Thinsulate? 600,800 or 1000 grams? Help?

[orangestew]

I'm in the market for some new boots and am not sure what the best choice would be. I'm tired of getting wet and cold feet, my boots are wore out. They have lasted 9 years I think it's about time for new ones.

Is there really a big difference in how many grams of thinsulate a person gets? I don't want my feet to get to hot when it comes to grouse and pheasant hunting and at the same time I would like my toes to stay warm during the deer firearms seasons.

Probably the obvious choice would be to pick the one in the middle. I was looking at a pair that have the 1000 grams and they felt pretty nice but just for the few minutes I had them on my feet did start to feel warm "indoors". Maybe it was because I was expecting them to get hot, mental thing.

Would I be unhappy going with the 1000g for an over all boot? Should I be going with the 600g to have more comfortable feet in the early fall? Am I expecting to much from one boot? Is there a boot that is good for all seasons?

What has been everyones experience when it comes to boots?

[pulsar_nx]

I'd say 600 or 800, probibly lean towards 600 if you do alot of moving around.

My pair of 1000s get kindof hot on a warm winters day on the ice.

[PerchJerker]

There's a lot more that goes into it besides just the number of grams of thinsulate, such as the sole and the insulation between the sole and your feet, how well they fit, how compressed the thinsulate is, what material the boot is made out of, if they are gortex or have a similar membrane, etc.

Quote:

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Am I expecting to much from one boot? Is there a boot that is good for all seasons

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Quick answer is yes, you will not find 1 boot that works good at all temperature ranges.

I usually use 600 gram boots for upland bird hunting. They get a little warm on the warm, sunny hot days, but they will also keep me warm enough on the days I'm walking through snow, or if I'm posting and not moving for a while. I wear them a lot for early spring and late fall fishing in the boat. And I'll wear my 600 gram boots on occasion when deer hunting or ice fishing, but they need to be warmer days and being able to move around is a key. 400 grams is another good option for bird hunting.

I have a pair of 800 gram boots that are excellent, they are Timberland Iditarods. Probably my favorite boots. Too warm for bird hunting except on the coldest days, warm enough to cover many deer hunting and ice fishing scenarios except for the coldest days. There are a lot of 1,000 gr boots that would perform like this too I think.

When you get over 1000 grams you need to worry about the insulation being compressed too much to work very well. Insulation needs space to trap air to be effective. I bought a pair of 2000 gram boots (or something like that) specifically for ice once that Cabelas had marked way down. They're really not that warm of boots. I had to go up 2.5 sizes from normal to have room for my toes to move, but even so the sole of the boots and the toe of the boots isn't insulated well and my feet get cold quicker than they should. All that insulation is at the sides and top of the boots. They are a hiking or hunting style of boot, not a pack boot with rubber bottoms (which is a better style for lots of grams of insulation).

You for sure want gortex or a similar membrane in your boots. The nature of the membrane will help keep your feet a little warmer than a boot without a membrane.

A couple important things to note are making sure you have enough room for your toes to move comfortably - if they're too tight they won't be warm enough. And how much you'll be moving around is a key also.

I often deer hunt in cold weather in a pack boot, the ones I have are warm and lightweight so they're comfortable for walking, easy enough to climb in and out of treestands, etc. The rubber soles and bottoms are nice for holding a lot of insulation, keeping the wind at bay, and controlling scent.

Another option to consider for a more all-purpose boot that could be used in cold weather when you're not moving around is the foot-heater chemical packs, either for insoles or that go under your toes. I don't use them much myself but know some people that use them a lot and really like them. Again, make sure you have enough room in the boot for something like this if you go this route.

Good luck, I hope some of this helps.

[gofishingtom]

I would look at the Danner pronghorn..they run around 149-169 unless you find a sale..but for fishing,hunting...they have been the most comfortable boot that i have ever owned and have had mine now going on 5 years..and i got the 400 gram ones..But if you get the right socks and you dont have extremely cold blooded feet..Get a liner sock that wicks away the moisture and then over that put your bigger or wool sock..If you just put on a wool sock or 2 wool socks when your feet get hot right away and sweat that when they get cold..You need to keep your feet from sweating that is wear you get cold feet they sweat on the way out to your stand and then you sit with wet feet and get cold because your not moving anymore..Hope this helps some of the cold feet out there...

[MuleShack]

Good information Perch Jerker.

I was looking at the cabelas catalog and seen some Rocky boots with 1000 gr insulation with gortex and the rubber soles with insulation in the soles.

I was looking for a more versatile boot for ice fishing as well as fall and spring boat fishing to get a way from the "clunk", "clunk" of the sorel boot.

These boots were rated for -135 degrees and the sorels were only rated for -40.

Guessing they too will be way too warm for fall and spring activities...just winter on the ice fishing?

[orangestew]

Thanks for the good info PerchJerker. That will make my decision a little easier.

[JDM]

I wear some 400 gram & gortex for just about everything. If it is cold, I wear Thorlo socks, which are the best and always keep my feet warm. I wear them directly against the skin. I also tried those new throw away heater insoles during deer season and they really keep you toasty warm. Now, for really cold weather or ice fishing, I wear some 1200 gram gortex boots that are really big and clunky, but they are warm. I also will wear rubber boots during deer hunting. I don't think one boot can do it all really well, but I would go lighter rather than heavier when it comes to insulation. Especially because it just doesn't seem to ever be that cold during hunting season anymore. The gortex is the key - it keeps you dry. Also - I think it wears out after 4 to 5 years. Has anyone else found that to be the case?

If you wear cotton socks, your feet will sweat and freeze no matter what kind of boot you have.

[PerchJerker]

I've never noticed a problem with gortex wearing out. Usually the problems are with stitching leaking or with waterproof seams leaking.

Another tip is that a lot of guys would do better with a Wide width boot than a Medium or Regular width boot, especially when you start getting extra socks. If you have to keep adding length in 1/2 sizes to get a boot to fit, try going to a Wide and see if it makes a difference for you.

[hawgeye]

Orangestew,

If your looking to get another 9 years out of a boot, you might want to go with the 1000 gram. It will be an ice fishing boot the first 4 years and an upland boat the remainder. My experience with thinsulate is that its warm the first few years and loses its insulating value as it gets pounded down.

Dave

[slipperybob]

Right on, thinsulate can become compressed and lossing it's inuslation property. Like all insulation, it's need air to work well. You have to get moisture out as that will be your undoing. Feet that get's too hot, gets too much perspiration, and then moisture replacing air in unsulation, then you're screwed and end up with trench foot.

The type of socks you choose is far more important than how many sock layers you wear. Often time choosing a high moisture wicking socks like hiking socks will work a lot better then those thermal socks.

[ricqik]

I use a regular hiking boot for early season. When the weather gets down to the mid thirties or lower I switch over to my 2000gram boots.

[Big-Al]

As long as thinsulite is being discussed here, can someone tell me what the number actually means?

If I have a 1200 gram boot does that mean there is 1200 grams in that boot or is it per square foot of service area or???

[slipperybob]

insulation is measured against each other by the same standards...so something like per square foot can be a standard.

Look at gloves as they very in size from small to xtra-large. If it's 400 gram of insulation they it's the same on thickness on each glove size.