High Sierra Topix

I just got back from a trip to upper Dusy. I have a 20 degree bag which works fine, but since I barely fit in the long, my feet are always tight to the foot bed. I wear my clean socks to bed, but my feet still get a little cold. I am planning on wearing a pair of merino wool winter socks, but thought Id ask about down slippers or other night footwear. Any suggestions?

Is your sleeping pad long enough, under your feet? Also, if your stretching your bag
with you feet, because your bag is not long enough, you could have torn the baffles
in you bag that keep you down in place, and the down may be to thin in the foot
area, not have the insulation as the other parts of your bag where the down and
baffles are still in place.

feet are almost always cold at first entry into the bag. I don't wear socks. I expect to warm up as I sleep hot. If you have cold feet, get extra 2x size socks so they don't constrict blood-flow for night use.

I would forgo the slipper concept. How tall are you? If you don't fit your bag, then you will have other issues.

Some here only use 3/4 pads, which is ok. But your feet will get colder. I'm about 6' 2" full pad and a WM 20 degree bag and warm up barefoot in about 20 mins.

I am 6'6 so I fit in a long pretty tight, but not horrible. My pad is long as well since I like the wide pads and they only come in long. By the way, its not like I'm freezing, just a chill on my toes while the rest of me is warm. Just thought I'd ask, some one on here usually has a great solution to almost any problem.

I sleep in my feathered friends down booties... You can remove the outer liner when you get in the tent.
My feet are never cold.

I use some nice soft PossumDown socks for sleeping. They have a nice loose fit so I don't cut circulation and they weight almost nothing (<2oz) but do a good job keeping my feet warm.

I started sleeping cold and it lasted for about a year and a half. I was talking to a salesman at REI and mentioned my problem. He found out I was sleeping on a NEO and suggested I go back to my old pad so I did. Voila. I've been sleeping well ever since.

Thanks Richard, that is exactly the out of the box answer I was looking for. I'll try slipping into some possum.

It does not matter how many pair of socks I put on, if I'm sleeping cold and my feet are even slightly damp, it is the dampness that needs to be eliminated. I would recommend taking a small plastic bottle of foot powder. Take off the hiking socks, dry your feet as well as possible. Put foot powder on your feet and also put some into a super thin wool liner sock. Over the liner, wear down booties that are designed for winter snow conditions. You absolutely need a full length pad. This system has kept my feet toasty warm on winter trips at -40F.

Here are a couple of examples, but there are many others:

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=85" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or

http://www.westernmountaineering.com/in ... ntentId=79" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some people have poor circulation in their extremities and this can advance with age. I have never used them and would not like the weight, but some people do use battery powered heated socks like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Firstgear-Heated- ... tric+socks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My Feathered Friends Down Booties almost always go on my feet at night when I'm backpacking.

Having a sleeping bag that fits you correctly helps a lot - one that is too big or too little is no good.

I do fine with a short sleeping pad in the warm weather, but do like a full length on when it is cold out. I'm pretty short though; so that might be why I'm okay with the shorter sleeping pad and my pack under my head. I use my extra clothing as a pillow, but I have been thinking of buying one of those lightweight down pillows.