Frozen boots after sleeping outdoors during a cold night

[Lefteris]

Hi all,

recently I went camping and slept in my hammock during a very cold night (below -20C, yeap, it is still cold up here in Finland).
Before I slept, I took off my boots, which were wet (both outside and inside) because of snow and my sweat.
In the morning, the boots were "frozen". It was really hard to put them back on, because they were hard and inflexible due to the frozen wetness. When I managed to put them on, my feet felt painfully cold (of course).

Do you have any tips to fight this difficulty when camping during freezing nights?
All I can think of is either to keep the boots on while sleeping, or have them off but with me in the hammock.
But I don't like any of these two ideas (the first option is uncomfortable and the second one is smelly!).

Thank you!

 

[ReamviThantos]

Bang them in a bag and pop them down the bottom of your sleeping bag.

 

[Imagedude]

I had the same problem in Finland last week. Fortunately I had removeable felt liners which I could dry at the bottom of my sleeping bag.

 

[Edventure]

I remember being on our first exercise on Dartmoor in Feb 76 as a young soldier waking up to find my boots and water bottle frozen stiff. Always kept boots and bottle in sleeping bag after that!

 

[maddave]

I have 2 small collapseable water bottles that I fill with boiling water then stuff them in the boots with a sock on top.... Boots are dry in the morning and you have cool but unfrozen drinking water in the bottles

 

[rg598]

I use vapor barrier liners and Gore-Tex boots. That keeps them dry, so they don't freeze overnight. Even so, I make sure to open them up as wide as possible when I take them off, so if they do freeze, I can still put them on.

I am very much opposed to putting boots or any part thereof (and wet clothing for that matter) in a sleeping bag to dry out. All it does is get your sleeping bag wet. If it is cold enough for the boots to freeze, it is cold enough for that moisture to not leave your bag. It's just a personal preference.

I've seen other people put Nalgene bottled with hot water in their boots in the morning, as well as put them in a plastic bag and stuff them in their sleeping bag if there was room.

 

[ReamviThantos]

"I am very much opposed to putting boots or any part thereof (and wet clothing for that matter) in a sleeping bag to dry out. All it does is get your sleeping bag wet. If it is cold enough for the boots to freeze, it is cold enough for that moisture to not leave your bag. It's just a personal preference."

Agreed hense the putting of the boots in a carrier bag mate to keep the sleeping bag from being affected.

 

[Artzi]

Hi all,

recently I went camping and slept in my hammock during a very cold night (below -20C, yeap, it is still cold up here in Finland).
Before I slept, I took off my boots, which were wet (both outside and inside) because of snow and my sweat.
In the morning, the boots were "frozen". It was really hard to put them back on, because they were hard and inflexible due to the frozen wetness. When I managed to put them on, my feet felt painfully cold (of course).

Do you have any tips to fight this difficulty when camping during freezing nights?
All I can think of is either to keep the boots on while sleeping, or have them off but with me in the hammock.
But I don't like any of these two ideas (the first option is uncomfortable and the second one is smelly!).

Thank you!

Hello Lefteris,

I would not recommend at all sleeping boots on, that really easily gets your feet freezed cause you need to be able to move your toes (tested). Also when moving and working during the day, keep changing your socks every few hours to dry ones (you can dry your wet socks under your coat / shirt then). Some people use newspapers or plastic bags to keep boots free from moisture, so feel free to try those tricks too.

You could also try using winter rubber boots like in finnish army Rokka, Naali, Kaira etc. and take liners with you to sleeping bag (just liners, not boots!). Yeah, I know some people disagree this, but has worked fine with me and many of my friends. If this sounds too scary, you can put liners between your sleeping bag and sleeping mat or use them as pillow.

 

[Bumbler]

On my last trip, I fired up a coupkle of zippo hand warmers and put them in the the boots, and the boots where kept in the bag for my Jerven bag. It has a heat reflective inside layer, so the boots where warm in the morning. But this is really only good for an overnight ttrip as they do require a lot of fuel.

But I like the bottled hot water plugged with socks too... but I usually take my moist (not wet but moist from wearing, and stuff a nalgene bottle of hot water inside and put that in the sleeping bag. And I end up with a warm sleeping bag, and dry socks in the morning.

When Lars Monsen crossed canada, he was wearing mukluks, and he was wearing the inner felt part at night to dry them out. Then he just put them straight into the outer boot in the morning.

 

[welchyd1]

I have 2 small collapseable water bottles that I fill with boiling water then stuff them in the boots with a sock on top.... Boots are dry in the morning and you have cool but unfrozen drinking water in the bottles

Which folding bottles do you use mate as all the ones I've seen say no liquids hotter than 60 degrees to be used. I have been after some for the same reason you use them.

