Shoe choice for February starting Springer

[denimlabels]

Anyone have any Shoe ideas for February start? I am going to wear trail runners for most of the hike but I dont want to be walking in wet frozen feet when I need to trudge thru snow and ice. I am not a fan of boots. I am ok with being Cold. I am not ok with wet cold & numb feet.

[Flounder940]

I used trail runners in February on my thru attempt. No problems. Your feet get wet regardless of what ever precautions you take. Double up on socks. Your feet will syst warm as long as you are moving. Saw lots of people out there in the snow and rain in trail runners

[Venchka]

Wet feet are not mandatory. There are trail runners that are not built entirely of mesh.
Traction devices would be most beneficial. Wool is best for cold, wet conditions.
Shoes are just the tip of the iceberg for winter travel at elevation. You need a complete system to travel and sleep comfortably. No, a 35-40 degree flimsy sleeping bag, thin foam pad and a handkerchief for a tarp won't do the job.
I wonder what the success rate for February thru hike starts is?
Good luck. Stay dry. Stay warm.

Wayne

[Ashepabst]

i don't do winter backpacking without waterproof boots.

[Flounder940]

The people I hiked with that were wearing waterproof boots still got wet. Their "waterproof" boots took a lot longer to dry than my trail runners. My feet never got numb and I hiked through lots of rain and mud.

[Venchka]

First of all, the La Sportiva Nepal boot was supposed to be deleted. While your feet might stay dry in them, they are obviously overkill.
While not easy to find, there are trail runners and approach shoes (possibly better for winter-early spring) constructed of Nubuck leather and without Gore-Tex liners. Proper treatment of this type of shoe will minimize water saturation. Sorry folks, footwear destined for extreme conditions are not good to go off the shelf.
The La Sportiva Boulder X approach shoe deserves consideration until summer rolls around. Available from all the usual suspects.

248560_13515_XL.jpg
Wayne

[bigcranky]

Trail tunners with a Goretex liner. Winter is the only time I wear waterproof shoes. Add lightweight eVent gaiters if the snow is deep.

[HDLV]

The waterproof Solomon speed cross 3 are a favorite of mine. Good traction And light weight

[denimlabels]

Thanks for the suggestions. I learned the hard way the importance of staying as dry as possible during the winter. Im looking at the La Sportiva Crossover 2.0. I dont have any experience with this shoe but really like my Wildcat trail runners. I may just take the Wildcats along as my 2nd camp shoe.

I am a fan Salomon as well but I used a pair up in Maine a couple years ago and found that shoe very narrow in the foot box. It seems they all run kind of narrow. The nice thing about La Sportiva is how those shoes really lock your heel into place.

So thanks for the suggestion on the Boulder X. Its a great looking shoe. I think I will call them and ask for some free samples.

[kayak karl]

whats a WATERPROOF boot?

[MuddyWaters]

Goretex socks w/ trail runners.
Or breadbags

[denimlabels]

What makes gore tex socks any better than a pair of say darn tuffs? The gore text still gets wet but stays warmer is that correct? I probably wont be using breadbags until my sock money runs out.

[MuddyWaters]

What makes gore tex socks any better than a pair of say darn tuffs? The gore text still gets wet but stays warmer is that correct? I probably wont be using breadbags until my sock money runs out.

goretex sock goes over your regular sock. Your feet will still be wet from sweat, but they will be a lot warmer than with a constant flow of 32F snowmelt trickling thru them.

[denimlabels]

I will give them a shot Muddy Waters, thank you. I also want to try out those socks made from Opossum by a company in New Zealand. (Not the North American species).

I froze my backside off one winter camping in Alaska during the late winter months almost 20 years ago and it scarred me for life. I swore I would never spend another day camping in freezing cold weather. But that was before they had all these wonderful fabrics that they do today. Of course, twenty years ago I didn't have money for anything but cheap beer and gear from Wally World Outfitters....At least now I can afford a cheap suit.

[MuddyWaters]

I will give them a shot Muddy Waters, thank you. I also want to try out those socks made from Opossum by a company in New Zealand. (Not the North American species).

Possum down is warm, but.....it is known for not being very durable at all. The gloves really dont last very long if you do anything wearing them. I dont know anything about the socks, but I wouldnt personally plan on them for anything but sleep socks. And I think sleep socks are stupid. Id rather have 4oz more of down in my quilt, or 2oz down booties, than carry a pair of sleep socks. Just me.

[10-K]

If you are serious and this isn't one of those "I'm going to hike the AT in 33 years...." posts.

This is what you want.... http://www.sealskinz.com/US/socks/thick-mid-length-sock

Paired with a set of trail runners and don't look back.

[Singto]

If you are serious and this isn't one of those "I'm going to hike the AT in 33 years...." posts.

This is what you want.... http://www.sealskinz.com/US/socks/thick-mid-length-sock

Paired with a set of trail runners and don't look back.

Wow, those are some nice socks!

[BrianLe]

I'm in the "quick drying trail runners" camp.

Might be helpful for those of us making recommendations to say what conditions and over what periods they've used our recommendations. Closest context for me was that I started the AT in late Feb in 2010, and was happy with trail runners throughout.

I might have used goretex socks (?) but consider them optional. Decent wool socks are key. I've used neoprene socks with mixed results (depending on conditions and thickness of neoprene). I wouldn't use them for long-term (i.e., thru-hike) use. I've been cold in neoprene in snow in conditions when I felt like I would have been fine in just wool socks.
I hiked through the Smokies in snow in March of last year too, doing the first month with a friend who was thru-hiking. Had a good deal of snow both times through there, definitely didn't use goretex socks (or neoprene) last year.

Certainly doesn't hurt to have goretex socks. Size them up, however, so they fit over a good set of wool socks. I'm nominally a size 10, wear a size 11-1/2 (4E) trail runner, and use size 12 goretex socks (Rocky brand). If it turns out it's not worth it, you can mail them home.
The problem is that it's one more thing to fiddle with in a morning when you're putting on frozen shoes. Which, btw, is one big advantage of shoes over boots: if/when your shoes freeze solid over night, you can crack them open and force in your foot. I imagine it would be a(n even bigger) challenge doing so with frozen boots. I find that if goretex socks fit overall about right that there's some effort involved in putting them on and taking them off. You might instead just carry a couple extra pairs of breadbags and use those if the snow is wet or just running melt water.

[denimlabels]

Thanks for the replies. It appears at least to me that wet feet are just gonna be part of the experience of starting in February. Waterproof boots, trail runners, bread saks, sealskin and Opposum skin socks....all good ideas but either your feet don't breathe and they become cold and wet or they get cold and wet from water seeping in. Take your pick. Just sounds like a case of hiker "Welcome to the suck".

Now that I have my shoe situation all figured out I guess I should decide wether to buy a cathole spade or pick up some lightweight pack out bags.

[1azarus]

Brainle's advice about sizing for goretex socks - and his brand choice - are perfect. If you like your trail runners, you should just go buy another pair for the first part of your trip - big enough for really thick wool socks AND a pair of goretex socks. Pretty sweet light and dry walking.