View Full Version : Wet feet question
I have been wearing Montrail Hardrocks for a year. I wore my Asolo 520's once about a month ago for a 20 mile weekend. I wore the Asolo's again this past weekend. I wore the boots the first time because I forgot how hard it was to hike in them and wanted to remind myself. The second time was after a really wet trip in cold temps wearing the Montrails. My feet were wet for 3 days of cold. I am planning a 14 day trip and really want to wear running shoes. I am not too keen on goretex. My experience is that the shoes do not dry out as fast after a wetting. So I would like to stick with the Montrails if possible. This trip will be during a month that is typically a rainy month - end of March in Southeast.
So I am looking for suggestions that will help me to succeed in completing my 14 days in style and comfort. How can I keep my feet dry on rainy days?
Blissful
01-14-2008, 20:13
So I am looking for suggestions that will help me to succeed in completing my 14 days in style and comfort. How can I keep my feet dry on rainy days?
Uh...you can't.
As much as there are great things about hiking, there are times of discomfort too. And hiking in rain with wet feet is one of them.
hopefulhiker
01-14-2008, 20:19
I used those Hardrocks during a big flood period in Maine... They were wet most of the time..Just Keep MOVING!.. Also take a bunch of extra dry socks.. You can try drying them out by a fire or something but mostly just change socks....
If you want 14 days of style and comfort go to Aruba, don't hike.
Jack Tarlin
01-14-2008, 20:27
Gaiters will help a little. But if it's really pissing down, you're gonna have wet feet.
Hopeful is pretty much correct. Pack extra socks and dry out the wet ones as best you can.
But if you're hiking in the Southeast in mid to late March, then hiking "in style and comfort" with dry feet is gonna be a tall order.
Tipi Walter
01-14-2008, 22:00
We've been going thru an ongoing drought of late so you just might hit a section of dry weather(hope not--we need the rain). In the last couple of years my long trips have been mostly dry, but back in 2002-03-04 there were long days of nothing BUT rain and wet boots.
I would amend some advice and tell you to carry just two pairs of socks, the best you have, one for hiking and one for sleeping, keeping the sleeping one dry at all cost.
Wet boots in the winter(whether thru walking in snow or rain), can be a frustrating hassle, especially at the beginning of a trip. And if there are some deep creek crossings . . . well, the boots can get wet fast. This problem was solved for me using Crocs as wading shores and as camp shoes even in the winter--they're warm on snow with socks, etc. And you can't stand around in camp with cold wet boots. You don't have to, that is.
I try to keep my boots dry as long as possible but in a hard rain they'll get soaked. Just untie them wide open so in the morning when they're frozen they'll fit, and just put on the cold and wet socks from the day before and start walking. Any more and you'll just end up with several pairs of heavy wet wool socks that will not dry.
AT-HITMAN2005
01-14-2008, 22:10
wet feet is a fact of life. if your socks aren't too soaked put them in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night and it will help dry them out quicker.
the main problem with gore-tex shoes is they stay dry on the outside. then the socks get wet and it seeps down the sock into the shoe. gaiters, like jack said, helps some. but they just aren't skin tight enough to keep all the water out.
I wore SealSkinz socks in my running shoes for one of the four days I hiked during Katrina. I think my feet were just as wet from sweat as they were from rain, and the stink was horrendous. Now and then I think of trying VB socks (sylnylon), but then I remember that day.
