Cold Feet (A Drysuit Question)

[ba_hiker]

The warmer you keep your core, the more heat you body can afford to "waste" on your feet. I typically wear HEAVY polartech socks (sometimes 2 pair), but I choose undergarments sufficent to prevent the rest of my body getting chilly at all.

You might order a special heavy duty hood from Otter bay, Monterey. This is about (or maybe even a bit over) 1/2 inch think and is custom made for you. Contact them and they will send you instructions on measuring your head so you can be custom fitted.

 

[MBH]

I don't know. How do I tell which I have? The suit is a CLX 450 that I purchased used. It has socks at the bottom instead of the built-in shoes I have seen on some other types of drysuits.

Should I avoid the gators since I am already experiencing some circulation problems with my feet?

You have the dui rockboot system so you really need to wear boots or Chuck Tarlors. You'll most likely have to go to a larger fin size also. DON'T walk around at a dive site in just the DUI sock booties or you'll be sorry because they'll wear out in no time flat.

I've never used gaiters so I really don't know.

 

[dave4868]

Yes, I have cold feet. No, it has nothing to do with a wedding.
I am diving a DUI cordura-lined drysuit which has footsies but no boots. I am wearing a regular pair of socks, then military-issue polyprop socks, then the drysuit over that, and am using neoprene booties. I don't have wet feet when done diving. After my last dive my feet were numb for hours. I don't mean a little numb, but maybe I should be going to the hospital if this doesn't clear up real soon. And my feet were yellow-tinged instead of the normal pink. They did finally get warm after about 2 hours.
The rest of me was a bit chilly but not freezing with thermal undies and polyprop sweats. Even my fingers in wet gloves were not as cold as my dry feet!
Thanks for any advice!

You might also take a look at this Mayo Clinic description of Raynaud's phenomenon.

Raynaud's disease - MayoClinic.com

You really had some severe symptoms.

Good luck!

Dave C

 

[fppf]

Yeah that does not sound like just being cold. I have been "cold" and did not have what you described.

Here is another vote Smartwool socks, or EMS brand. Also check out EMS Thick Wick.

I also think you may be so scared of a feet first run away you may not be putting any air in your feet. Remember these fabrics insulate by trapping air, no air, poor insulation. You should have a little bit of air in your feet to keep them warm. As you dive dry more you will get more comfortable.

 

[AlaskaDiver]

As Fdog mentioned, absolutely no cotton underneath your clothing.

I use 2 prs of wool socks because if I wear anything else (like the booties that came with my drysuit) I still get the soles of my feet turning white. It is important that the boot has enough room for your foot and the socks to fit comfortably. I found that my booties which came with the drysuit are actually lacking in loft along the sole of my foot! having the socks folding inside of the boots is awful. It will cause an uncomfortable feeling at depth and limit the flow of air to your feet. I have even found that those rock boots everyone touts are problemmatic if you wrap your ankles tightly with the cord (yep- that's the way they go on). I have pull on boots which are a bit looser around the ankles.

Also on your body, I would recommend several thinner layers rather than the bit thick bunny suits pushed by dealers. Layers are the best defense from the cold.

Good luck!

 

[bogrady]

I just read through the thread and I agree with the three basic points everyone is bringing up:

1) Don’t wear booties – get the rock boot or a pair of cheap Chuck Taylor sneakers. The outer boot layer should be supportive and protective, but not restrictive like a bootie would be.
2) Get some loft into your socks – I didn’t realize you were wearing micro fiber under polyprop - Go with some wool socks – I use the Smart Wool hiking socks from REI. They are really warm and have a lot of loft to them
3) Work on the trim adjustment to get you feet up a bit. I don’t ever feel like I have any squeeze in my feet. There’s always a small bit of air in them.

 

[dave4868]

I wear 3 pairs of socks, all of which are from my hunting/camping gear - a very thin "liner" sock, a slightly thicker "mid" sock, and then some honking thick wool socks. This system does well at wicking any sweat, but has enough "loft" to retain some warmth, while still fitting inside the molded boots on my Evo2. Good luck. Keep trying different things.

What are you using for a "thin liner sock" and "mid" sock? Can you specify what materials or brands/models you're using....all wool?

My present winter setup combines a thick wool sock and the Weezle sock with a Rockboot one size oversize and it's real warm for at least an hour in the mid-30's, but I want to improve the duration.

Since a Rockboot one size oversize is barely big enough for my current insulation, I'm going to try 2 sizes oversize and increase the loft a little and use Smartwool (Merino wool) with the Weezle.

Just curious about your setup, especially the light liner.

Thanks in advance.

Dave C

 

[Narcd_dvr]

Get the cheapest wool socks you can find and use it

 

[Divingguy]

Dave 4868: I wish I could tell you exactly, but this is all stuff that I have had for years for camping/hunting, and just put it to use diving. The 1st sock is really thin, almost like a nylon or silk, calf height. The 2nd sock is same height, but thicker, like a thin wool sock. The oversock is a thick wool, also tall. My theory was that the thin liner sock wicks away any perspiration, and the other two provide layered thermal protection. Worked again last weekend, although temps were not quite so cold, at 52. Sorry no better detail available.

 

[fisherdvm]

If your boots are too tight, adding more insulation will simply cut off your circulation even more. It might be a problem of boots being too tight. You might want to extend your feet (pretending you are standing on your toes) when lacing up the boots. This will allow the boot to fit looser around the ankle. If this doesn't help, see if you can borrow someone's larger tennis shoes and dive with the tennis shoes instead. If your feet are warm with a larger shoe, circulation impairement from tight boots might be the cause.

If this problem occurs even without wearing your drysuit, and you noted the color changes of the fingers or toes going from white, to blue and then red as it rewarms - you should consider Raynauld syndrome as a possible cause.