What if i told you that i have found a winter hiking boot setup that allows me to fall knee-deep
into freezing ice-cold creeks while still keeping my boots and socks completely dry and my feet
toasty warm. Well i have and in this video i will go over that complete setup but first what not to
wear. These are the hiking boots that i wear on a typical snowy day here in boise idaho.
They claim to be waterproof, they have some extra traction for the snow and when i first got into
winter backpacking these are what i tried first. On my first hike with them i tried them with a pair
of just regular snow socks and they got soaking wet. So on my next hike i added gaiters to the
setup. That worked pretty well, kept them a little drier but they still got wet and they did not
keep my feet warm. So let's start this video off by getting that out of the way immediately. Your
normal waterproof hiking boots or your typical winter hiking boots will not work if you're
actually wanting to do miles in the snow in the winter time in the harshest conditions.
These are Kamik or Kamik? I totally looked up the pronunciation of these before i started this but
now i can't remember Kamik, Kamik, whatever these are Kamik Nation Plus Insulated Pac Boots. They're
from a Canadian company, i bought these from Cabela's. Now Sorel's are typically the popular
pac boots but they're really expensive like 200 bucks. These are only $90 that's right ninety
dollars. The insulation in these removable liners is 200 grams. They work down to negative 40 degrees
so whatever that insulation is it works and i've used them in the coldest of conditions, dumped them
in streams and i am happy to say they are very waterproof. These are actually waterproof now
you've heard me complain a lot about hiking boots not actually being waterproof, these are really
waterproof. I'm talking if you dunk them they will not fill up with water they will stay dry.
The tongue is waterproof, they're super warm. The average weight per pair of these boots is
3.6 pounds so they aren't actually that heavy for how big they look. So first thing you do for
your winter hiking boot setup is you get yourself a pair of pac boots. Second thing you're going to
need is a pair of socks. I just use these Stance Forest Cover Socks. I got these actually from REI.
They're made for snow sports. They're a medium cushion. They're actually kind of thin but they do
the trick. This is all you need with these boots in fact i have found that my feet stay warmer
when i only use one pair of socks. Using two pairs of socks can cut off circulation to your feet
which doesn't help when you're trying to keep your feet warm. They can also lower the
breathability of your whole setup so i just go with the one pair of socks. I have gone
with two before but one pair is all you need for these boots. And if this is all you get these $25
pair of socks and these $90 pair of boots you are ready to go out into the back country.
You're ready to hit the snow and you can do a lot and you can
go far with just that setup. If you want to make it indestructible and actually make it
waterproof where you can stick your feet into an actual creek, you need one more piece of gear.
These are REI co-op's mountaineering gaiters. So what i normally do is obviously i put my socks
on first, put my boots on, and then i am wearing a base layer and i'm wearing a soft shell pant that
goes over my boots and a hard shell rain pant that goes over my boots as well. And then i seal it all
up with these gaiters and that makes the whole setup indestructible and waterproof even if
you accidentally stick your foot in a creek or through some ice into a puddle you're good
you're gonna stay dry. Now the first pair of gaiters i bought were a very popular gaiter
made by Outdoor Research. They were the Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Gaiters. These are quite a
bit more expensive these are only $75 that rocky mountain gaiter that Outdoor Research makes
is $50. The ones from Outdoor Research did not work for me. The big problem that i had from them was
that this bottom piece was adjustable with a metal cinch like a metal buckle that went right here.
In my second use with them that thing completely broke off. I don't know if it couldn't handle the
cold or just the terrain of actual mountaineering. So with these as you can see there is no
buckle it's just this adjustable hook that adjusts in here. I just find these to be much more solid
much more sturdy. Even if you don't get these and you think these are a little too expensive
i definitely recommend not getting gaiters with a buckle. Make sure it has this kind of plastic or
this kind of setup because that buckle will break when mountaineering in those cold temperatures.
So if this is all you have that's great you're going to go a long way and if you want to save
some weight and not carry anything else this is all you need. But what's the fun in that
people? We want to enjoy the winter time not just survive it. So there's a couple more pieces that
you can take with you to really really make your foot situation super warm and super comfortable.
First piece of gear is some extra socks. Obviously you're going to want to take some extra socks
that's just, you always take extra socks when you're backpacking. But i like to take this extra
fluffy thick pair of wool socks. These are Cabela's 61 series wool boot socks. They're 70% wool, they're
super thick, they're super warm, they're $14, i like to add this to the bag if i have any room.
These are Outdoor Research's Tundra Aerogel Lightweight Booties. They're made with prima loft.
They weigh 9.3 ounces. They claim to be NASA approved i don't know what that means that doesn't
really blow the skirt off my back is that a phrase? I don't really care that they're NASA approved.
They cinch up so they don't fall off just like that. They have a real real thick bottom to them
so that when you're walking on snow and cold your feet won't get cold. They claim to have traction
for the snow, they do not. So just watch yourself if you're walking on ice. These are super light
they're super comfy, they're super warm, and they just make life around camp so nice. Where you can
take your heavy boots off at the end of the day and just get nice and comfy in your little down
booties. And finally the most simple piece of gear but probably the most versatile piece is take some
foot warmers. Always just take some foot warmers. They're just extra nice. You can throw them in the
booties at night if you want some extra warmth. You can throw them in the morning in your pac boots
so that you aren't putting your feet in cold boots. Or if you get a little chilly at night these work
really well in your sleeping bag. You can just throw these into your sleeping bag
and get some extra warmth. I actually take several packs of these just because of the versatility
and you know where to find these they're cheap, just pick a few up. Now that you have your feet
dialed in check out this video and dial in your sleep system. Here's a playlist with all my gear
reviews and YouTube thinks you'll like this one. Thanks for watching i'll see you next time.