 

[Lefteris]

WOW!!! You are all awesome here and have great tips I could never come up with!!!
Combining most of your tips, I summarize what I believe it would fit best for me:

1. Wearing snow gaiters (so that in my boots, I will need to fight the wetness coming only from my sweat and not also from snow entering my boots)
2. Changing socks at least one or twice during a long hike by alternating among 2 pairs and drying the replaced ones by keeping them somehow close to my body.
3. Same thing with inner soles or liners as with socks.
4. Opening the boots up widely before I go to sleep.
5. Sticking a collapsible water bag with hot water inside each one of my wet socks and then sticking one of this warming bomb into each boot. I am ready to accept that either I will not drink from these water bottles (this is if indeed their material does not allow hot liquid without spoiling it with chemicals) or I will drink taking the risk to wake up with a 3rd ear next day.
6. Wiping my boots carefully to get rid of outer snow and then getting the boots in my hammock, at the lower end (where my legs rest), on top of my closed foam mat and at the side of my sleeping bag (the latter is not water proof but at least water resistant)
7. Pray that it will work!

Thank you all, you outdoors survivors!
And happy and blessed Easter to you all (here in Finland the Easter is this weekend)

 

[Stew]

Frozen boots. Great fun!

A few years back I had my boots in the porch of the tent on a hillside having had to emergency pitch because of snow coming in. The next morning, needed the toilet (#2!) and found my boots frozen with the tops too narrow to fit my feet in and the ground to horrid to stand on without - ended up tottering over to a suitable spot with my feet part poked in like they were high heels. Glad no one was wandering past!!

 

[ged]

Every morning I take the dogs for a walk of few miles. It's usually wet and muddy where we walk. I keep my boots in the porch outside the door (where the dogs sleep). The past couple of weeks they've been frozen solid every morning unless a dog has been lying on them.

 

[Gray]

I've got an old pillowcase with a drawstring threaded through the top. Boots get stuffed with newspaper, in the bag with an osprey bottle full of boiling water. It then gets placed under the foot box of my sleeping bag, not in. This keeps boots warm, drys em out, keeps feet warm and boils quicker for a brew the next morning as the water isn't ice cold.

 

[calgarychef]

If its good and cold out you can put your felt liners out to freeze while you put your spare dry ones in your boots, then when the damp ones are frozen knock the ice out of them. After that dry them by the fire or over the stove in your tent if you're lucky enough to have one. I agree thought, there's nothing quite like putting on frozen boots on the morning. The other thing is that footwear does need to be dried as even slight dampness will contribute to cold feet.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

Catch a couple of squirrels and plug em in the boots overnight.
Warm boots and breakfast in the morning.

 

[Artzi]

Catch a couple of squirrels and plug em in the boots overnight.
Warm boots and breakfast in the morning.

Terrible way to die for those poor things ... that smell ... oh did you ment that those squirrels will be then fully cooked at morning? DIY bushcraft squirrel stove?!

 

[Ashmarsh860]

I place my boots in a waterproof bergan liner and then stick them in the top of my gonk bag( the bag holds in the pong should they smell), with a folded fleece on the top they make a perfect pillow and the warmth of my sleeping bag dries them out a treat. I have a pair of little cloth bags filled with commercially available 'silica' gel beads, bang those in and all the excess moisture is soaked up, along with any stench from damp boots! and then when you have chance you just let the bags air and they dry out ready for the next time. I have even seen them made from old socks! They take up no space at all and will always aid you in the pursuit of dry feet! I used this exact method in Norway at -30C and was never found wanting for dry boots! Hope this helps!

 

[MikeLA]

I always before getting into the sleeping bag put on a pair of waterproof socks over fresh clean socks and sleep with my boots on. Will try and dry them (wearing) around the stove/fire with plenty of polish on beforehand.

 

[Teepee]

Frozen boots are never a good way to start the day

I use Vapour barrier socks in anything approaching extreme cold and this removes any problems with frozen boots. My feet strangley enough, stay drier in VB socks than normal.

If you sleep with a hot water bottle( A Nalgene PE type) , it should still be quite warm in the morning. I'll dig it out of my sleeping bag and drop it into a boot one at a time to get some warmth into them. Using Bivi boots helps too-you can get out and eat/warm up before putting on the luxurious blocks of ice that are your boots.

Lots of folk swear by stuffing newpaper into boots, even in extreme cold. Stand them by the fire and let the paper soak up the moisture.

Another tip I was given is pouring a tiny bit of meths into the boots and lighting it-just enough to warm them but not too much to have a boot fire.