I’ve come to terms that if my feet are cold I’m not sleeping. In a desperate act to change this around I’m trying to find down booties for camping that I can wear at home and make my feet super toasty. I don’t want socks because I can feel them compressing my feet and I keep hearing about booties being like little warm insulated clouds. The only problem is I keep running into ones that are either not down fill and or have a stable bottom so people can walk out and about in them. Any suggestions?
Due to the multiple comments related to wool socks, I’d really appreciate it if I could get suggestions specific to down booties and not socks. I can see how that was not clear so thank you for your consideration.
I have a pair of these that I use for severe (-20°F) camping and after ice diving (I usually dive until either my hands or feet start to get numb). They are worthless for outdoor wear since they, by design, have zero tread. But they are also custom made, and extremely warm:
@Nevan
I’ve got a pair as well and if OP is looking for fluffy clouds for their feet these would be the choice.
@Nevan
Just ordered mine on Black Friday; they’re fantastic. They make me want to order a custom belay jacket!
@Nevan
I should also mention that these are light (my pair is around 3 oz with 8D/20D combo and standard fill) and pack down extremely compact.
@Nevan
These seems wildly inexpensive. I might just have to get some
@Nevan
I’ve got a pair like this except with a grippy material on the bottom, so you can walk outside in the snow/ice to pee without slipping.
Another option is to get a small dog who prefers sleeping in the sleeping bag. We were at a cabin on new years eve, and I didn’t quite get the woodstove set to last all night. After it died out it got real cold, and Ruby crawled into my sleeping bag all the way to the bottom like a little foot warmer.
Feathered friends brown booties
Ren said:
Feathered friends brown booties
I also have the Feathered Friends Down Booties. I use them winter camping and like them. They have a 2-part construction, in that there is an inner down bootie and separate outer shell you can pull on to walk around and protect the bootie from damage, getting wet or dirty, etc. The two parts slide around a bit when walking around, so there are complaints online about that, but if you just plan on sleeping in them, then I recommend them. They are toasty warm.
Are you looking for booties with a sole for walking around or are you looking for booties that are just down socks without soles? I can’t decide which type you are looking for in your post.
I have some Western Mountaineering booties, and I love them. I sleep with them on too.
Keenan said:
I have some Western Mountaineering booties, and I love them. I sleep with them on too.
I was on their website and saw ones that described a foam bottom inside that stabilizes it for walking but not much detail. Does yours have a foam bottom and if so, how thick is that? Does it bother you while sleeping?
@Teagan
It has a sole, of sorts. It’s like, maybe half an inch of foam? Reminds me of slippers. It’s for lazing around camp and would be ruined if you walked around in it too much. It has never bothered me while wearing them in my sleeping bag.
@Keenan
Thank you so much for letting me know. The price wasn’t bad and I was super curious. I guess I could try to see how I feel if there’s foam on my feet in bed with the specifications you described. Is it particularly squishy or pretty firm?
@Teagan
Oh, also! I have both the tall and short versions of these booties. The tall ones are more expensive, but I think the short ones are equally as warm. I don’t think one outperforms the other.
@Teagan
It’s squishy! It’s very floppy and not stiff. If you walk on hard snow or pebbles, you will feel everything, lol.
@Teagan
There’s enough foam that it holds its shape but that’s it. If you slapped someone across the face with it they might not even know there was a stiffener in there, it’s very floppy. The sole will hold its shape while you sleep and create a sort of foot cavern
Just in case it hasn’t been considered, have you looked at hand warmers?
I went camping in -30°C weather and slept in a lean-to for a pilot wilderness survival exercise. My sleeping bag was not rated for those temperatures, but wearing a toque and dropping a hand warmer in the bottom of my bag were enough to keep me toasty all night. I’ll add that I also was wearing wool socks so the hand warmer wouldn’t contact my skin directly.
@Tamsin
I’ve done quite a few nights in 0 to -20°F weather with my 20°F sleeping bag with this combination of supplemental clothing:
- Basic thermal underwear.
- Really warm stocking cap.
- Nemo Tensor All-Season
- 1990 vintage army poncho liner (“Woobie”) over top of me
- Down booties.
The down booties are pretty critical, since my extreme cold sleeping posture is side-sleeping in a semi-fetal position with my hands between my legs. The cold extremities are my feet, and as long as I get the feet semi-warm in the first place, the booties are excellent at keeping them warm the rest of the night.
I usually have hand warmers, but only use them if the feet actually get cold somehow, since in really cold weather I often have the problem that once my feet get too cold, circulation to them seems to drop, worsening the effect.
My fiancé and I each have a pair of these Wiggy’s booties that are perfect for around the campsite. Booties: Warm, Durable & Breathable - by Wiggy’s