socks/gloves for people who get really cold!

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katief

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Hi, I always have a serious problem in the winter with really cold fingers/toes due to raynauds (poor circulation etc) and it gets to the point when they get so cold I cry! Also dread dismounting during the winter as know the pain it's going to cause...can anyone suggest any really good gloves/socks - also am planning on getting some ariats (or similar) this winter - will they make a difference? Thanks :)
 
Hi, I get Raynaulds too and I am already in my thick winter gloves!
In the depths of winter you need some thermal type gloves and sock or proper ski socks for artic conditions. Last winter I bought some ski socks (not cheap and from a specialist supplier), they came to just under my knees and were wonderful!
For my hands I use proper thermal ones and layer if needs be, go to a proper thermal supplier like Damart.
My feet are not too bad it is my hands that turn white at a moments notice and it is too late then! I always ensure that my hands never get wet, by wearing rubber gloves outside for chores if needs be and make sure I put my gloves on BEFORE I leave the house, when my hands are still warm. If you put your gloves on when you are out in the cold, the damage is done and they will only get colder.
I too have suffered in past years to the point where I had to on occasion follow my horse around the field grazing with my hands under his rug in a bid to thaw them!
I can walk a short distance from my office to my car and my fingers will be on the turn.
 
Ariat Grasmeres, undoubtedly. They stop that "shattering" feeling when hitting the floor with cold feet! I've not ridden in mine but am so in love with my "best" pair that I am considering getting a second pair to use as horsey boots. They are seriously lovely and well worth the money!

ETS: Sorry, I realise they're not socks, but they'll eliminate the need for ridiculously thick / layered socks!
 
For feet I wear Original Muck Boots, sock liners, and waterproof socks (about £30 a pair, and I've found them to be small sizes so get the next size up if you're at the top of the size range for the sock and intend wearing them over other socks. If they are too tight they will do your circulation in, end result pain. They are quite thick so your boot size might need to go up a half size to accomodate them.

Sealskinz with a glove liner seem to work for my hands.

As mentioned, avoid getting hands/feet wet. Pain. Pain. Pain.

My best advice is to hibernate in a warm house. If only.
 
Boots - muck boot co AVON, they are suitable to wear in minus 20 something, they are fab, in all that ice and snow last winter they were the BEST boots I've ever had for warmth and the sole was brilliant in the ice, my husband was slipping everywhere in his boots but I was fine and believe me I'm like bamby on ice !

Other muck boots I've tried are the DERWENT they are warm but not as warm as the AVON ones.

Gloves - am yet to find a warm/waterproof/thin pair as I ride in double reins I hate wearing gloves anyway, but I hate bulky gloves, I bought a pair of waterproof sealskinz with the pimple palms, they were ok for walking the dog but I didn't find them particularly warm, just waterproof, I haven't tried the actual riding gloves as they look a little bulky

I did fancy the mountain horse waterproof glove, they come in black and hi viz, trouble is they are all expensive, too much to just try, if they're no good you're out of pocket and still cold !
 
If you can tolerate thickish gloves, try Porelle or other neoprene types. The Muck boots are fab because they're neoprene and make you sweat so keeping you warm. I honestly thought my fingers were going to drop off last winter: it was horrendous (Raynauds, too:() Welly warmers had no effect on me. I had handwarmers given to me by a well-meaning friend, but I think they're nearly as bad as putting your hand in hot water-agony and not good for freezing hands. I'm not going to suffer this winter, just gonna buy whatever it takes.

Re the battery powered gloves/socks: someone on here who's name I can't remember, had a memorable experience with her gloves catching fire!
 
Last year my OH, discovered ladies motorcycle gloves, and said they are the warmest gloves she has ever worn.

She also wears Ariat long boots for the same reason she wears motorcycle gloves.
 
my physio recommends buying Gingco Biloboa (not sure that I spelt that right!) which you can get from most health food type places as it helps your circulation.

