Why Footwear Is Your Most Important Cold Gear

THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLE OF CLOTHING YOU CAN WEAR

I wrote years ago that the most important item you take into the field is a sleeping bag. If it is a Wiggy bag all the better! You can have all the food in the world but once you are cold it is necessary to have the sleeping bag. However if you do not have the food but you do have the sleeping bag you are far better off.

With respect to clothing you can have a good parka, bib, hand wear and head wear but if you do not have good insulated footwear all of what is above the footwear is not going to save your life. Once your feet start to get cold your problem staying out in the cold becomes extremely dangerous. In my experience, people who have gotten in trouble in cold conditions experienced foot problems to begin with.

Wet feet affect your performance in the field. The problems include blisters, athlete’s foot, plantar warts, nail fungus, itching, redness, burning sensations and rashes, and all can lead to infections and even trench foot. Of course if you happen to be in sub-freezing conditions your feet can freeze before these other ailments take hold. All of these problems come from the same cause: wet feet, because the materials used in the construction of the footwear do not allow the moisture out.

During the time that I was lost in the Fossil Ridge Wilderness I acquired a great deal of information via my experience that is beneficial with respect to guiding people who venture into the mountains most specifically during the winter months.

I had almost no food or water. I had available to me many streams so water wasn’t a problem. I had the best clothing available even though I did not really know that, except for the fish net underwear, until after the fact. I was perpetually warm regardless of how cold it was or would get. All of this would not have made a difference if my feet were cold. The reason for that was the Muk Luks that I was wearing. I was wearing thick wool rag socks and hiking boots that had foam which was for comfort more so than insulation. If that were all I was wearing on my feet, I would have become coyote food. Considering that the ambient temperature was below 0 degrees F all of the moisture that came out of my feet would have started to cool down very quickly signaling my brain to start reducing the blood flow to my feet to protect the rest of my body. The process of blood vessels constricting is an involuntary action taken by the body. The constriction would have moved from my feet to my ankles and so on up each leg making walking more than very difficult but ultimately impossible. The same hold true for your hands, that is why gloves are not advised by me to be worn when the temperature goes below plus 25 degrees F and lower; mittens are what is necessary.

The real cause is a material used in the manufacture of boots termed waterproof and breathable (vapor permeable). The actual film in and of itself is vapor permeable, but once you attach it to the shell material or lining material with adhesive, almost every microscopic hole in the film is clogged with the adhesive, making vapor permeability impossible.

Several years ago I was supplying both Wellco Boot Company and Belleville Boot Company with Lamilite as they were working on a Modular Boot which ultimately was cancelled. However, the Belleville version was confirmed by the Army the following test results and I quote; “that it out performed their vapor barrier boot (existing extreme cold weather option) and could safely be worn in temperatures in excess of -50 F.” I was further told the performance level was not ours claim (Belleville), it was based on factual results provided by the Army.” The Lamilite that I provided them with was the L-15. I use the L-12 Lamilite in my Muk Luks which would have done the same thing at a lower cost. In addition I was further told the following and I quote; “The initial development goal was to provide a system that would accommodate a -20F to 120F environment. Our system exceeded these requirements.”

I told both of these companies from the very beginning of the project that the over boot I make, insulated with L-6 Lamilite, if used over whatever boot was already being worn by the soldiers would be good at -25F. If they wanted a colder capability they could use the Muk Luks which are good for -70F.

You now know why I believe the most important article of clothing that you wear is your footwear!!!!