Warm Feet in a dry suit

[00wabbit]

There are wonder Warner's. pop the metal peice to shock it into starting a chemical reaction. Heat last about 30mins. Boil them to reset.

 

[KevWind]

Hi,

Thanks to the great package deal that White's had going on, I'm the proud owner of a Fusion One dry suit.

The suit came with 3mm neoprene socks. Would people recommend wearing those over the feet first, and then some sort of smart wool type sock over that? (Or vice versa?) If so, how thick should the socks be? I might be trying an ice dive this winter and the water would definitely be cold.

Also, is there a brand/type of sportswear that people would recommend wearing under the MK2 Undergarment that came with it? Has anyone tried the MK 0?

Actually wearing the neoprene under the wool sock defeats two of it's three thermal advantages. The advantages of wool is that it does three things,#1 it will wick (not as fast as a synthetic) but will wick. #2 It will absorb the moisture into the inner layer and away from the skin. Because it is a two layer fiber with an outer scale type layer that does not absorb water and an inner layer that is absorbent. #3 It will insulate. The moisture wicks through the scaled outer layer and is absorbed into the inner layer, which is why wool will still insulate when wet. And does not feel as cold when wet, as say cotton. So even though it will help insulate the neoprene if worn on the outside it is not as efficient as wearing it under the neoprene. Neoprene does insulate but neoprene won't wick the moisture away from your skin, so you will tend to have a wet layer on your skin if worn next to it.

 

[TSandM]

I tried the neoprene a bunch of different ways, but never found one I liked. I second the recommendation for the Whites MK3 socks, or Weezle booties, or some type of specific insulated sock. I have a prototype that Whites gave me to test and I absolutely and utterly love them.

The other key to warm feet is not to compress the insulation too much. If you are using lace-up boots, you have to find the right balance between lacing them tight enough to stay solidly in place, and not being so tight that your feet get cold. This is part of the reason that I no longer use lace-up boots.

 

[101recon]

For the feet I wear Carhartt Cold Weather Boot Socks. Under the MK2 I wear Under Armour ColdGear top and bottom. If it's really cold I'll add a pair of regular socks under the boot socks and a regular pair of thermal underwear between the Under Armour and MK2. BTW TSandM makes a very good point about not lacing up too tight.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have tried all sorts of sock and boot combinations. What I do now (mostly) is a wool sock while wearing neoprene wet boots on the outside. I don't do much seriously cold diving, but what I am doing works.

The primary reason for my experimentation has not been for warmth but rather for comfort and feel for the fin. For that reason I do have a warning on the neoprene socks, which I used to use. After some pretty frewquent diving a couple of years ago, I developed a lot of pain in one foot. It turned out to be Morton's Neuroma. The primary cause for it was a lifetime of abuse through athletics, but what was causing the problem while diving was a pinching of the ball of the foot, which as severely irritating the damaged nerve. After a lot of experimenting, I realized the primary cause was that neoprene sock, which was too narrow for my wide feet. I now focus on making sure there is plenty of room for my foot to spread out and be comfortable.

 

[drl]

I wear the neoprene socks over polartec socks, under the drysuit and boots of course, and my feet have been warm enough. If I lace my boots too tight my toes get cold.

 

[pinshootr]

Also carry a thermos of hot water so if your feet start to get cold during your SI pour some hot water in your boots to warm your feet up.

 

[Hickdive]

Also carry a thermos of hot water so if your feet start to get cold during your SI pour some hot water in your boots to warm your feet up.

Not a very good idea in a drysuit.

 

[tracydr]

I wear smart wool and then polar fleece on top. I wouldn't use neoprene next to the skin as it would make your feet clammy,damp and then cold. You need something that wicks and keeps you dry.

 

[RVBldr]

Up in Puget Sound, I've tried Lave Core and 4th Element, but I found that a thin pair of poly wicking liners, then a pair of REI mountaineering socks seems to work best and I'm using the EVO3 boots with somewhat loose lacing. So far no cold feet.