Hello, I search a good boots for kayaking during the winter season. I have a dry suit but I don't have any Ideas about wath type of Boots I need. Any suggestion? Neoprenne 5mm... thx

In winter I use a pair of Cross 4 Neoprene Water Shoes that are a size and a half larger than my normal shoe size. I can wear 2 pair of thick socks inside my dry suit booties and I can put the shoes over everything. My feet have been warm even when it was 20 F on the water.

Pete

Partly depends on your shoe size & how much clearance from your toes to the underside of your kayak hull(s).

I found Chota Mukluks, for example, to be very well made & watertight, but cumbersome in the boat. They changed the angle I like to keep on the pegs. They *are* great at the campsite for relaxing when day is done.

NSR Attack shoe, & other heavy duty booties, were the same. If they fit in your boat they are certainly worth a try.

what to wear w. a drysuit- if you have a drysuit w. booties attached, try a wool sock OVER the booties to protect the fabric (and give you some easily removable insulation in addition to the socks you wear inside the booties). Then slip on some over-the-ankle neoprene booties.

My go-to pair year 'round are the NSR Desperados but there are similiar designs out there. You don't need to buy footwear just for winter.

Last winter I used a pair of very flexable rubber boots that I bought for about $11 and they worked just fine. I've also started using them this winter, but a few days ago I bought a pair of Chota Mukluks. The only thing that is better about the Chotas is that they are taller in case I step in deeper water. At nearly seven times the price, the Chotas had better keep my tootsies warm and dry. One more thing, my $11 dollar boots are made in the USA and the Chotas are made in China. Go figure.

I'm a big fan of Chota Mukluks.

Can you swim in your $11 boots? Will they stay on your feet if you capsize?

I don't know if I can swim in the mukluks. The $11 boots might not stay on, but who cares. My plan is to not go swimming in water that is cold enough to cause me to wear water proof footwear. If my plan goes awry, maybe I'll make some revisions, but it has worked so far.

I didn't mean that I don't like the mukluks; they are very comfortable and I hope they are tough enough to hold up.

whatever footwear you choose, make sure the fit (w. socks, liners, etc.) is not tight, or circulation suffers and feet actually get colder.

Learned this to my misery on an easy river trip paddling a WW kayak. My feet fell asleep on the pegs & weren't all that comfy when I walked... a sock layer came off & things were immediately better on land & for rest of the trip.


Still, you need footwear snug enought to stay on when/if you Don't want to expose drysuit booties to rough ground, rocks, when you are clambering around bootie-less.

Okay, now I've had the chance to use my new Chota Mukluks and I'm happy to say that not only do they work even better than I thought they would, but they make me feel like I look like a real ace. That's "ace"--meaning very cool kayaker--not "a__" as some of you are thinking.

Seriously, I think Chota did a great job with these boots and I can't think of much I would change about them. Now the only problem is that they are so comfortable that I won't want to change back to water shoes when the water warms up.

I bought some rubber boots for a kayak trip in Greenland this summer. I started using them this winter as well. With thick woolen socks they keep my feet warm and most important: dry.
Swimming with them is fine, I tried this in the swimming pool. Only, you have to swim the breaststroke, crawl doesn't work.

I've used Chot Mukluk Lites in the past. I've never tried the regular Mukluks, but imagine they would be better for Canoeing than kayaking.

Yeah, I have the Chota Lites as well, and agree.

I much prefer swimming in the Desperadoes over the Chotas. And the only time I "plan" to swim in cold water is the annual December test of our gear while doing rescues, LOL. Then the water temp is in the low 40s as is the air. Bracing! & I don't mean the strokes!