Seal Skinz

Ken Cox

Well, I bought a pair of Lake winter boots.
I think they'll keep me warm on the really bad days.
However, for the not-so-horrible days, I'd like to continue wearing my sandals.
My LBS says Seal Skinz will keep my feet warm and dry in sandals, without too much bulk, on any but the coldest days.
Does anyone have experience with Seal Skinz?

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qmsdc15

Very good product. I have ridden through mid-atlantic winters in sandles and sealskniz with wool/poly socks under (thick ones when necessary). My feet got cold and wet, but not frozen and only got wet after hours in rain.

Jarery

I commuted 2 hours a day, every day, all last winter in sealskinz and sandals. I wore woolie boolie socks, then sealskinz. On really bad days I then wore booties over my sandals to block the wind and add some more warmth. And in vancouver we got a LOT of rain.

Worked awesome. And the best part, is that at work the sandals dried in 10 min.

The problem : water can run down your leg into the top of the sock. So your feet still get damp/wet. Sealskinz now makes a new version that has a seal at the top of the sock to stop water, or you can wear waterproof tights that cover the top of the sock.

Portis

There are some that contend the sandals and sealskin combos are warmer in dry, cold weather than the Lake shoes. I own a pair of the Lake 300's and wouldn't find that too hard to believe.

klamyfeat

I commuted 2 hours a day, every day, all last winter in sealskinz and sandals. I wore woolie boolie socks, then sealskinz. On really bad days I then wore booties over my sandals to block the wind and add some more warmth. And in vancouver we got a LOT of rain.

Worked awesome. And the best part, is that at work the sandals dried in 10 min.

The problem : water can run down your leg into the top of the sock. So your feet still get damp/wet. Sealskinz now makes a new version that has a seal at the top of the sock to stop water, or you can wear waterproof tights that cover the top of the sock.

I was thinking about getting some sealskinz socks for wet Vancouver cycling too. What sealskinz version has the 'leg seal'?

chipcom

Key when it is cold is a polypro or wool sock under the sealskinz, which by themselves don't do a great job of keeping your feet warm under 50 or so. I wear thin smartwools from 40-50, thicker below that. You also gotta make sure your sandal straps can be adjusted enough to compensate for your bigger feets. ;)

Jarery

Key when it is cold is a polypro or wool sock under the sealskinz, which by themselves don't do a great job of keeping your feet warm under 50 or so. I wear thin smartwools from 40-50, thicker below that. You also gotta make sure your sandal straps can be adjusted enough to compensate for your bigger feets. ;)

What he said :)

And i cant remember what name of the sealskinz that had a better waterseal. Looking at their site I dont see them, they musta not worked well :p

I no longer wear tights with spandex backs, so I solved the problem by finding very thin, almost waterproof pants so I dont have waterfalls of water running down my legs anymore.

SCREEM

would these work well with sandles? http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441894713&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302700471&bmUID=1191381652516

Bill Abbey

I vote with Jarery. A pair of smart wools under the sealskins in the Shimano sandals. when it rains, the rainpants go over the sealskins. I rode all winter for the the last two years. primo. I also have the gloves, but i do not use those except in frog choker rain.

pj7

I tried sealskinz once, wasn't impressed for the price.
I was able to wear a cheap neoprene sock under a thicker wool sock and my Lake sandals down to about 15 DEGF without much discomfort. And the total cost of those socks plus a polypro sock liner was cheaper than one pair of sealskinz.
Anything colder than that and I perfer the hiking boots because it usually means very hard packed snow/ice and I just don't think sandals would do too well once off the bike in those conditions.
But here in the Great Lakes area we don't get rain in the winter, just lots and lots of lake effect snow.

modernjess

As long as I got a pair of Lake sandals this year (which I love in the warm weather) I think I might give the Lake sandals/sealskins combo a try this winter.

Which SealSkinz do you all recommended? I'm thinking the "Chillblockers". Any reason not?

It's cold as hell here, so I'm looking for warmth more than water proof, besides, the water is all frozen.