need input on a diy overboot project

[Edward John M]

Just a plastic bag over your boots adds a bit of warmth but I’d be looking at the insulated stuff sack idea if I was making. CCF and cordura for the base and any LW fabric for the collar. 100GSM or greater insulation because feet are very hard to keep warm
Just make the base a long foot shaped semi-oval rather than round and as suggested a drawcord at the ankle and the top.

SacksMillet and a few other Continental businesses made something very much like this for HA climbing before the days of good Himalayan footwear, we used to call them footbags in the same way we used to call bulky mittens handbags
Make 3 tho, one for each foot plus an extra double or triple sized on as an extra layer to enclose both feet. It would need to be pretty cold tho to need both sets of footbags

[Mike M]

Michael is going to give it a go for me :)

Looking at 100d Robic inside/out and 5 oz Apex for insulation, no insulation in the bottom- I’ve got a wide variety of ccf pad thicknesses I can try out for insoles.

He’s thinking roughly 8 oz for the pair.

[Edward John M]

That’s about an inch of insulation isn’t it?
Just make sure that there is sufficient room under the foot to allow at least a half inch thickness of foam then. I did see something called “Treestand Booties” at Cabelas a few seasons ago but I think those were very much heavier

[Mike M]

According to ripstopbytheroll 1.2”

Definitely want these roomier than tighter- a little air boundary should help

[Edward John M]

https://en.aventurenordique.com/helsport-footsacks.html

Just to give you an idea on fit according to the Scandinavian POV

[Bob Chiang]

Hi Mike,

I’m late to this thread.  Your idea reminded me of something I made for a month long adventure of back country ski trips in 1978.  Packrat that I am, I dug them out of the closet to take pictures.  The tops are light breathable nylon, the bottoms look like coated pack cloth.  The foot area is lined with what looks like 1/2+” open cell foam for insulation.  They fit over my Nordic ski boots and the three pin bindings just clamped through the fabric.  There are a couple of closed cell insoles for camp wear.  I think I had synthetic insulated sleeping socks as part of the camp system.

Do your boots have any scratchy hardware?  For what it’s worth, I think relatively light fabrics hold up to more wear and tear than we give them credit.  If you won’t be walking on rocks, postholing through crust, or bushwhacking through brush, I think 1.1 or 1.9 ounce nylon would be sufficient.  Silicone coated fabric might make it easier to slide your boots in and out if you don’t mind the impermeability.

Another consideration is the slipperiness of the soles.  Even coarse cordura is pretty slippery on snow, so be careful.

I look forward to seeing your finished footwear.

PS. what is “glassing”?

[Mike M]

Bob- pretty snazzy!  Good thought on slick soles, the nylon will probably be a little slick, fortunately not a lot of walking other than around camp.

Glassing as in using binoculars/spotting scope to locate game :)

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