Best Waterproof Socks/Sandals?

[highway]

Does anyone have any experience using some waterproof sock with sandals? I am concerned about using Teva Wraptors in possible snow and know there exist those socks in neoprene and one called sealskinz, and wonder if one might be a better selection than the other. I wear wool socks with the sandals and it would at times be nice to keep both dry, especially in snow. In the pouring rain I doubt any feet in anything stays dry long, but snowy cold concerns me.
thanks, in advance.

[NJPacker]

highway,
I have used the sealskinz on many occasions while kayaking. They worked fabulously for keeping my feet dry. During the cooler months, I always wore them in case of dumping. They were also great for getting the kayak in/out of the water. I think they will work just fine, although if you intend to wear them while hiking, be prepared for your feet to sweat. Good luck. Hope this helps.

[Moon Monster]

I wore Wraptors through two 18" snowfalls on my 2003 AT thru. I used Sealskinz overtop my wools. They are great in the snow for keeping your feet dry. When you stop, your toes will slowly get cold, but no worse than if you were wearing shoes. When you are moving, you may sweat and that sweat can cool off fast when you stop. But when we had snow, I was only stopped long enough to feel the cold when at the shelter for the night, and then I was into the sleeping bag before my toes got too cold. I could even walk in the snow with just the wools and Sealskinz on around the shelter.

In cold rain, there are other issues. At some point it will be warm enough for you to sweat. Your sweat will be trapped inside whatever waterproof sock you choose. If you wear liners, they will eventually get stiff with days of sweat and that can cause blisters. Sealskinz get stiff also after many repetitions of multi-day streaks of rain (I had 80 days of rain in 2003), and they can rub your feet raw. When your feet are subject to multiple days of wetness (from sweat or rain), you will loose layers of skin making any stiffness in the socks all the more uncomfortable. My Sealskinz got really rank after all the sweat (they do clean up OK, but you have to take care and wash by hand per the package directions). Really it's the sweat that gets your feet wet from inside. Sealskinz are truely waterproof (with the exception of the next paragraph).

Also, the Sealskinz elastic bands are not waterproof. If you step into a creek that is higher than the socks, water will go down. Water will also pour in when you walk through tall grasses that are coated in rain. The water will stay trapped inside until you take the socks off and pur them out.

You can just wear wools when it is cold and raining and let your feet get wet through them. Your feet will get much dirtier in sandals than if in shoes, especially when you walk through mud and puddles. The trail is very eroded in places and it fills up with rain--it's impossible to walk all day without putting your feet directly into water. The socks will act as filters and will trap sand and grit, which can also rub your feet raw. But, wet wool still insulates, and I never went barefoot in the sandals when it was cold and wet.

I did a mix of the above. In the end, I wasn't too happy with the sandal situation in the rain (almost all rain in the mountains is cold). HOWEVER, I made it all 2172 miles in sandals, and a year later--all the negatives are just part of the experience and that experience is a fond one.

I can answer at length any question about hiking in Wraptors. Feel free to ask more.

[highway]

Moon Monster:
Thanks for the detailed and very informative reply.

Another Teva Wraptor question. I read on a review of them somewhere on another site that they had a tendency to slip on slippery surfaces, perhaps more so than they should. I have not had a chance to test this (no hills or rocks down here) and would be interested in your opinion. The same reviewer also reviewed Chacos and thought they "gripped" better. Just curious. These Teva Wraptor II's are just so darned comfortable to wear, at least for me. Why did you decide to use them?

I doubt it will get you much from our moderator, ATTroll, but I took the opportunity to upgrade your replutation, using your reputation button on the post.

