Winter Kayak Footwear Question

[Shawn L]

Any suggestions on the topic of waterproof footwear during the winter months? I have decent, warm clothing including a waterproof kayak jacket but my footwear is more geared toward warmer weather. Not sure what to wear when launching to keep feet warm and dry. Any help would be appreciated as this is my first winter with the yak.

[JohnE]

Crocs or sandals seem to work best for me with breathables. I have the Kokotat dry pants and they are pretty thin. The crocs offer great protection and keep my feet from feeling clammy. I would wear my chaco sandals if the feet on my dry pants were more durable. There are other options like neoprene booties or wading boots, but they stay wet and will prevent your breathables from drying out.

[Turtle135]

In short, consider waders or dry pants with wader boots.

What you have to be prepared for in winter fishing from a kayak, is winding up in the water. If you wind up in the water you can become incapacitated in as little as a few minutes. Even if you can quickly get back into your kayak if your clothing gets wet in cold weather you are at risk of developing hypothermia (and becoming incapacitated by that).

A full drysuit is probably the best option. What I am currently wearing is a full "drytop" with waist high waders (and wader boots). I trap the top of the waders in the double tunnel on the drytop and have another sinching belt over that connection. With that my head and my hands can get wet but due to the water tight latex gaskets at the neck and wrists my core can not get wet.

drytop example: http://www.nrs.com/product/22651/kok...l-stoke-drytop
dry pants example: http://www.nrs.com/product/25051/kok...nts-with-socks

[Shawn L]

Thanks guys. I have a dry top and wear it over my waders when I'm surf fishing. Its a pretty water tight combo but I can't imagine wearing those heavy boots (which are attached to the waders) in the yak. Looks like investing in the dry pants is the way to go. I appreciate the feedback before I drop the coin. Have a great Xmas. Will I see you on the 28th Va Beach trip?

[JohnE]

I was only replying to footwear, not cold weather gear. I currently wear Kokatat dry pants with a dry top and crocs on my feet. I have tested the combo and it works to an extent. Long enough to get you back in the yak, but you will be somewhat wet depending on how long it takes you to self rescue. The more you struggle and move around the more susceptible it is to leaks. It works fine if you don't flip around much.

I would stay away from any type of boots or booted waders in the yak. Stick with stocking foot waders and dry top with belt or dry top and pants combo. Of course a dry suit is best if you can afford it (in hindsight, I think I should spent a little more for the full suit). If your waders or dry pants fill with water, boots will be hard to ditch...crocs or sandals will come right off. Whatever you choose, try swimming in cold water to test it out to see how well it holds up. Dress to swim, not just to be toasty warm in your kayak.

I saw some guy out on the Occoquan yesterday in cotton shorts. Sure the air temp was 65, but the water was more like 38 to 40. I was wearing pretty much the same gear I would wear in 30 degree air and 40 degree water temps, just no gloves or wool hat and less layers.

[JohnE]

Thanks guys. I have a dry top and wear it over my waders when I'm surf fishing. Its a pretty water tight combo but I can't imagine wearing those heavy boots (which are attached to the waders) in the yak. Looks like investing in the dry pants is the way to go. I appreciate the feedback before I drop the coin. Have a great Xmas. Will I see you on the 28th Va Beach trip?

They also make the breathable waders with stocking feet. You can get them quite a bit cheaper than a nice pair of dry pants. A lot of people wear those in combination with a dry top. I personally would not want to be wearing a pair with boots built in.

[Mark]

Shawn,

I'm late to the party on this one but I can share with you what I wear.

I have Kotatat dry pants and as one poster said they are thin. Under them I wear athletic socks on my feet and fleece pants with stirrups. The fleece provides warmth and the stirrups keep the pant legs from riding up under the Kotatat pants. They are a fly fishing accessory designed to be worn in cold water under thin waders. Bass Pro and most fly fishing shops sell them. My legs have not gotten cold in two winter outings this year with the Kotatat, fleece pants combination.

The Kotatat pants have booties. On my first outing I wore neoprene wet shoes with rubber soles directly over Kotatat booties. My feet got cold with only regular socks under the pants for protection. On my second outing I put neoprene wading socks (also a fly fishing accessory designed to be worn in wading shoes) over the Kotatat pants (on the outside of the booties) and then I put the neoprene wet shoes on over them. My feet stayed warm.

I have boots for fly fishing designed to be worn over waders and I could wear them with my Kotatat pants but they're too large and heavy for my kayak. They're great for creating a solid foundation to stand on in a rocky river. However, the light and flexible neoprene wet shoes are better for me in my kayak, especially since I need to pedal to move my boat. But even if I had to paddle I think the neoprene shoes would be more comfortable to wear during an extended kayak outing.

