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  1. #1
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    Default Sweaty Feet in the Winter

    My feet tend to sweat a lot. Even when not hiking. I work in an office, wear trail runners and still come home to damp socks (at best).

    I am going to start the trail late February of 2017 and and am looking for some footwear advice. I do want to go the trail runner route, but am wondering if it would make more sense to get a pair of insulated/waterproof shoes for the first month or so. The usual argument is that they make your feet sweat, but this is going to happen regardless. I thought at least in waterproof/insulated shoes, my feet would be wet and warm vs wet and cold.

    Other than extra weight and taking longer to dry out, is there any other disadvantages to going the waterproof route?


    Thanks!

  2. #2

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    I suffer from the same thing, (I sweat, a lot) and I tried waterproof shoes in similar situations and they did one thing: Kept my feet wet, all day, and gave me swamp-foot and lots of soft skin and as a result, blisters.

    Now, your mileage may vary, so, I'd suggest trying it out this winter (if you are in Ohio) on a long day hike (or three)... and see how you feel.

    My solution ended up being winter hiking shoes a half size bigger and an extra pair of thicker wicking socks over the top of my usual liner/running sock combo.
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  3. #3

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    Vapor Barrier socks are the way to go. Everyone's feet perspires and it is the normal cause of cold feet in the winter. Unless you want to use Mickey Mouse Boots whose insulation is encapsulated between two layers of rubber, you need to stop the vapor transmission from your feet. Some folks just deal with it and change socks frequently but odds are your footgear will get wet eventually. Plastic bread bags work as well as custom fit socks but don't last as long. Its very iimportant that you remove them before going to bed and let your feet dry out as leaving them on for multiple days can cause trenchfoot.

    One thing that it not obvious to most is that the skin is trying to maintain moist environment around it and that's what causes the feet to perspire, once that damp environment is obtained, the foot stops perspiring.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the response Kid. So where your Winter Hiking Shoes waterproof?

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drapac View Post
    Thanks for the response Kid. So where your Winter Hiking Shoes waterproof?
    I tried waterproof, then just went with regular trail runners sized up for the extra pair of socks. I had plastic bags ready for longer hikes if my feet started feeling too cold or numb (they really do work), but only used them once.
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    Thanks again. I think that is probably the route I'll take.

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    Non-waterproofed footwear, merino wool socks, and frequent sock changes. Just get into a routine of changing your socks when you stop, whenever you can. It's nothing to hang the damp socks off of the back of your pack (sorry...in winter: next to your skin) while hiking and putting the dry pair on your feet. Forcing yourself to take your socks off at breaks will also contribute to awesome foot problem awareness. If you see a hotspot, moleskin up. Blisters between the toes? Treat them on the spot. You'll be one of the most foot-happy hikers on the trail.




  8. #8
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    In winter, I do the poor man's vapor barrier liner. ("Winter" for me is when the pac boots come out - until then it's still "shoulder season.")

    From the inside out:

    Wax feet with Gurney Goo or similar compound the night before to avoid trench foot - because feet WILL be wet, from either the inside or the outside.
    Very thin nylon or polyester dress socks.
    Two thicknesses of bread or newspaper bags (a single thickness always tears)
    Rubber bands around the ankles so the newspaper bags don't ride down inside the socks
    Wool socks
    The aforementioned pac boots.
    Gaiters if I'll be using traction gear - to keep crampon points out of trouser legs and keep snow from getting down my boot tops.

    I live Up North, so I'm talking about a winter more severe than Georgia gets. From what I understand of the trail conditions down there, I'd consider the waterproofs and vapor barrier to be optional as long as your socks are of a material that stays warm when it's wet, and you have enough pair that you can field dry them somehow.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  9. #9
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    I also have very sweaty feet. I soaked my boots through from the inside the first time I wore them.
    Now, a week prior to a hike, I spray arid xxdry on my feet. It works 5 or 6 days after I stop using it.
    For a thru hike, I don't know ...

  10. #10
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    As has been stated:

    Non-waterproof trail running shoes. (your feet will get wet either way, might as well let them breathe)

    Merino wool socks and at least 1 sock change around mid-day. Damp socks you removed get dry-ish by the time you finish hiking for the day.