[Moon Monster]

hey highway,

Out of the box, I think Wraptor IIs have great traction--the lug pattern is really agressive and the swirl gives them multi-directional traction. I wore the first pair for 1130 miles and the second pair for the other 1040 miles (which included all the rocks of New England). Once the tread wore down, like 700 or more miles, I was probably stepping a little more gingerly than when the sandals were new. I think it was more psychological, though. I was affraid of slipping and jamming my toes under a rock on the downhills. In NH and Maine, there are lots of big smooth boulders that you have to walk on a down slope on, and there is no way around them. But, I don;t think I really slipped much even with worn tread. I used 2 trekking poles anyway. Once in VA, I slipped a foot or so and my toes went under a rock. I thought I broke them, but 10 minutes later, I couldn't feel any pain. But that image stuck with me for the rest of the trail. If I had been wearing shoes with the same exact tread, I probably wouldn;t have even slowed down on these rocks--it was simply fear of jamming my toes that slowed me, not any reason of poor traction.

I think Wraptors have lots of protection around the sides of the foot that can save your skin if you slip. Chacos don't guard your feet at all--the straps are too meager. I fell quite a bit when the trail was wet, but everyone does, and I think I fell at random times mostly on mud not on rock. I actually can remember only one other time on the whole trail, where I slipped on a rock and fell. Chaco Terrinos have a good sole, but the lug pattern is still shallow. Chacos fans love their fit, which I think CAN be better than Tevas, but I also personally find the off-the-shelf Chacos to have too narrow a heel strap for my feet.

I chose sandals for many intellectual reasons about comfort and controlling moisture (and then blisters). Most of that didn;t pan out in real life, but I can;t really imagine not having worn them now. It became second nature to walk in sandals. I mostly used AYCE's review on www.thru-hiker.com to pick the Wraptors. I liked their ruggedness and curved sole. The shock pad in the heel will wear out in a few hundred miles, so that cushion you feel will go away. But, that happens in all shoes. Ideally, I would have replaced them every 500 miles, but I was being cheap in only buying 2 pair. Supposedly, a thru-hiker ahead of me wore the same pair of Wraptors for all 2172 miles.

I mean to put a review of my experience on the web in 2 or 3 weeks. Are you hiking before then?

[tarbubble]

Another Teva Wraptor question. I read on a review of them somewhere on another site that they had a tendency to slip on slippery surfaces, perhaps more so than they should. I have not had a chance to test this (no hills or rocks down here) and would be interested in your opinion. The same reviewer also reviewed Chacos and thought they "gripped" better. Just curious. These Teva Wraptor II's are just so darned comfortable to wear, at least for me. Why did you decide to use them?
i know you're asking MM, but you may very well have read my review on the Wraptors, which is available for reading on backpackgeartest.org. http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Footwear/Sandals/Teva%20Womens%20Wraptor%202%20Running%20Sandal/Owner%20Review%20by%20Emma%20Eyeball/

the Wraptors' tread is designed for running, but not necessarily for running on sloped surfaces. here's what i wrote in my review:

"I noticed that the soles did not seem to grip as well on the downhills. I have had my foot slip out from underneath me twice while wearing the Wraptors, both times on a considerable incline, both times resulting in me falling straight down onto my bottom. Inspecting the tread pattern, I can see why. The heel portion has fairly straightforward tread – more or less perpendicular to the footbed. But the tread in the front portion is angled about 45 degrees toward the rear of the shoe, so as to give a better grip when running. On uphills and even trails, the grip is great. On steep downhills, the front tread is practically designed for slipping. I understand that the Wraptors are made for running, not for hiking steep trails with weighty packs. Because of the Wraptors, I have begun stepping differently on downhills now – before, I would step onto the ball of my foot first, but now I place my heel first, taking advantage of the better grip I find there. This works very well so far and seems to have solved the problem."

also, if i'm walking on my glossy tile floor and somehow the soles have gotten wet, it's a slapstick show waiting to happen. i have almost gone down hard a couple of times.

compare the Wraptor's tread to that of Chaco's Terreno sole, and in my opinion the Terreno is a superior sole for hiking. but i can not wear my Chaco's anymore because they aggravate a toe i broke years ago. so unless i'm in an especially prickly, cactus-infested area, i use my Wraptors almost exclusively.

[Moon Monster]

After thinking about it tarbubble's way, I certainly agree with that description of the Wraptors' tread. Maybe it wasn't in my head--the fear of slipping when going straight downhills!