I have Raynaud’s syndrome. It’s not a super big thing but if my fingers and toes get cold they loose blood flow and turn white. None of them have fallen off yet, but it SMARTS when the blood starts flowing again. The recommended therapy for this syndrome is to not get your hands and feet cold. But I can only really count on light to ride first thing in the morning and that is getting colder and colder. Lay your best winter riding and barn gloves on me please! (boots would also be ok, but I think I’ll ride in my tall boots until my feet come off in the boot jack.
They make heated insoles for shoes (you charge them, use them, then recharge after each use). I’ve been trying to decide which ones to give to my mom for Christmas, as her feet are always freezing.
For gloves, I suggest the little warmer packs that you shake/squeeze to make warm. I find I just can’t feel the reins with thicker, insulated gloves. But there might be better technology around these days (thinner linings, etc.).
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I have an old pair of underarmer riding gloves that are great, however I don’t think they still make them. I also really like my back on track and my insulated ariat gloves. My hands stayed warm even when it was snowing. Also if you can’t find a winter glove that you like my friend usd to get a plain riding glove a size bigger than needed and put it over her preferred winter glove.
I have fairly severe secondary Raynauds and my recommendation for barn work is a good pair of rechargeable heated glove liners + a ski glove. I have the Venture Heat Battery Heated Glove Liners from The Warming Store (https://www.thewarmingstore.com/heat…ve-liners.html) and pair them with Gordini Aquabloc Ski Mittens for barn work. Expensive combination, but SO worth it.
For riding, I use BOT gloves during the start of mild weather (like right now around 50s/60s), and the heated glove liners plus a 3 finger mitten for riding when it drops to 30s/40s (I think the pair I used last year is Horze brand). Below that and riding just can’t happen for me anymore.
ETA: For the liners (at least of that brand), when in doubt on size I recommend ordering down. My only complaint with mine is that I should have gotten a smaller size. I might actually buy another pair this year in a smaller size and gift my current pair to my fiancé for wearing at work.
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Fellow Reynauds sufferer here. When the blood comes back into my fingers and toes I sometimes pass out, so I try really hard to avoid letting it get that far!
I use BoT glove liners plus SSG 10 Below gloves with a trick - I run my hands under the hottest water I can stand in the bathroom at the barn after I’ve tacked up and right before I get on. I dry them thoroughly and then stick them inside the glove combo. No idea if this is just in my head or not, but I think doing that gives the ceramic fibers of the gloves some heat to reflect back, and so my hands stay warm the whole ride. If I don’t do that, even with the same gloves on, my hands are cold. Usually I kill two birds with one stone by warming the bit under the water at the same time.
For my feet, I also buy a case of disposable heated insoles off Amazon every year (not toe warmers, full insoles).
Honestly though, mine got easier to deal with once I started focusing on keeping my core super, super warm. My Underarmour 4.0 pants and shirt (which is nothing like the shiny UA base layer everyone is familiar with) are AMAZING. I could not do winter without them.
This is the kind of thing I was looking for. I’m hoping to ride (and maybe even hunt?) throughout the winter. My hands and feet just don’t seem to produce enough heat on their own for even the most insulated gloves to really work. I’ve seen a few pairs of heated motorcycle gloves but they looked super bulky and stiff to ride in. I love the idea of glove liners that I can put under different pairs of gloves mittens. Maybe I could even do some skiing this year! Not being able to tolerate cold hands really limits your winter outdoor activities. Thanks for the tip!
Those insoles still work in the confines of tall boots? I’ll have to try some. You’re totally right about keeping your core warm. The trick is keeping warm without sweating. I’ll have to get some of that UA. It doesn’t get super cold here, but I’m trying to stay super warm!
They do, they’re very thin. This is what I buy: https://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Insole-Foot-Warmers-Activated/dp/B001UQXAT6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539801274&sr=8-2&keywords=hot+hands+foot+insoles
I know I only need them when it gets below 28 or so, any warmer than that and my socks and Ariat Bromont tall boots are enough, so one or two boxes get me through the season. I’d tried everything before that and nothing worked, I just gave up and admitted there’s no sock in the universe that will keep me as warm and happy as those heated insoles.
Definitely get the UA! I live in it in the winter. I’ve had mine for four years now and it still looks new too, so it’ll last you.
While I have not officially been diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome, I’m sure I have it or am close to it. My hands and feet are always cold, even when I am underneath my comforter and the rest of my body is warm. If the slight bit of cold air touches my skin, I’m freezing (as I type this with a heater blowing on my feet that still feel cold).
I also recommended heated gloves and insoles, but DEFINITELY a heated jacket. Dewalt makes a battery powered jacket that is a LIFE saver when it is cold. It gives me somewhere to put my hands to warm up without having the feeling of cold hands on my skin.
I have a pair of gloves that I bought last year that have really kept my hands warm and have just enough dexterity to ride. I will have to check the brand when I get home, as I have tried at least 5 and all but 1 worked well. It has a pocket for a hand warmer which I really like while riding but take them off when doing work around the barn as I found my hands ended up sweating. I also wear very thin liners to have something super close to my skin.
If you put chemical hand warmers in small Ziploc bags and squeeze out all the air it will “pause” them. So you can use them for an hour a day for 6+ days.
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