Booties for year-round

[shmish]

I’ve been using my 1990 diving booties for years and they’ve held up remarkably well but are now starting to fall apart and the sole is really wearing down. What are appropriate booties for year round sailing? Ankle cut or boot? How thick? My current booties are 5mm I think and I’ve never been cold in the slightest with them.

[telus022420]

I prefer to sail in barefoot when its safe to do so. Is walk of shame in a rocky area?

Hard sole you can't feel the board, it could be slippery on the board, last longer.
Soft sole good grip, thin and will wear out sooner.

Ankle cut -sand/little rock wil get trapped, easy in/out, great in hot weather.

Booties - zipper needed for in/out, keep sand/rocks out. For colder temp, I would wear socks and a plastic bag before I put the wetsuit on.

If dive boot works for you, get another pair.

[mjamero]

I mostly sail Locarno/Jerico. I can't image sailing without booties. Don't buy dive boots for windsurfing. Get proper surf booties. There is %^&* all over the beach you can't see just waiting to give you stitches. Not worth it. Wear boots. I always sail with booties. 6mm w/ankle in the cool shoulder seasons. 3 or 2mm w/ankle in the summer. If I'm somewhere tropical (wet suit not required) I wear low cut ankle 2mm surf booties. Ripcurl and O'Niell work well. You may or may not like the split toe kind (big toe is isolated).

[Bryanl]

Promotion Booties work well - pretty soft sole - wear them as is in Summer - add socks in winter

[LeopardSkin]

Do not wear dive booties. The ridges on the side of the outer sole can lock your foot into the footstrap, resulting in broken metatarsals in a crash.

Only use windsurfing specific booties. They're offered by many brands.

Two pairs needed. Very thin ankle-length pair for summer. Longer thicker ones for winter. The outer soles should be very thin so you can still feel everything. My summer pair is so thin I can feel every pebble.

Maybe 2.5mm summer, 5mm or 6mm winter.

Durability is not an issue. If you sail 50 times a season, both pairs will last you a couple of years to several years.

[shmish]

Do not wear dive booties. The ridges on the side of the outer sole can lock your foot into the footstrap, resulting in broken metatarsals in a crash.

Wise words. It just so happens that I have been rehab'in and going to physio for a badly strained metarsal tendon because my foot got locked into my footstrap etc.

[telus022420]

There are several youtube tutorial videos on footstraps size. If your foot is STUCK in the straps they're too small.
https://youtu.be/CZG25O2JOJ8

https://youtu.be/lr9ikSpzfCE?t=520

https://youtu.be/pQu1lU-F81M?t=926

If you find a video that contradicts the videos please post; I open to new ideas.

[LeopardSkin]

Buying booties online is tricky. When fitting booties, they should fit snugly so the foot doesn't move inside the boot. Thus in-store purchasing is best.

[tattooedferret]

I've just got some of the Xcel split toe boots in 3mm (but they come in a bunch of thicknesses). Designed for surfing so fit super snug. Pretty true to size, I'm a 9.5 and went for a 9. bit of toe rub but I cant deal with cold feet so it's better than that:)

https://xcelwetsuits.ca/collections/men/accessories?

[shmish]

If your foot is STUCK in the straps they're too small.

I've seen two schools of thought on this. 1) tighten straps around toes, this prevents your whole foot from going into the straps and getting stuck. 2) have straps loose enough that your foot can go in, they're called footstraps and not toestraps, but if your whole foot is in the strap it can twist in the strap and get stuck.
I believe that my straps were somewhat snug over the mid point of my foot. If the straps were looser it would not have been a problem. However, if the straps were looser it would be impossible for me to use my toes to dig in my windward rail.

Buying booties online is tricky. When fitting booties, they should fit snugly so the foot doesn't move inside the boot. Thus in-store purchasing is best.

I guess that's Northshore Ski and Snowboard. Anywhere else?

I've just got some of the Xcel split toe boots in 3mm (but they come in a bunch of thicknesses).

Thanks. How do you like the split toe? I've never tried a pair on and I'm not sure why a person would want to split between their toes.