What's the coldest temp (yes, also humidity and wind factors) at which y'all just call a halt to outdoor barefooting?
In Florida the cold has to be mixed with rain for me to quit. Under 50 F is kinda rare since climate change.
I've done -10 C (=14 Fah) in a controlled environment, but that got painful quick, so I don't do it for long. +5 C (=41 Fah) is doable for a good 30 minutes at least, if the weather is otherwise on your side. Nasties like chilly wind or cold rain will make it harder, though. The absolute coldest that I've ever done was -17 C (=1,4 Fah), but that was just a one time burst that lasted under a minute, while I quickly connected my car's block heater to the mains. I couldn't be bothered with the boots for such a quick job...
In Auckland, New Zealand it is easy to be barefoot all year round. Winter is usually 13-17 degrees Celsius, climbing up to 28-32 degree C in summer...not sure what that is in Fahrenheit. Plus, of course, down here there are many who are barefoot all year round, so you are far less conspicuous than other countries.
I think I can’t tell an exact answer, as this depends on a lot of factors. For example, will you go just a short stretch or stay barefoot outside the whole day? Is there snow or snow slush, or is the ground dry? Do you walk on natural ground or in an urban context? Are there possibilities to warm up now and then or not? Will you be able to keep in move all the time or do you have to stand a long time? Etc. And, of course also the current personal mood plays an important role. As I went barefoot through two winters during my school time, I probably was barefoot up to -10°C (14F) or so. But this is a temperature where you have to care to keep in move or make use of warm up breaks (for example go into a shop, or – what is really recommendable – use the escalators in stores or malls, they are always nicely warm from the drive motor inside). Today I wouldn’t say it’s so much desirable to go permabarefoot at these temperatures, but for shorter stretches it can be fun though. So today maybe I can say I would go for a weekend trip without taking some footwear with me down to 5°C (40F), but below this temperature would prefer to have something to put over in reach. Of course this also depends, for example I made some fun barefoot hiking when the ground was partially frozen, but the sun was shining brightly.
If you make up for it with extra warm cloths your good until the freezing point I guess. I am in Florida so as long as I got warm jacket shorts and bare feet not usually not a problem. Need a warmer jacket then if I was wearing pants and sneakers for sure in the 40s.
