Let's talk socks...

Yes, socks, those things that are generally worn with shoes and, as an aside, should never be worn with sandals (this is especially true in Italy, but I digress...).

In real life, I rarely wear socks, but when in kayak mode (usually, on an AI), I always put on socks before putting on my drysuit. When on my AI, my feet are first covered with socks, which are covered with drysuit booties, which, in turn, are covered with large-sized neoprene socks (mainly, to protect the drysuit booties). I usually wear plastic Birkenstocks as "shoes" (OK, forget what I said about socks and sandals), because they have good arch support, and they float.

I've discovered something about me and socks (specifically, when kayaking) that seems to make no sense. That is, if I wear any normal sock, my feet always get cold. By "normal" I mean pretty much anything that could be considered a sock, from standard run-of-the-mill-everyday socks to expensive (thick, thin, or in between) wool socks.

However, I have found one thing that seems to always keep my feet from getting cold, and that's these "silk liner crew socks" from REI:

https://www.rei.com/product/165407/rei-co-op-silk-liner-crew-socks

They are super-thin, and it seems to me that they should offer virtually no warmth on their own, but when I wear them in kayak mode, my feet stay warm---otherwise my feet always get cold. For example, on Monday, I forgot my magical silk socks, and instead wore some very similar-looking semi-normal socks. It was not a particularly cold day (in fact, my GoPro Max II kept shutting down due to overheating), but my feet were cold, cold, cold, which was miserable. I've been out in much colder temps, and with my silk socks, my feet stayed perfectly comfortable.

So, the moral of the story is, well, I'm not sure. But, of course, everything's got a moral, if only you can find it...

Anyways, if you get cold feet on the water, silk sock liners might be worth a try. I'm also curious whether anybody else has had a similar experience, or whether my feet are just weird.

I'm in!  I hate cold feet and to keep them warm I cram wool socks under booties with neoprene on top.  I was gonna thank you for that idea but now I gotta thank you for a way to not cut all the blood off to my feet wearing alll these layers plus booties or waterproof chuze.  Do you just wear these then drysuit then croc 2.0's?

No socks for me.  My feet are always cold so it doesn:t bother me even my feet are wet because both booties on my drysuit are leaking 

those silk liners are nice for hiking - keep the blisters down.  I use wool socks on the kayak

I wear these items to keep my feet dry and warm:

1. Kirkland Signature Men's Merino Wool Blend Sock
2. Drysuit
3. NRS Boundary Boots

Paul

I just use wool socks, and neoprene boots, and my feet are cold on cold days. ok on the ocean. I tried 2 types of electric socks with remotes but neither of them worked.

One of our members who passed away on a rafting trip wrote a lot about extreme cold weather gear. I can't remember his name but if someone here does, it might be worth looking at some of his posts.

Yes, socks, those things that are generally worn with shoes and, as an aside, should never be worn with sandals (this is especially true in Italy, but I digress...).

How do feel about socks in Crocs? I may be guilty... But that is probably the absolute most comfortable combo I've ever put my feet in...

I discovered the advantages of thin silk socks years ago when I used to snow ski a lot. They can be found at most of your local ski shops. I prefer the over the calf style. I think part of the issues is that many people end up wearing too many layers of socks and end up with no air gap around their feet. Without the air gap, the cold will penetrate right through. Learned this the hard way when I first started wearing waders.

Yes, socks, those things that are generally worn with shoes and, as an aside, should never be worn with sandals (this is especially true in Italy, but I digress...).

How do feel about socks in Crocs? I may be guilty... But that is probably the absolute most comfortable combo I've ever put my feet in...

On topic, I don't wear a dry suit, so my feet are always wet on the kayak. 7mil neoprene booties for me, no cold feet.

When the water temp is not cold enough to warrant the dry suit, I wear the silk socks under a pair of Knee high DexShell Waterproof socks and Crocks. NRS Splash pants over that. Everything stays nice and dry.

I wear these items to keep my feet dry and warm:

1. Kirkland Signature Men's Merino Wool Blend Sock
2. Drysuit
3. NRS Boundary Boots

Paul

Yeah, boundary boots + wool socks (wide open in my case) has always kept toes pretty toasty.

My feet don't get cold when kayaking unless it's below 45 degrees out. So I used to not wear socks with my neoprene wetsuit booties. But they would develop the dreaded perma-stink. So now I always wear socks with my booties, but simple cotton socks will do. Oh hot days I remove the booties for a bit, but usually still keep the socks on for a little sun protection.

I discovered the advantages of thin silk socks years ago when I used to snow ski a lot. They can be found at most of your local ski shops. I prefer the over the calf style. I think part of the issues is that many people end up wearing too many layers of socks and end up with no air gap around their feet. Without the air gap, the cold will penetrate right through. Learned this the hard way when I first started wearing waders.

Yes, I believe that this “air gap” issue is the issue.