How To Keep Your Feet Warm Stand Up Paddleboarding

The answer my friend is easy. Neoprene Booties and we have them in a myriad of styles and options. Here's the low down in finding the perfect bootie to keep your foot warm and safe.(pictured the O'Neill Heat Bootie)

Whether it's is paddling kayaks or stand up paddleboards keeping your feet warm is one key to enjoying winter paddling. In addition having some nice coverage on the bottoms of your feet can help ease the discomfort of rocky beaches or sharp pebbles in the parking lot. Lets take a look at some of the options and the pro's and cons associated with them.

First up is the O'Neill Reef Walker bootie (pictured above). This bootie has a 2 millimeter neoprene top with a firm rubber sole. It makes for a great solution for most colder days of paddling and/or walking on the beach. Its low ankle cut makes it easy to take on and off. The bootie retails for $31.99. This booties is not good for any in the water activity other than paddling or snorkeling as wave action can pull the booties off your feet. This bootie has good drainage for walking around the beach when going in and out of the water.

Taking it up a notch is the SUPreme Power Phase Booties (pictured above) and the O'Neill Superfreak Tropical lines. Both booties are 2mm in thickness but quite a bit warmer than the Reef Walkers mentioned above. The soles of both are more supple than the firm soled Reef Walker making for better feeling of board under foot. Both also have the critical arch strap. This strap will help keep the bootie on when used in rougher water or surfing use cases. The SUPreme bootie is the warmer of the two options with is heathered lining and more substantive neoprene. One downside is that it will not drain as well as the O'Neill Superfreaks with their more porous tops. The toe area on the SUPreme Power Phase is more robust than on the O'Neills making it the better choice for folks using them with foot straps as in kiteboarding or windsurfing. The Subtropicals' also come in Split and Round Toe options. More on that later. ($49.95 to $53.99)

Need warmer? Than consider the 3mm O'Neill Heat Booties. This bootie is the go to bootie for most surfers in area and should keep most feet warm year round. The Split Toe option sets the big toe in to its own sleeve. This should help with dexterity and by reducing the volume of water stored in the bootie a slightly warmer option over the Round Toe. The over the ankle neoprene almost ensures these booties are staying on your feet even in the biggest wipeout. One downside is they do take some practice to get them on easily.($47.95)

Not enough? Enter the 5 millimeter O'Neill Heat Bootie. A portable sauna for your tootsies! Perfect for the colder person of someone who paddles early mornings all winter long.

Some paddlers may need to use firm soled water shoes while paddling and that's where the O'Neill Heat Sock comes in to play. This neoprene sock can be worn under a traditional water shoe to give you wetsuit warmth while still giving you all the support of a traditional shoe. ($37.95)

Outrigger Canoe & Surfski paddlers should take a long hard look at the O'Neill Ninja Sock.(pictured at right) This soled sock provides all the traction of a traditional shoe, all the warmth of a traditional bootie but allows for a good fit in to the steering pedal areas of most boats where a traditional bootie won't fit. ($29.95)

We are well stocked on all of the above booties so come on down and try some on. Your feet will thank you.