    ALWAYS have a dedicated pair of sleeping socks and after dinner when it's time for sleep, apply bonnie's balm to your feet, then put on the sleeping socks for the night. The balm heals and has beeswax so as it soaks in your skin actually gets a bit water resistant. It does help, just ask Andrew Skurka. :-)
    “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates

  11. #11
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    In the winter, for day (or night) hikes, I frequently use light GTX trail shoes in combination with a very thin liner sock, and a thicker insulating sock. If it's above about 10 degrees F and I'm planning on moving the whole time, I will avoid vapor barrier liners and let my feet and socks get damp and not overheat. If it's an overnight trip and/or temperatures are colder, and/or I'm going with other people that will be doing a bunch of stopping, I use a vapor barrier over my liner sock and either my GTX trail shoes or a non-GTX trail running shoe with a plastic bag over the insulating sock, so my feet stay toasty down to -10 or -15 F and the only sock I have to dry out at night is my liner. I treat ski boots like my GTX trail shoes.

    As noted above, having some thick, warm, dry, clean sleeping socks is key to healthy feet for multi-day trips.

    I find my feet sweat significantly less in a very thin liner covered with a plastic bag (or other vapor barrier) than they do if they are not sealed behind a vapor barrier. In other words, my liner socks, although damp, do not get especially wet when sealed with a vapor barrier, even when hiking or skiing or snowshoeing all day.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  12. #12

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    You're going to be wet all the time anyway. Just about the time all of your stuff dries out it will rain again.

  13. #13
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    Ok, here is a trick that I’ve used here in Norway many times, although not for hiking. In this country we ski in the wintertime, and almost never walk on snow for long distances. I have also just used it in very cold conditions. If you use it in other conditions and/or long distance hiking you are on your own, but it may be worth testing out. It certainly works in ski boots over long distances. Well, what is the trick? A newspaper. It isolates and soaks up the moister. It is not only good, it is fantastic. This is how you do it: You take two sheets of newspaper (i.e. Usatoday, which have been field tested), and just fold them up to about the size of your insole. You now got a rectangle. Round of the “heal”, and put it on top of your insole. You have of course to do two of them. I usually change these extra insoles about three to four times a day.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oslohiker View Post
    Ok, here is a trick that I’ve used here in Norway many times, although not for hiking. In this country we ski in the wintertime, and almost never walk on snow for long distances. I have also just used it in very cold conditions. If you use it in other conditions and/or long distance hiking you are on your own, but it may be worth testing out. It certainly works in ski boots over long distances. Well, what is the trick? A newspaper. It isolates and soaks up the moister. It is not only good, it is fantastic. This is how you do it: You take two sheets of newspaper (i.e. Usatoday, which have been field tested), and just fold them up to about the size of your insole. You now got a rectangle. Round of the “heal”, and put it on top of your insole. You have of course to do two of them. I usually change these extra insoles about three to four times a day.
    cool, gonna try this, will the the New York Times work?

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    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    cool, gonna try this, will the the New York Times work?
    New york time is a larger format, right? I think it is important not to get it to thick or to thin. Do some experimentation.

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    We routinely use newspaper back home to stuff out wet boots to quick-dry them. Works better than to put the boots on the heating.
    But this works only if you have a really dry newspaper to start from.
    I'm just wondering how you could manage to keep a dry set of newspaper for every evening of a wet multiday hike?

    I'm using Square Socks with good success, either as a vapor barrier between skin and socks, or as waterblock between socks and boots.
    Square Socks had beeen widely used by poor people instead of knitted socks, and had been the standard footwear liner of the plein foot soldiers since ages.

    Square Socks are very simple and easy to make, at close to zero cost:
    Take a good quality thrash bag (the big black one, not the small office/kitchen thrash basket liner), cut two squares approx. 50x50cm.
    Put the square flat on the ground, put your foot diagonally in the middle of the square (toes and heel pointing to opposite corners of the square).
    Fold the front corner over your toes, fold the left and the right corner over your forefoot.
    Now step into your shoes/boots. The heel-side corner will slip neatly up over your heel, if done slow and carefully.
    Now you have a waterproof liner, either to keep your socks dry and the feet warm in wet conditions, or to keep the moisture away from your socks in warm conditions.
    You will feel some extra warmth, too.
    Works way better than any plastic bag, as its folding around your feet with less creases.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leo L. View Post
    I'm just wondering how you could manage to keep a dry set of newspaper for every evening of a wet multiday hike?
    When the air is cold, it is very dry. Therefor I just stuff it in the backpack. The only problem is the used newspaper soles. They need to be separated from the newspaper. I use a simple zip bag for this.

    PS. I also use newspaper to dry out shoes.

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