Sock Help.

[ZODIAC]

Good Evening Gentleman.

This post may be ridiculous in theory however its affecting my performance and focus. I am 6'4 200 lbs lean and i have poor circulation to my hands and feet. The problem this is causing, is that when its below 50 outside or my feet get wet they get so cold to the point of pain. I have tried your average PX Military socks, I have tried the padded boot socks, are there any special socks out there that anyone would recommend? I was told by someone to look into socks for diabetics because they have similar problems,

the hands i deal with gloves and hot hands between relays on ranges ect. Its getting cold here in NC and i have a lot of field exercises and ranges coming between now and March.

Thank You for your time in Advance,
Zodiac.

 

[AKkeith]

Have you searched the site for all the sock threads? There's been a couple and they were very informative with a lot of new ideas I hadn't heard of before.

 

[Polar Bear]

Smart wool and liners, 6'8" 250 now shusssh and do a search

 

[reed11b]

Damn tall freaks. Bet they put you in front of the ruck march formation too.
Reed

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

I had the same problem with my feet, not a poor circulation problem though.

I personally just sucked it up and drove on, as I was sure that many of my fellow soldiers were dealing with the same issues.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Okay so I am a fucking dickhead for the above post and I do apologize if it got your blood boiling.

To answer your question, you are probably not going to find the remedy in socks. I am guessing that either your boots are the wrong size or you are tying them too tight. I would try tying them a little loser, mainly down around the foot. I would also go to a place like a Red Wing boots store and have your foot actually measured properly. Than get the appropriate boot size. The type of sole on the boot also plays a big part, I don’t know if they let Marines re-work their field boots though. If you are allowed to, there are several treads that are a lot more comfortable for road marching, I personally like the aqua tread soles.

Another issue is properly breaking in your boots; some people put on a fresh pair of boots and walk through the pain until they become comfortable. Others are smart and soak their boots in hot water, put them on and allow the boots to mold to their feet. I will normally soak/walk a new pair every day for about a week. You do not want to start this before a big movement, walking around in wet boots will destroy your feet, especially if you do it under a ruck.

Lastly, you are going to have numb toes, and your feet are going to go numb, it’s really just part of the game. You can minimize it; you can try everything in the world but at the end of the day “road marching just sucks”. You have to deal with it, over time you will become accustom to it and it won’t play so much on your psyche.

Outside of the above, there are more than a few threads with advice about boots, rucks, foot care, marching, etc. I believe a lot of it will be in the SFAS prep type threads.

 

[Kraut783]

smart wool for the win!

 

[RetPara]

poly pro wicking socks that will move sweat away from the foot. Outer sock a wool/polypro combo. Also look at how tight your lacing your boots around the ankles and lower leg. Could be restricting blood flow.... Have your every had chilblains/frostbite on your feet?