then the thought-"I gotta go.No i dont.Yeah you do,too.Not now,just hold it.Man,I
am so comfortable otherwise.Just a little longer-you can make it a while longer yet.OH NO YOU CANT!!! WHERE'S THAT ZIPPER?!!!!! WHERES THAT SLIT IN THE BOTTOM OF THIS HERE HAMMOCK?GET ME OUTTA HERE!!
-Then when it's all over and you are outside in the cold night air looking in.
SHAZAM! I got to get back in this thing and start over again.I will likely buy
that underquilt and just use the bag as a quilt-I JUST CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!/QUOTE]

Spent all of my first year using a Hennessey without using a sleeping bag (...to be accurate, I did use a bag as a quilt on one night). Nighttime temps ranged from about 28 to about 53. There are advantages and disadvantages to what I did but the above was an unanticipated advantage. Not using a sleeping bag and being fully dressed in my cold weather clothing made getting up not much of a problem...:clap Ditto those cold morning starts.

FB

[Wastrel]

I had the same cold foot problem a few weeks ago using a full length blue Target pad under my feet at 37F and attributed the problem to the fact that my feet may have been slightly elevated reletive to my heart (heavy but* syndrome) and hence the circulation to my feet may have been reduced. I considered getting out of the hammock and sleeping level on the ground, but as this analysis was just a theory, I opted to stay put.

[peter_pan]

Pitch your hammock on the lee of a ridge, parallel with it and on steep slopes say 20-30 degree, Then with practice you don't have to get up to do the relief. Simply extend the uphill leg thru the slit, cock the down hill leg out 90 degrees and flex back the lower leg ( foot to the slit) Aim down hill thru the opening and go. Lay back, pull your leg in and resettle under your warm quilt. Try it, it really does work.

[oldfivetango]

Thanks Fiddleback,
I get the impression you "wore" all the insulation you needed.In other words,
if i put on my insulated jumper and maybe a light fleece bag i could likely do without
that 3.5 pounds of sleeping bag that im using now and probably break even on the weight?That's a pretty good idea.I did sleep once while car camping in my "heavy" clothers but figured it would not do to take them and a full blown sleeping bag on a hike because of the weight issue.Now i got something else to explore.I will let you know how this all works out for me.Thanks.
Cheers to all,
Oldfivetango

[David S.]

I can't say this for certain but I am pretty confident that in my experience, my cold feet have been the result of usually one of four things: (usually 1 and 2)

1. Poor circulation to the feet...sometimes even a tight fitting wool sock may inhibit circulation to a degree. If my feet are having a hard time recieving enough warm blood, they are going to be cold. I spent about six hours hiking in cold temps and 3 inches of snow last week in nothing more than loosely fitting tennis shoes and thin nylon socks and my feet were toasty warm the entire hike. The only thing I can attribute the warmth to was having great circulation. This is only speculation.

2. Exposure to cold drafts or cold surfaces that would drain the heat away.

3. Not keeping the head warm enough. As someone else mentioned, your body will shut down blood flow to the feet in order to keep your head warm. Sometimes you may not realize how much heat you are actually loosing through your head.

4. Wet or damp socks. I have found that sometimes my feet sweat so much during the night that even after changing into "dry" sleeping socks, they end up feeling ever so slightly damp and therefore cold during the night. Even at home in bed sometimes my feet are warmer under the covers without socks than with...and sometimes warmer with. It probably has alot to do with my current physiology at that point in time...i.e..what is in my tummy, how much water I've been drinking, whether my body is under stress in some way...etc. Everyone is different.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Pitch your hammock on the lee of a ridge, parallel with it and on steep slopes say 20-30 degree, Then with practice you don't have to get up to do the relief. Simply extend the uphill leg thru the slit, cock the down hill leg out 90 degrees and flex back the lower leg ( foot to the slit) Aim down hill thru the opening and go. Lay back, pull your leg in and resettle under your warm quilt. Try it, it really does work.
So, do you take a squirt under your bed at home too?:-?

[rpettit]

This seems to be an appropriate thread to ask this question. I am looking for input/advice on the weight of the fleece jackets/tops/bottoms/socks/gloves/balaclavas/caps etc. that hammockers use to sleep in their hammock?

[SGT Rock]

I used Army brown polypro for years successfully. Cheapand light. I recently switched to some Polartec powerstretch fleece and it is a little more compressable to fit in the pack, it isn'tany warmer and it sure was a whole lot more expensive. My hat and gloves are Wigwam, and my gloves are some cheap old polypro liners.

[The Hammocker]

I think hand warmers would solve that problem.

[smokymtnsteve]

cold feet..let me tell ya bout cold feet...this winter I was cutting firewood on snowshoes at -18 and after a couple hours my feet got pretty cold :rolleyes: I had on mylar with a good pair of wool socks and pac boots.

I like 300 wt fleece socks, they seem to be warmer than wool. also they dry out quick and are lighter. also mylar liner socks work well.


today it is -25 and I have on mylar liners and a pair of 300 wt fleece inside my pac boots and my feet are not cold. :D

[Fiddleback]

For very cold temps like the -18F I have never found anything better than the cheap mukluks that the AF (and other services?) issue. They're canvas lace ups that reach to mid calf, have rubber soles, and good, removable felt liners. About the coldest I've hiked around in them is -22F and, worn with a normal pair of wool hiking socks, I've never felt the slightest bit of chill. Because of their canvas uppers, these are really suitable only for extreme cold in which there is no chance of getting the mukluks wet. I've thought about spraying the canvas with silicone but I don't see the need.

The rubber sole is not particularly good on smooth ice but it's better than street shoes. My mukluks are an ugly grey-green as is the pair we bought for my Lady. Her's cost a whopping $14 at a surplus store. Felt liner replacements seem to be available everywhere.

Three weeks ago I walked around my property in -10F with some reps from the NRCS, i.e., professional foresters. My feet were toasty, theirs' were not. :sun

FB

[smokymtnsteve]

many folks here in AK seem to also use 'bunny boots"

they are very heavy though...

[Fiddleback]

I was issued bunny boots twice...kept them in my closet for a total of four years and turned them back in unused both times. They are heavy...looked to be water proof, though.

FB

[smokymtnsteve]

Mushers use bunny boots to deal with overflow areas...