In the first article of this series I highlighted the benefits and drawbacks of winging through winter. Let’s be honest, the only way you will be able to motivate yourself to go, and to enjoy your session when you get there is to have the right gear to keep you warm. In this article I will look at one of the most important parts of the body to keep warm – the feet!
Welcome to Winging through the winter #2 – Boots to Beat the Cold.
(This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)
In a nutshell
The feet are one of the hardest things to keep warm because inevitably your feet get wet when launching and will get wet again on any touchdown or restart. In addition, in colder weather blood supply to extremities reduces, so you are likely to get cold in your hands and feet first.
One issue with keeping your feet warm is the compromise you need to make between thick enough wetsuit boots to keep warm versus the need to retain as much “feel” as possible so that you can ride the foil efficiently and intuitively.
This year I have found what I believe to be a game changer in terms of boots. I have been wearing 5mm Solite Custom 2.0 and I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending these for the following reasons:
- They are incredibly warm. The boots trap water in a way that reduces flushing and they utilise advanced technologies to retain heat. I have finished a session and emptied some water from the boot that was steaming in the cold air.
- They are amazingly comfortable even if you have oddly shaped feet. You thermo-fit the boots when you first get them so they custom mold to your feet. I have oddly shaped feet with bony spurs, these are the most comfortable boots I have ever worn.
- The boots are quite light and the sole is very thin (1 mm in places) so you have great feel for the board. This reflects Solite’s mission to create a boot for surfers that provided maximum feel and connectivity for the rider.
- They are really well made. The seams are triple sealed and the boots appear to be really robust.
- They are on the pricier side currently £80 to £85 in the UK.
If you came to this article looking for a recommendation then without hesitation this is the best boot for wing foiling in cold conditions on the market. If you have five minutes to read on, I will explain why in a bit more detail.
The Summer Shoe
Some of the best wingers at my local spot ride with bare feet in summer. They all talk about how important “feel” for how the foil is behaving is to them.
Personally, I like to wear something on my feet. Firstly, there is the danger of stepping on something sharp when launching or landing and secondly there is the danger of kicking the sharp foil when you have fallen in. In summer therefore I wear a light Nava 3mm neoprene slipper. I like this for summer riding because:
- Lightweight shoe with a thin sole without out heavy molding. This gives a very direct feel as there is very little between the sole of your foot and the board’s deck pad.
- The low-cut ankle (the “slipper” style) allows for freedom of movement the ankles and just feels freer. When foiling somewhere warm it is also sufficiently minimalist that you feel the benefit of winging without a wetsuit.
- The slipper has an ankle toggle that allows you to pull the boot tight around the ankle. This stops the shoe from ballooning out and filling with water in faster falls.
- They are significantly cheaper. These are currently available in the UK for less than £25. This allows me to give my more expensive winter boots a summer break, preserving their life.
Once it gets to winter though, these shoes are not warm enough. The water constantly flushes from the thin neoprene so I would quickly become too cold if I tried wearing these through the winter.
The Traditional Heavy Wetsuit Boot
In the past I have used heavy 5 mm wet suit boots for winter winging. The boots I have used were actually my scuba diving boots and they did the trick from a warmth perspective but they have disadvantages.
- The heavy soles reduce feel for the board a lot. It becomes a lot less intuitive to ride the foil and manoeuvres like gybing become much harder.
- The heavy slightly rigid soles do not grip the board so well. You don’t grip the board as well so pumping up onto foil is harder. Foot switches become significantly trickier.
- If you use foot straps you may need to adjust them to get a big boot into them. The likelihood of an injury from jamming the heavy boot into the foot strap in a fall is greater.
For this reason, I started searching for an alternative.
Why I opted for Solite
The research that I did lead me to Solite. These are some of the key things that I found that convinced me to give them a try.
Design pedigree
The brand was founded by Jamie Meiselman and Tyler Callaway. Their combined expertise is the “secret sauce”:
- Meiselman: Ran the boot division of Burton snowboard. He brought the concept of heat-moldable technology (standard in high-end snowboard boots) to the water.
- Callaway: Is a surf industry veteran who spent decades running FCS (Fin Control Systems). His focus was entirely on how a surfer connects to their board and fins.
They didn’t just want a warm boot; they wanted a boot that did not compromise of feel and responsiveness.
