Rob's System For Staying Warm on the Water

Rob’s Coldweather Layering System – Part 1

Numb feet, frozen toes, stiff fingers, cold hands, and just plain’ol being cold, we wouldn’t blame anyone for packing it in once colder weather arrives.  Near freezing and sub-freezing temperatures don’t mean that we have to call it quits though; we just need to adapt.

If we rely on what kept us comfortable in cool early or mid-fall conditions, we’ll be forced off the water when temps drop and those strategies fail us. To be off the water means missing out on incredible opportunities during late fall and winter when our Great Lakes steelhead fishery is arguably at its best and you are immersed in the most picturesque of seasons.

Arming yourself with tested techniques, and an understanding of what makes you cold will help you choose the right gear, and stay fishing.

In this 4-part series we’ll be diving into the factors that make you cold, essential cold weather strategies, and out of the box tricks to stay warm while on the water.   These tips aren’t just for anglers, so keep these tips in your pocket for other cold weather pursuits.

What’s Making You Cold?

First let’s look at some factors of what makes or keeps you cold.  There is a lot of bad advice that we’ve all been exposed to, we’re sure you’ve heard a lot of it, and we fell victim to it ourselves.  There is also a lot of good advice you’ve probably come across that may not apply to our needs as anglers or worse, work against us.

Here is a little teaser…  those studs and cleats that help you stay standing may be conducting the heat right out of your feet.

Let’s look at some of the factors in staying warm (or cold)!

• Compression
• Conduction
• Air Exchange
• Moisture
• Material Choices

Let’s wade deeper (or not?).

Compression:  Tight Fits & Water Pressure

How do the feet on your waders fit while wearing your warmest set of socks?

A little tight?  Does a toe poke into the neoprene?

We’d bet that if your toe is touching the end of your stockingfoot, or if your boots are even just a little tight, that that exact point is going to be the coldest part of your foot. Cold spreads easily once it’s in, this could be your cold foot culprit.

So, what’s happening?

With that tightness, you’re eliminating the loft of your sock and the airspace you need to keep warm, even if it’s just on the tip of your toe.  That loft is your insulation, once it is gone you have a direct line to a colder surface (your stockingfoot and boot), increasing the rate of conduction and heat escape – say goodbye to warmth, and say hello to cold!

You’re also limiting your blood circulation, it may be happening on a small scale, but the results can be big.  Just that bit of pressure on your toe, or maybe the side of your foot, will reduce the free flow of blood and the warmth it carries to that area.  This bit of tightness may feel ok in the early season, but as the cooler temps creep in, the effects of just a small amount of blood flow restriction can cause the deep freeze of your appendages.

When we fit waders for our customers, we always err on the side of having a bit of extra room if possible.  When we see stockingfeet that are snug, right away we’ll let the customer know they are too small and we’ll need to look at other size options.  For dedicated cold weather anglers we even advise upsizing slightly to allow for additional layering and keeping circulation a priority.

If cold feet are keeping you off the water even while wearing well fit stockingfoot waders and boots, you still have a game changing option available: bootfoot waders! The built-in boot of these waders maintains a dome around your foot, keeping compression at bay, keeping the loft of your socks in-tact and an air pocket around your foot where warm air will stay. Once you try a set of bootfoots on those very cold days you’ll never look back, and you’ll outlast everyone else!

Compression on Your Hands:

How do your gloves fit?

You’ve read the above so apply the same principals to not only your feet, but your gloves and hands as well.  The tight fit around your fingers and at the tip of your glove will be causing the same chilling effect as contact points on your feet toes.

When choosing a glove for warmth, don’t aim for a tight fit, you need some room to keep warm.

Compression on a Bigger Scale

If you want to remove the air from a freezer bag before committing your leftovers to the deep chill (stay with us here, you’ll see where we’re going), partially submerging the bag with the food in water collapses the bag, pushing the air out before you complete the seal.  As you start to wade, the exact same thing happens, the water pressure collapses your waders (the bag) and squeezes your insulation and the air right out of it, reducing the ability for your insulation to work.  The deeper you wade, the more pressure you’ll expose yourself to from the bottom up, squeezing even more air out and collapsing your insulation even further.

Fluffy layers of natural or synthetic insulation (think puffy jackets) usually don’t have supporting structures to keep their loft once exterior pressure on them increases.  They’re fantastic at keeping you warm under ‘normal’ conditions, but under pressure the loft and insulation of those garments collapses, losing its ability to keep you warm.

What else causes compression?

It isn’t just water pressure while you wade, tight layers overtop of puffy garments also collapse the insulation’s structure that is meant to keep you warm.  When picking outerwear, make sure you’re not squishing the heat right out of you.

Where else may you be suffering from compression?

Another one of the most common issues we see is someone wearing multiple layers of socks.  Layer after layer of even great quality socks can cause more harm than good by compressing your entire foot.

Your wading boots and stockingfeet are also only so large, jamming layers of socks in can cause another level of compression.  If you are going to layer up with multiple socks, make sure you have enough room in their home (waders or boots), and increase the size of sock with each layer. If your first layer is a medium, the next layer should be a large, and so on, to prevent any tightness.

Where else may you be losing your warmth to condition?

Studs and cleats are fantastic for keeping traction on slippery services, and we advocate for their use to keep you safe, however they can conduct warmth out of your boots.  By no means are we suggesting you compromise your traction (a cold foot is warmer than taking a spill in the river) but do understand the effect of cleats and studs while on the water. 

Test it for yourself! On a winter’s day, keep one foot on the snow and one foot on a metal surface.  For those of you who have spent time sitting in a metal tree stand or worn steel toed boots, you know what we’re talking about.  Brrr!

It’s also worth considering what your hands are coming into contact with. If you’re coming into contact with your metal reel you’ll be losing heat out of your hands quickly, if you have synthetic handles on your rod instead of cork, you’ll be feeling it as well.  Reduce the sources of conduction by avoiding contact with these surfaces or insulating with a good glove and you’ll be warmer for it.

See Part 2 Here!