I have neoprene boots but still get feet like blocks of ice. I swear my circulation stops around the knee area!!
 
haven't tried Gingko Biloba but a spoonful of black strap molasses everyday has made a huge difference to my fingers-used to go white with cold - but never had any trouble in January in minus flipping freezing!
 
just wondered if anyone can recommend gloves and socks for kids with raynauds? my six year old and two year old kids suffer terribly and i now have muck boot muddies for them but wany to find out what the best gloves and socks would be before winter arrives please advise
 
yay raynaulds club!

here are my top tips:

1) ski socks! get them from ski suppliers, i have tube socks that can be worn over normal socks, nice & toasty

2) i use normal magic gloves from primark etc. i just dont find any more expensive ones any more effective at keeping my fingers alive, they die what ever!

3) have loads of spare pairs on you at all times! the minute you pick up a wet water bucket & your gloves get a little wet your fingers will freeze & will fall off (well slight exagerration here but if your pain is similar to mine you will know why the exagerration is necessary!). therefore have spare dry pairs which you can change straight in to when they get wet to keep your fingers warm. this applies to socks too although there is no point putting dry socks into damp boots, so if a spare pair of boots is possible, take these too!

4) where as layering is a good idea make sure it is not too tight, especially around the fingers & toes. it doesnt matter if you have 50 pairs of socks on if your boots are too tight your feet will be colder than if you are walking bare foot! make sure there is plenty of room otherwise your bloodflow will be even more restricted than it otherwise is (it will be poor if you are a fellow reynaulds-lian) & so you will freeze. so layering is good but dont go OTT otherwise it is counter productive!

5)hot soup/ tea/ chocolate to warm the fingers & the insides on cold days

6)woolly hat & body layers: when you are cold your body diverts blood to the vital organs in your body & brain. the "less important" bits like your fingers & toes are sacrificed & blood is diverted away from them hence why they go white. therefore keep the rest of you warm & there will be less need to divert the blood

7) reynaulds is actually a reaction to a change in temperature rather than cold itself. therefore try to resist the temptation to get to hot in your car or house before you go out into the cold, it will only make it worse :(. at the end of the day you are allowed to get warm though! but dont jump straight in a hot bath cos you'll get chillblains

8) wrap up before you get cold, not after as you can only lose heat, not gain it. if you do get cold then get active!

hope this helps! i am a fellow reynaulds/ chillblain/ general weakling sufferer so i know how painful winter is!
 
I would recommend the sealskin gloves. If you make sure that they are dry and warm then they will keep your hands warm for hours. They are also waterproof so keep your hands dry if you spill water or something.

Have seen the product list for sealskin and they do make gloves for horseriders, so they are thiner but still waterproof. I haven't found them so i use the normal ones but they may be worth a search for.
 
NOISYGIRL said:
I haven't tried the actual riding gloves as they look a little bulky
QUOTE]

I did get a pair of the sealskinz waterproof riding glove (the ones which look like motorbike gloves), and you are right, they were too bulky for me to ride in. Also, because they are so bulky, I found myself having to take them off a lot to be able to do things such as tacking up, and anything else which needs fingers. They are lovely and warm, but too bulky to be practical.
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farriersmum said:
How do you know if you've got Reynaud's? Can they test for it? It sounds like me but they told me it was an underactive thyroid?
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raynaud's phenomenom is where the fingers (or toes) go white when there is a drop in temperature due to blood being diverted away from the extremities. there is then a hyperaeic reaction as the blood returns & the fingers go purple & are painful. it is a normal reaction to extreme drops in temperature but in sufferers it happens at minor drops in temperature that would not affect most people (for example i can get it when washing my hands in luke warm water)

raynaud's syndrome is when the phenomenom is caused by an underlying metabolic problem, so the symptoms are the same but there is an identifiable cause. one of these causes is an under active thyroid. therefore it is possible that you do have raynaud's, but as a result of your underactive thyroid. An underactive thyroid is treatable, simple raynaud's is not in the majority of cases (although certain blood pressure tablets can help some people) so in a strange way, consider yourself lucky! my mum was a raynaud's sufferer & she was found to have an underactive thyroid. now her thyroid is managed with thyroxine she has a lot less problems with her raynauds. i on the otherhand have raynaulds but not under active thyroid, suffer throughout the year, even in august!

