Surf Quebec Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Must be getting old... I'm getting cold now mainly in my boots. Should I go with heated footbeds or heated socks? I'm confortable with my current footbed, custom footbed made at Stratton during ECES. I'm afraid that I would lose confort with a non custom footbed. Doesn't heated socks much more fragile? Does it break after too many wash if youre not extra careful? What do you recommend ? Anyone have tried both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Considered Zipfit liners and a hot gear bag? You put your shells in the bag before you ride, and then have magic warm feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 my wife's been using heated footbeds for a decade, socks wear out in a season, footbed batteries are twice or more the capacity of sock batteries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursle Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 I like the chemical packets, I put it under the shell above the liner over my toes, then a Boot Glove foam sucker, my feet are warm and so is my shell, so it flexes as it should. The battery is heavy, and if you make a mistake and it's ded... But if it must be a battery, under the orthotic footbed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Hotronics will solve all your problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Hotronics rule. They install in whatever footbeds you have. I haven't drained a battery pack yet, even in -40 weather. I do run Boot Gloves on top of the boots when it drops below about -25C. My heels are then the limiting factor. My only complaint is that I always have wires in my insoles, even when it's warm enough to not need the heaters. i.e. Aspen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted January 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Daveo, i'veux been told on this forum that zipfit are not warm liners. Corey and Lowrider, I assume you mean the hotronic eating element with a battery pack on my custom footbed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 13 minutes ago, Surf Quebec said: Corey and Lowrider, I assume you mean the hotronic eating element with a battery pack on my custom footbed? I read that with a proper Quebecois accent. Yes, peeled up the Surefoot felt, cut a pass-through hole to get the wire on the underside of the insole, then cut the liner near the heel to get the cable outside so it's not chafing my foot. Hang the battery pack on the Booster strap, plug it in, and ride. Note that the batteries need something like a 48-hour charge the first time, so plan ahead. I'm going on 5 years with my battery packs, which exceeds my expectations. I did tear up a cable pulling the liner out of my boot in a hurry. I replaced the pad/cable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Wife wouldn't still go skiing with me without them didn't cut up anything just layed out heat pad on top of insole in the toe area used 3M automotive masking tape to secure it in place and ran the wire along the sole and up the back of the inside of liner. 5 years as well on the battery pack but picked up new ones last year thinking they would die soon but still going strong. Extra heat elements i pick up at end of season sale in the local hillside shop for spares . She also uses them in her winter horse riding boots. Happy wife happy life ! I try to make a habit of draining the battery a few times during the summer and recharging them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 On 1/15/2019 at 12:56 PM, Corey said: I do run Boot Gloves on top of the boots when it drops below about -25C. Can you use Boot Gloves with bail bindings or just Intec? As in does the BG get in the way for the bail? These look good for a powder day. On 1/15/2019 at 1:22 PM, Surf Quebec said: Daveo, i'veux been told on this forum that zipfit are not warm liners. Apparently they are when using the hot gear bag. I don't have one but a couple here do. @slapos does I think. Maybe he can chime in and let us know if he gets warm feet with the combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 4 hours ago, daveo said: Can you use Boot Gloves with bail bindings or just Intec? As in does the BG get in the way for the bail? Never tried, but likely ok. They're ~4mm neoprene and can be trimmed as needed. If the toe clip hugged the boot perfectly, then I think they'd cause problems. If it's only the stop-screw touching the boot then you could trim a little area. You have Rehband knee sleeves, right? They're thicker, but you could test if you can close the bail with the edge of one under it. Just don't put it under the fulcrum of the lever. 4 hours ago, daveo said: These look good for a powder day. They're very efficient at holding snow on top of the boot, way worse in soft snow. But it's like an igloo - helping hold a bit of warmth. Walking in soft snow packs them up like a Western dress from the 1800s. Not recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapos Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 Boots out of hot gear bag are pretty nice, however do not hold out forever. I had a few instances of cold feet when I would get snow inside of the shell. I need to look into this and possibly duct tape the shell partially. keep you posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Corey said: Never tried, but likely ok. They're ~4mm neoprene and can be trimmed as needed. If the toe clip hugged the boot perfectly, then I think they'd cause problems. If it's only the stop-screw touching the boot then you could trim a little area. You have Rehband knee sleeves, right? They're thicker, but you could test if you can close the bail with the edge of one under it. Just don't put it under the fulcrum of the lever. They're very efficient at holding snow on top of the boot, way worse in soft snow. But it's like an igloo - helping hold a bit of warmth. Walking in soft snow packs them up like a Western dress from the 1800s. Not recommended. Yeah Rehband for me. What's with your memory dude? That's insane. I actually just picked up another set from Jackal's gym (20% off recently) so I can wash and rotate them daily for this season to avoid funky monkey knee syndrome. My previous ones are 10 years old and are literally the exact same as the new ones I got. Damn good quality. Right, I'll sus that out. Good idea. 3 hours ago, slapos said: Boots out of hot gear bag are pretty nice, however do not hold out forever. I had a few instances of cold feet when I would get snow inside of the shell. I need to look into this and possibly duct tape the shell partially. keep you posted Where do you get snow in? The small gap in the heel? The tongue seems pretty tight, but I'm sure a small gasket should be easy to make on the outside of the tongue if that's where it's coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 58 minutes ago, daveo said: What's with your memory dude? That's insane. Haha, you might be the first person in the world to make such a claim. I'm closer to a goldfish than an elephant for memory. The Rehbands stood out as I wondered how you stood them all day. At 2 hours I can't wait to get them off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted January 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 I did not know about hot gear bag. I understand the concept but I'm sceptical on the usability, in cold weather the warmth must disappear rapidly (less than 2 hours) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapos Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 its nice and warm for the start of the day and let's you into the shell much easier with zipfits in. the hot gear bag can be hooked up to the wall and then you can hook it up to your 12v plug in the car, so the boots are kept hot right until you use them. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 Have Hotronics in custom footbeds, now on second generation of Palau liners. First generation wire was routed on the outside of my heel and the movement in my rear heel wore through the wire insulation after 4 seasons. Current or 2nd generation liner, the wire is routed from under the ball of my foot and over the outside in front of the toes then up the tongue between the inside of the shell and exterior of the liner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 On 1/14/2019 at 7:18 PM, Surf Quebec said: Doesn't heated socks much more fragile? Does it break after too many wash if youre not extra careful? No, I have the Lenz version and they are great. Battery life is also great. I like them because I can use between many boots and not have to modify anything. I have foam injected liners so space is tight and they work fine. The Lenz socks come with a mesh bag to wash them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 Try wearing your boots at home for a half hour to see if this could be a circulation problem. When I tried this, my feet were starting to go numb in deluxe boots with a thermo liners. Remolding using the next clasp (tighter) helped. The next season, my feet became happier in UPZ's with Palau liners and Hotronic heaters for sub-zero f riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmf Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Pat Donnelly said: UPZ's with Palau liners and Hotronic heaters for sub-zero f riding. I’m with Pat on this one. I’ve had my Hotronics M4+ model for about 7 years, still going strong. Easy to switch into different liners and your insole of choice, don’t really notice the heating element under your toes. It’s easy to get replacement parts if needed. Best money I ever spent for gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted January 20, 2019 Report Share Posted January 20, 2019 On 1/17/2019 at 3:17 AM, Corey said: The Rehbands stood out as I wondered how you stood them all day. At 2 hours I can't wait to get them off. Skins then rehbands then thermals. The dream combo. Don't knock it 'til you try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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