Cool technology to keep you warm
Solite boots warmth comes from a combination of a “zero-space” fit, advanced heat-reflective linings, and a specialized layering system. The key components to this are:
- Custom molded to your feet. Solite boots use a patented Thermofoam which you fit to your feet when you first get them. This creates a very snug but comfortable fit so there is almost no flushing of the water in the boot. You have less water for your body to heat up and the water stays in place longer (getting even warmer).
- Specialised sole construction. The sole is thin but is constructed with injection-molded foam which has a high concentration of air bubbles. The trapped air is an excellent insulator thus providing a more significant thermal barrier between your feet and cold water, air and board.
- Solite uses a multi-stage sealing process. Seams are glued, blind-stitched, and then finished with an external liquid seam seal. The cuff provides a seamless seal around your leg, which in combination with your wetsuit, significantly reduces the amount of cold water that “flushes” into the boot during a fall.
- Heat booster socks. The boot comes with a thin knitted sock that provides an additional layer for the foot that further helps reduce flushing. They also help ease getting the boot on and off.
My Experience
The Molding Process
As my feet are oddly shaped with a number of bone spurs (4 seasons of skiing all winter hasn’t helped!) I have often bought boots that are a size or half a size too large. That is sub-optimal of course because it makes the problem of cold water flushing worse.
Solite advise buying your correct shoe size because of the thermo-fitting process so that is what I did. When the boots arrived, I followed the instructions and filled them with boiling water and left them for five minutes. In the meantime, I put on the socks that come with the boots. After five minutes I emptied the boiling water out gave the boots one quick flush with cold water and put them on.
I then kept them on walking around the house for ten minutes. As I did this I could feel the places where there was initial tightness (around my big toe joint for instance) easing. By the time I took them off, they felt comfortable and I could see that the boot retained some of the oddities of my foot shape.
The Boots in Use
I have been using the boots for several months now and they are absolutely great. I have no criticisms at all and they are probably the piece of gear that I have bought this year that I am most pleased with.
They are:
- Easy to get on and off for such a tight boot. The socks help ease your foot in and if you roll the cuff over your foot and then use the loop on the heel to work your foot into the boot it’s really quite easy.
- They are very comfortable with no rubbing on any part of my foot, even the bone spurs.
- Super warm. The tightness prevents water flushing. When it’s been really cold it has actually felt as if my feet were in warm water the contrast is so great.
- Grip the board well. There is no loss of grip between the Solite boot and my summer shoe. Foot switches are easy – well at least no harder than in summer.
- Have great feel. There is no less feel with the Solite boot than with my summer shoe.
- Would not impact on use of footstraps.
Summary Comparison
| Feature | Solite Custom 2.0 Heat-Moldable Boots | Traditional 5mm Neoprene Boots | Nava Summer Slippers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warmth | Exceptional — heat-molded fit eliminates water gaps and keeps feet warm even in near-freezing water. | Good, but water pockets and flushing reduce warmth over time. | Very low — not suitable for winter conditions. |
| Board Feel | Excellent — very close to barefoot feel for precise board control. | Moderate — thicker sole reduces sensitivity and connection to the board. | Excellent — closest to barefoot, ideal for summer sessions. |
| Fit | Custom molded to your foot; secure, locked-in fit that doesn’t move around. | Standard off-the-shelf fit; can feel loose or sloppy depending on foot shape. | Snug but minimal; not designed for heavy winter use. |
| Water Entry | Very low — tight seal and molded shape minimise flushing. | Moderate — depends on cuff design and how well the boot fits. | High — designed for warmer water, so flushing is common. |
| Durability | High — reinforced sole and seams handle regular winter use. | Moderate — lifespan varies widely by brand and construction. | Low — not built for cold-water use or heavy wear. |
| Ease of Putting On | Medium — initial molding process takes a bit of effort, then straightforward. | Medium/Easy — Easy with zips, medium with a simple pull-on design. | Very easy — slip-on design. |
| Best For | Winter wing foiling, cold-water riders, anyone with poor circulation or cold feet. | General winter watersports and occasional cold sessions. | Summer wing foiling and mild conditions only. |
| Price | Premium. | Mid-range. | Low. |
In Conclusion
If literal cold feet have been giving you figurative cold feet about Winging in Winter it’s time to get yourself some Solite boots.
Coming next in this series will be the sometimes thorny topic of gloves. Before then if you have gear tips to help keep Winging through Winter drop a comment below. It looks like we have wind and sun tomorrow and it’s a balmy 8 degrees. I’ll see you on the water Let’s Go Wingfoil.