[Shawn L]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Staying dry is my first concern. As pointed out the water gets very cold so keeping it away from my skin is tops on my list. I have a question on the stocking foot dry pants/neoprene shoe combo perhaps Mark can answer. If I were to get the shoes how much larger should they be to accommodate the built-in dry pant's bootie along with the neoprene wading socks? My goal is to keep my feet as dry and warm as possible knowing they will get wet during the launch. Thanks for all your help guys.

[Mark]

My wet shoes are an NRS brand. They advised buying one size larger than my regular shoe size. I did and they were still too small. I returned them for a pair two sizes larger and they fit snugly but comfortably over extra neoprene socks I use.

I've been very pleased with my Kotatat dry pants. It's not unusual for me to get a very slight leakage through my fishing waders on a river. I've been through many pairs and none remain completely dry despite their claims. That may be due to the constant pressure of fast moving water against the seams. But I have remained dry in the Kotatat pants after standing in knee deep water during my launches and returns. I hope that continues.

[JohnE]

I got my crocs 1 size bigger and they fit great with up to 4 layers of wool socks on. They happened to have a pair on Amazon for 10 bucks only in size 13 when I got them. I tried water shoes when the water was a little warmer and my feet did feel clammy after a while since the shoes takes forever to dry. But I think I was only wearing one pair of socks maybe 2. Lately I have been wearing 2 to 4 pairs of wool socks of varying thickness. With that many layers I don't think I'd feel any of the dampness even with water shoes. The crocs were cheap, work great, and allow the dry pants to dry when I'm sitting in the kayak. The only thing is they come off pretty easy and that can be a problem launching in muddy areas. I've had one come off a few times.

I stand in the water to let my dog swim and I don't get wet in the kokatats, but the outer layer of material does get soaked and takes a little while to air dry. The water does not bead off of the material as nicely as the material on my dry top.

[bgriff]

I have a pair of Hodgeman stocking foot breathable waders and when it came time to find a pair of wading boots to wear over them the general rule of thumb for sizing I found was to order boots 2 sizes larger than what you normally wear. I went with these from Bass Pro Shops, http://www.basspro.com/World-Wide-Sp...product/55184/. After reading the reviews it was obvious that these boots ran large to accommodate for stocking foot waders but I went ahead and ordered 2 sizes up. I wear a size 10 shoe and the size 12 boot was a little bit large with regular socks. While I feel a size 11 boot would have been more appropriate, the size 12 gives me room to put up to 3 pairs of wool socks on without being too tight. I also like the added insulation that the 5mm neoprene boots add and they are pretty easy to maintain, just rinse them with fresh water and a little WD-40 on the zippers and you should be good to go.

[Turtle135]

I saw some guy out on the Occoquan yesterday in cotton shorts. Sure the air temp was 65, but the water was more like 38 to 40. I was wearing pretty much the same gear I would wear in 30 degree air and 40 degree water temps, just no gloves or wool hat and less layers.

When I first started kayaking I did the same thing (being not properly attired for cold water). I really did not know what I did not know. I was just plain lucky that I never wound up in the water on the wrong day. So whenever these topics come up I see it as an opportunity to remind other anglers what to watch out for.

The disturbing trend I am seeing now is stand up paddle boarders on the water with zero protection against cold water shock or hypothermia.

Back on topic, on wader boots I go two sizes larger than normal footwear (of course I paddle so having big boots in the front of my Ride 115 is not a problem).

[PigPen]

If you buy from Simms I gelievce they take the stocking foot into account. So there 10 is a 10 plus waders. Great boots but I wouldn't risk damaging my kayak with them. I'm looking booties to go over some re purposed stocking waders ( They leak after a while), but haven't pulled the trigger.

[On the fly]

If you buy from Simms I gelievce they take the stocking foot into account. So there 10 is a 10 plus waders. Great boots but I wouldn't risk damaging my kayak with them. I'm looking booties to go over some re purposed stocking waders ( They leak after a while), but haven't pulled the trigger.

I agree with flats boots. Bass pro sells them in tan and black. Recommend taking waders to try them on with. They are essentially neoprene boots with a sole and zipper side. They run about $29.99. Remember great for kayak and flats fishing but not for river and rocky bottom wading, could bust your a#%.

[PigPen]

I have a cheap pair of cabelas to use on kayaks but the feet are size for Sasquatch. One of the huge benefits of the simmsd is the realistic foot sizing. Flat boots do sound like a good idea. Thanks.