I go to the Army Navy store and buy their calf high ...moisture wicking socks...not heavy at all...but keep your feet dry. Remember cotton is rotten...for socks and tee Shirts

Baffin boots. Incredibly warm. Fair to walk in but on stand or running the trap line or calling from snowmachine they are second to none.

Osky

These
Osky

I use the hot hands body warmer pacs and tape them to the top of my boots. First time I saw a buddy do it I thought he was crazy but after trying it I decided he was borderline genius. The hot hands need to be exposed to air to work and the ones made to go inside your boot doesn’t get enough air to work properly. You would be surprised how warm your feet will stay with them taped to the top of your boots just over your toes.

Most socks have tight fitting elastic that cuts circulation not good. I have had good luck with electric insoles and electric socks and I found the new generation hold up pretty well. If your not into high tech. I agree with mukluks with liners and loose wool socks, however the ones I have used have no traction. I have thought about putting traction skins on them like the skis have.

Boco and White are correct. It's moisture that reaches the cold that makes your feet cold. It's just like insulation in your house. As long as the insulation is dry, it works at maximum efficiency. If water vapor infiltrates the insulation and condenses, the insulation looses most of its cold-blocking properties. That's why houses have vapor barriers. The same with your socks and boot insulation. The theory behind the bunny boots is that the insulating felt layers are encapsulated between the vapor proof lining and the vapor proof outer rubber layer. If either of these vapor proof layers are damaged and sweat vapor or creek water reaches the felt insulation, your feet will get cold. If sweat vapor or moisture passes through your socks and reaches the insulation in your boots, both your socks and your boots have lost their insulating properties. Your feet WILL get cold.

My feet sweat a lot. My solution, dating back to my days working on the AK pipeline, is to buy a roll of painter's socks designed to be worn over the boot or shoe when painting. These came in a roll of 100 and were about 8" tall. I don't know if these are even still available, but I've used bread sacks and other plastic bags and they work. A pair of cotton socks, then the plastic painter socks, then heavy wool socks, and a pair of good shoe pacs and I could work outside for 12 hour shifts, including jobs where I didn't move around much (flagging traffic at truck crossings) and my feet never got cold unless the plastic socks tore while pulling the wool socks on. As long as you have a vapor barrier keeping your wool socks and boots bone dry, your feet will stay warm. Of course this requires good quality footwear as a starting point.

I did this on a daily basis for months at a stretch for several winters. When I pulled off my boots back in camp, my toes looked like white prunes and the cotton socks were wringing wet. I was always careful to wash my feet well and use foot powder.

Or just wear bunny boots in good condition.

I wear insulated boots, gaiters, and long underwear. The gaiters make a noticeable difference. You can't keep your feet warm if the blood traveling down your legs gets cold on the way to your feet. All that is still not enough to keep my feet warm as long as I need them to be warm, but it helps. A blanket over your legs helps too.

When the "stand" is a blind and out of the wind I have another solution. While seated, put a lit Sterno can between your feet and a wool blanket or a jacket over your legs to trap the heat. I like wool because it doesn't burn easily. You don't need a whole blanket, just a piece large enough to cover the legs down to your boot tops. This system will keep you and your feet warm for hours and Sterno has no scent to spook the game. I wouldn't try it in an open tree stand both because it won't work as well and if you kick the Sterno can off it might light the woods on fire. That might get your feet a bit too warm!

You don't wear cotton in cold weather. Its wise to wear a polypropylene sock under a wool or synthetic sock. Wool retains body heat even when wet. The poly sock wicks moisture away to keep your foot dry and the wool sock absorbs the sweat but still stays warm.

I wear uninsulated boots and put on either artic shield or icebreaker boot blankets.

Size 11 Ice King boots ....one size bigger than my shoe size. I only wear one pair of Wool blend socks and in Using these boots I dont Ever ger cold feet anymore.

The small adhesive foot warmers placed inside up front are beneficial on very cold days.

Smart wool ski socks and Irish setter boots with 400-600 grams thinsulate. Works for me in sub zero coyote line walking it. If sitting for a long period of time I add a thin sock under the smart wool ski socks.
Jim

+1 ^^^^^^^^^

Some of us don't have good circulation like others.
I like big boots, I think some extra air in there is good insulation and gives your foot some room for blood flow.
Keeping the rest of my body good and warm if I'm just sitting helps hands and feet, if moving around you have to unzip or take off.
Living close to an army surplus store I tried all that stuff, I liked the quilted pant liners, I don't think they was made to fit man, but once you get them on and inside of pants they were warm. They also had and still do have boot liners made out of the same stuff, I always liked them with hip boots. I tried the huge snow boots and were warm but weren't that great for clutches or brakes.
I also tried the thin bamboo socks next to skin, they work ok but awful aggravating getting on rough feet, also saw dust or dirt ruins them quick.
An outside heat source is the way to go in extreme cold, if your in a good proven spot and don't feel the need to move to new locations then a propane stove and soup and hot chocolate is the way to go, an extra battery to keep your phone or tablet charged and your set.
I do that in my living room by the fire and let the younger worry about the deer, I just worry about my next trip to wood pile, lol.

I Like Big Boots- and I Can Not Lie

Sorry....just thought of a good song there...... OP

I had I've kings. They were awesome. I bought a size larger and it was a mistake for me. Too sloppy. They were so warm I didn't need to get a size bigger. My feet got real hot and sweaty when I walked a ways in them.

I found the real key is to keep them dry. A boot dryer is a must...and if you're wearing your boots in the truck, keep the heat off the floor. As soon as you're feet start to sweat, you are losing ground. And no way to dry those boots out without a boot dryer. Boots needed for optimum heat need to be dried after every use.

Yup.
+1 on letting them heat up before putting your boots on. White17's "loose is warm" advice is well worth taking. Cold restricts circulation to extremities, as does tight clothing.
Very true.

Cotton works just fine, so long as you understand and work with it. I've used cotton for over forty years from 108F down to -24F without any problems.
Materials don't kill... ignorance does.

I am keeping my feet in South Carolina and Tennessee with the odd warm up in Florida and that seems to work pretty well

Don't allow them to sweat is the first step.

Bought a [pair of insulated overboots that work great. walk in with you regular boots and slip on the overboots when you're there.