I'm pretty solidly in the "bring extra socks" camp, and I always keep a clean dry pair for sleeping.
paradoxb3
01-15-2008, 00:23
wet feet is a fact of life. if your socks aren't too soaked put them in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night and it will help dry them out quicker.
whenever i hear this suggestion, i cant help but think how much i'd love to see some of your sleeping bags out there... cuz somewhere i know theres got to be somebody sleeping with their wet clothes, wet socks, frozen boots, fuel bottles, water bottles, an extra hot water bottle, batteries, and who knows what else packed in their sleeping bag, having the worst possible nights sleep ever.
not to be negative here, the sleeping bag system DOES work pretty good. i just try and prepare a few extra changes of clothes tucked away in stuff sacks for cold weather/wet weather conditions. other than that, like others have said, theres not alot you can do.
fiddlehead
01-15-2008, 00:50
Nothing keeps your feet dry when it's really wet. BUT, here's what i do: Put the damp socks on in the morning, wear them all day. As soon as you stop, put on the dry ones. I carry 2-3 pair of fleece socks when i'm expecting cold and ALWAYs at least one pair of fleece socks for sleeping in unless it's really warm.
fleece socks will keep you warm as long as you are moving. if you want to stop and spend a lot of time stopped, then take another pair of fleece socks along but ALWAYS keep one dry for sleeping.
You can wring out the wet ones and put them underneath your sleeping pad and they will be somewhat dry (or drier) in the morning.
It's not that bad once you walk a mile or so, you will be fine. the problem lies in stopping a lot. i don't generally.
River Runner
01-15-2008, 02:07
My philosophy is to bring one extra pair of wool socks that stay dry for sleeping only, except I wear them the day I expect to be off the trail (either a day I am doing laundry or the last day of the trip). Usually putting dry socks on with wet shoes only results in a second pair of wet socks. I try to wear the wet socks around camp in the evenings too to dry them out a bit and only put them on when I will be in my shelter. Crocs are good for drying socks out (if it's not raining in camp) because of all the ventilation. When it's time to hike in the morning I just put the wet ones back on. I always use wool socks, so once I've worn off the initial cold shock, my feet stay fairly warm the rest of the time.
How can I keep my feet dry on rainy days?
Stay at home, inside?:D
This may sound a bit crazy, but I've done it plenty of times when it is cold and wet, emphasis on the cold (my feet won't be sweating in the cold). Put your foot, with socks on, in a ziplock bag, then put your shoe on. Your shoe won't stay dry, but your socks and feet will. Now if your feet sweat regardless of the outside temp, this won't work of course, but for me it's heaven. You could at least give it a try.
AT-HITMAN2005
01-15-2008, 07:27
whenever i hear this suggestion, i cant help but think how much i'd love to see some of your sleeping bags out there... cuz somewhere i know theres got to be somebody sleeping with their wet clothes, wet socks, frozen boots, fuel bottles, water bottles, an extra hot water bottle, batteries, and who knows what else packed in their sleeping bag, having the worst possible nights sleep ever.
the only thing i have in my bag with me is the socks. in cold weather i only have 1 pair of shorts and 1 short sleeve shirt to hike in, i don't carry extra. Its is warm enough not to need a hot water bottle. i don't think it ever got cold enough to freeze my bottles either. boots never froze either. fuel bottle shouldn't freeze anyways.
people worry too much about all the things you mentioned. if your in a shelter or a tent theres usually enough people in it to keep things from freezing. i was at the third shelter passed newfound gap night after the big storm in the smokies in may of '05. temp. was approx. 20*. snow on the shelter roof, so many people in the shelter that night that it was all melted in the morning. there was still snow on the ground. course it could have been all the gas from people taking a zero or 2 in gatlinburg because of said weather.
Lone Wolf
01-15-2008, 07:42
So I am looking for suggestions that will help me to succeed in completing my 14 days in style and comfort. How can I keep my feet dry on rainy days?
lots of extra socks. you cannot keep your feet dry on rainy days. period
NorthCountryWoods
01-15-2008, 07:56
whenever i hear this suggestion, i cant help but think how much i'd love to see some of your sleeping bags out there... cuz somewhere i know theres got to be somebody sleeping with their wet clothes, wet socks, frozen boots, fuel bottles, water bottles, an extra hot water bottle, batteries, and who knows what else packed in their sleeping bag, having the worst possible nights sleep ever.
not to be negative here, the sleeping bag system DOES work pretty good. i just try and prepare a few extra changes of clothes tucked away in stuff sacks for cold weather/wet weather conditions. other than that, like others have said, theres not alot you can do.