hope this makes sense

Sally
 
forgot to add there is no clinical test for the phenomenom, the diagnosis is made from the history. but there are tests for the disorders that can cause the syndrome, sotests for reynaud's are actually excluding underlying causes rather than confirming reynauds

p.s. i cant remember if it is spelt reynauld's or raynauld's, hence why i keep changing spelling!
 
thanks everyone - think neoprene wellies may be a v good idea! as I've tried ski socks time and time again (also get a similar problem when skiing..) You've all been really helpful! :D
and re:diagnosing, as sally87 said, there is no real way to test it! my mum's been in for tests many times, ended up with mri scans and they still can't officially say whether it is that or not...and as I have v similar symptoms I'm self-diagnosing :p (this also means people listen to you more when you say how cold you are if you have some sort of condition behind it - I often find people have no sympathy :mad: and tell me to stop moaning!)
 
Another vote for Ariat grasmeres or muck boot co for feet. am yet to come across a glove that will keep my hands both warm AND dry :( tried the sealskinz ones, fab for waterproofness but made my hands even colder!!! in the end opted for some thick cheapy fleece gloves and slipped on pair of sexy marigolds over the top!! well, worked for me :D
 
Google ( Heat holders ) i bought a pair of these socks last year and oh my goodness they are so so cosy !!!

i also have sealskin pimple gloves , sealskin riding gloves and 2 sealskin hats !

and i love my muck boot fab !

im never cold !
 
Misinterpreted said:
NOISYGIRL said:
I haven't tried the actual riding gloves as they look a little bulky
QUOTE]

I did get a pair of the sealskinz waterproof riding glove (the ones which look like motorbike gloves), and you are right, they were too bulky for me to ride in. Also, because they are so bulky, I found myself having to take them off a lot to be able to do things such as tacking up, and anything else which needs fingers. They are lovely and warm, but too bulky to be practical.
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Thanks for letting me know, they are expensive so didn't want to get them if that was the case, was thinking of these http://www.kitt.eu.com/chaps.htm, they do 3 different types of gloves, the blue ones you can fold the fingers back and are much more reasonable in price
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Love my SealSkinz gloves - very cosy, great for winter as they're waterproof and you can ride in them. I also have the SealSkinz socks whch are great as they're waterproof.

Not been cold with my Dubarry's on, but I don't tend to use them in deep mud (too expensive for that!).
 
Another vote for Sealskinz riding gloves, I got them after a particularly cold lunging session last winter when I was squeeking some very strange commands to my horse through gritted teeth, as my hands were so cold I was nearly crying! I thought they'd be too bulky for schooling but would be ok for lunging/hacking, but actually found them fine for all three. They also have the added benefit of being able to submerge in frozen water troughs to remove large chunks of ice!
 
SSG all weather gloves. Warm boots are better than thick socks. Full mountain horse chaps also good to keep feet warm if they are a bit too long. (I'm rather short!)
 
For gloves I found that Ariat Insulated Tek Grip Riding Gloves were very good especially when riding.

Equitector, Equi Master are very good. My mum wore them when we went to watch the inaugral Express Eventing (Nov 2008) when it was bl***y freezing. Her feet were warm all day long. I on the other hand was wearing my Ariat Grasmere Lace Boots and had blocks of ice for feet nearly all day.

My dad also picked up some awesome thick socks from a garage of all places - think they were Heat Holder thermal socks. They really helped last year.

Tis so difficult, some work and some simply don't... This is just what I have experienced. I hope you find something... I am not looking forward to the winter for the very same reason :(
 
NOISYGIRL said:
I did fancy the mountain horse waterproof glove, they come in black and hi viz, trouble is they are all expensive, too much to just try, if they're no good you're out of pocket and still cold !
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Get them! I had a black pair and a fluoro pair and wore them so much they wore out! I get really bad raynauds too and these did the job almost always (especially if you pop them on the radiator at home for a bit before you leave, or on top of your fans in your car before you get to the yard!)

Strangely, the cheapish Mark Todd leather-look gloves (about £14) are also really really good.
 
One thing I can really recommend - and they can be worn under any other sort of glove/sock/boot because there is no bulk - silk gloves and socks! They are brilliant, and not expensive. You can buy them from sports shops, especially those that sell ski gear.
 
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