cold feet, good booties recomendations

[Crankin]

I have the Gore booties. I can't say how well they work, because I can't close one of them. Seriously, it's like my calf is too big. It's quite strange. I got them on sale last year. DH likes his, though.
I have some mid range insulated booties that have velcro for the closure that work well for road rides. I have been known to use foot warmers at below 42 degrees or so, also. I end up wearing my thin smart wool x country ski socks. I have a few pairs of woolie bullies, but I really have to loosen my shoes.
I also have a cheap pair of PI booties with zippers and velcro for my mtb shoes. They are all ripped up on the bottom, but they do work.

[Becky]

My DH has those Pearl Izumi boots too, and raves about them! He says that they were money well spent.

I have the same problem with winter boots and booties not fastening tightly enough around my calves. I've taken to wear low softshell gaiters over my Sidi boots in order to get a nice tight seal at the ankle.

I bought a pair of XStatic sock liners at EMS, and they have made such a huge difference in how comfortable my feet feel. It's not just the wicking capabilities (been wearing sock liners for years), but something about these particular ones actually makes me feel warmer. Add a pair of smartwool socks and my Sidi boots and I'm good for a couple of hours.

[OakLeaf]

Seriously, it's like my calf is too big. It's quite strange.

Not so strange if they're unisex, which most (all?) booties are. It's a really common issue with women in unisex motorcycling boots, as well. They're made for someone whose tibias are this long, and when an athletic woman tries to put them on, the belly of our gastroc is falling in a part of the boot that's meant to be on the narrower part of a man's ankle.

[Crankin]

OK, now I know I am not weird. I mean, my calves are bigger from cycling and years of pounding them on the aerobics floor, but they are not huge.
Becky, it's funny you mention sock liners. I have been wearing silk sock liners for a few years, when I x country ski in really cold weather. In the past 2 years, every time I wear them, I get some type of toe problem. I wore them a couple of weeks ago, snow shoeing, and yesterday, when I took my nail polish off of my toes, I had a nice black toenail. Great, those usually take months to fall off. It's like they are acting like socks that are too thick.