Not to mention what moisture migrating thru the bag does to the life of it.
Appalachian Tater
01-15-2008, 21:16
My feet pretty much stay wet from stepping in water, rain, fording, or sweat. As soon as I get my shoes dried out after a week of rain, I step in the last mud puddle. At least if your socks are still wet, they're not crunchy.
Not to mention what moisture migrating thru the bag does to the life of it.
How does moisture affect the bag if it migrates through it?
paradoxb3
01-16-2008, 00:19
people worry too much about all the things you mentioned.
lol thats for sure. but somewhere you KNOW someone has done it because you always hear people suggest the sleeping bag system. clothes wet? dry em in the bag. below freezing? sleep with your boots. sleep with water bottles. canister fuel pressure low when making coffee in the morning? warm up the canisters in the sleeping bag. cold from all that frozen crap you're sleeping with? boil some water and sleep with that too! batteries not lasting long in the winter? you guessed it.
all this works well, and i know its not suggested that you actually sleep with half the contents of your backpack at the same time here... but i just KNOW someone inexperienced out there has been rolling around in a clanking sleeping bag full of gear saying to themselves "well.... i think this is right because this is what they said to do..... so...."
DuctTape
01-16-2008, 01:05
I've hiked in cold temps with wet feet day after day, all the while with dry socks in my pack that I never pulled out because I didn't want to dirty them. What's the big deal?
vonfrick
01-16-2008, 01:06
This may sound a bit crazy, but I've done it plenty of times when it is cold and wet, emphasis on the cold (my feet won't be sweating in the cold). Put your foot, with socks on, in a ziplock bag, then put your shoe on. Your shoe won't stay dry, but your socks and feet will. Now if your feet sweat regardless of the outside temp, this won't work of course, but for me it's heaven. You could at least give it a try.
i tried the bag thing too, and they ripped. this also may sound totally nuts but after 3 days of downpour on the LT last year and my feet looked like raw bacon, i mailed the boots home and bought $20 neoprene kayaking socks to go in my tevas, next 200+ miles the feet were happy and dry. which was remarkable because i am convinced that nothing ever really gets dry in vermont.
Blue Jay
01-16-2008, 10:48
There are several advantages to wet feet.
1) You no longer have to worry about your feet getting wet, which most people worry a lot about.
2) You can walk throught puddles 2 feet deep and not have to worry about slipping on the mud as you try to go around them.
3) You can test the theory that you feet are actually waterproof themselfes so you don't even have to worry about wet feet.
4) Remember swimmers have wet feet all the time and you never hear them complaining.
I've used a product called Hydropel for long hikes when I know that my feet will be getting wet. It's kind of a sticky coating that you apply to your dry feet in a thin layer, then put your socks on. Although things may get wet it does protect your skin from the issues associated with being wet for an extended period of time.
http://thegearjunkie.com/hydropel-sports-ointment
SlowLightTrek
01-16-2008, 11:04
If you are only going for 2 weeks I would take the gortex boots. Yea they don't dry as fast but at least you wont have standing water inside your shoes. I think the trailrunners work well if you are doing 15-20 miles a day or more, but I assume for a 2 week hike you won't push yourself anyway.
Bootstrap
01-16-2008, 13:30
This may sound a bit crazy, but I've done it plenty of times when it is cold and wet, emphasis on the cold (my feet won't be sweating in the cold). Put your foot, with socks on, in a ziplock bag, then put your shoe on. Your shoe won't stay dry, but your socks and feet will. Now if your feet sweat regardless of the outside temp, this won't work of course, but for me it's heaven. You could at least give it a try.
I grew up in Western New York, where kids would go tobogganing all day long in miserably inadequate boots. Our moms would make sure we had wool socks on, stuffing our feet in bread bags before putting them in the boots. This worked quite well, both for the time hanging around doing nothing and for trudging back uphill in very deep snow.
Jonathan