P.S.

Mossback, I have big, wide feet too.  Nevertheless, I expect I may need to wear a 2nd pair of socks even after I re-insert the inserts while walking around camp... at least until the boots do that 'molding' thing around my feet.  Those boots DO run large.

Jimbo   

Quote:


  I hate to be a nay-sayer, but when you say "inserts", are you talking about the ones that have a heel cup and ARCH support molded in them?

IF so, you're robbing Peter to pay Paul foot wise.
You should ALWAYS bring the socks/booties you intend to wear IF possible when buying new footwear OR buy them big enough that you DON'T need to remove the inserts/arch supports.

  Having your arch supported under a heavy load is very important not just for your feet, but your ankles/knees and even lower back. Pain travels upward when you have bad arch support in your shoes.

  Sometimes it's hard to put those Neoprene booties in a shoe/boot because they SNAG that insert and it's a real pain. That's when many people take them out.

Since you already have the boot, try this little trick and see if it will work for you?

Put the INSERT inside the neoprene bootie with your regular sock choice and walk around a little bit to make sure the feel good, THEN see if you can get your shoe on? If so and you can lace them right, you can keep that important arch support. 

Mossback,

I was talking about when wearing the shoes around camp, such as when I go out to hunt for wood.  Sometimes I go deep enough that I need more than my sandals.  Until the shoes "mold" to my feet (as has been asserted), it might be that I need some "filler" to keep them tight.  I guess I won't know until the time comes.  Anyway, I wasn't thinking "warmth" so much except maybe when I would do a spring or fall trip.

ST, I have so many different types of inserts and arch support devices around for my problem feet that I have little doubt I can find something that will work with those neoprene gaiters.  Chances are I would only wear those gaiters in the spring or fall.  I don't care about having "wet feet" in the summer.  Gaiters would just be extra baggage then.

Jimbo   

BillConner wrote on Mar 18^th, 2017 at 12:42pm:


Yeah, I thought it was both interesting AND notable that both the Chota & Piragis booths would independently claim the same thing.  Your actual experience gives me hope their claims will prove true.

Thanks for sharing.

Jimbo 

I've gotten in the habit of using seam sealer on all the exposed threads on my outdoor and work boots.

I seem's to help and is quick and easy to do.