View Full Version : boots or sneakers in early March?
Grandad long johns
02-04-2009, 05:02
Hi everyone
Im a New Zealander and need some advice about the conditions starting in March NOBO. I am leaving early march for my thru hike and my question is: Should I be hiking in boots for the first few weeks to avoid my toes freezing off? I guess I dont relish the thought of hiking in snow in sneakers...so need to know how much snow to expect and peoples opinions on the matter!
Thanks:banana
Hi everyone
Im a New Zealander and need some advice about the conditions starting in March NOBO. I am leaving early march for my thru hike and my question is: Should I be hiking in boots for the first few weeks to avoid my toes freezing off? I guess I dont relish the thought of hiking in snow in sneakers...so need to know how much snow to expect and peoples opinions on the matter!
Thanks:banana
I love my trail runners, but not in the snow. The snow can vary - for sure, but you're likely to see some. Maybe a dusting or a few inches. Perhaps more. If you have leather boots and don't mind wearing them til it warms up a bit, it's not a bad idea. Worse than the snow, is when you get a cold rain and you're walking in a stream for hours. Then it freezes at night and everything is solid.
That's my opinion. Good luck!
garlic08
02-04-2009, 11:06
From what I've seen, it completely depends on your experience in these matters. Last April I hiked through a blizzard in the Smokies with trail runners, comfortably, while a less experienced section hiker from Alabama I made friends with, wearing Goretex-lined leather boots, went home with frostbitten feet. If you can manage moisture, keep your sleeping bag dry, keep a pair of socks dry, you can do fine in running shoes. If you let everything including your boots get soaked, you'll be in a world of hurt.
I just hiked here in Virginia in snow/slush while wearing Vasque Synergists and mid-length gaiters. Perfect..my feet were actually moist from perspiration. Georgia shouldn't be much different.
Blissful
02-04-2009, 14:36
You can get wet feet in trail runners or in supposed Goretex boots (happened to me). Thing is, your boots will be cold and wet for days. Trail runners dry in a day. But you won't have cold feet hiking anyway. At camp, you take them off and put on warm socks and camp shoes.
I'm going to agree with Mowgli, that boots are probably the way for you to go. Though I would say that it depends a lot on your experience. In sneakers in the snow your feet will be wet and cold, btu in boots they're more likely to just be wet. Boots do take longer to dry, but if you're hiking through snow, neither boots nor sneakers are going to dry out.
It really all depends on how much snow there's going to be, and if it's old snowpack, or fresh snow. Old snow is much easier to hike on, and much easier to stay dry hiking on. New snow... it's wet.
With either boots or sneakers, make sure to pack a pair of wool socks to use only in camp, and to bring to cheapo plastic shopping bags to use as vapor barriers for your feet if things get too cold.
garlic08
02-04-2009, 17:04
...and to bring to cheapo plastic shopping bags to use as vapor barriers for your feet if things get too cold.
Great suggestion, that's exactly what I did and it worked great. I hear it's called "Bagtex".
I used trail runners for my March 8 thru start, and while it wasn't always very comfortable, I can still count to 10 on my toes. I grew up in Minnesota and know how to care for my feet in cold weather though.
What I use now for fringe season hikes, and what I would do if I started NOBO in early March again, is wear neoprene socks and a light pair of gaiters. Size your trail runners large, and wear the neo socks with a light liner sock. Make sure the neo sock is loose fitting so doesn't constrict circulation and make SURE they aren't too snug inside your shoe. They insulate very well and also act as a vapor barrier. Your feet will get a bit clammy in them, (liner sock helps with this) so make sure you have some warm, dry socks for the end of the day. Gaiters to keep snow out of your shoes will go a VERY LONG way in keeping them warm.
I like this system because it is flexible (you can hike in just your trail runners unless it's wet/snowy), fairly lightweight, and logistically simpler, since you can just mail the socks home when you're SURE you're done with the cold stuff. I use these socks:
http://www.altrec.com/nrs/expedition-sock?sku_id=197554&cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-NRS-_-27519-197554&mr:trackingCode=CB5D8E8B-33F1-DD11-8F1F-0019B9C2BEFD&mr:referralID=NA
Though the thinner version would also work quite well and might fit in a shoe better.
SGT Rock
02-04-2009, 20:32
I used trail runners even in that weather. There were a few days that I used some goretex socks when the weather called for it, but otherwise I was glad to let the feet breath.
Grandad long johns
02-06-2009, 04:29
What I use now for fringe season hikes, and what I would do if I started NOBO in early March again, is wear neoprene socks and a light pair of gaiters. Size your trail runners large, and wear the neo socks with a light liner sock. Make sure the neo sock is loose fitting so doesn't constrict circulation and make SURE they aren't too snug inside your shoe. They insulate very well and also act as a vapor barrier. Your feet will get a bit clammy in them, (liner sock helps with this) so make sure you have some warm, dry socks for the end of the day. Gaiters to keep snow out of your shoes will go a VERY LONG way in keeping them warm.
http://www.altrec.com/nrs/expedition-sock?sku_id=197554&cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Froogle-_-NRS-_-27519-197554&mr:trackingCode=CB5D8E8B-33F1-DD11-8F1F-0019B9C2BEFD&mr:referralID=NA
Though the thinner version would also work quite well and might fit in a shoe better.
Woah I've never heard of anyone wearing neoprene socks for walking before...thats such a cool idea! Yes i think i might team my sneakers with some neoprene socks and gaiters...revolutionary!
Grandad long johns
02-06-2009, 04:33
Has anyone else hiked in neoprene socks before and can give some advice?
Kaptain Kangaroo
02-06-2009, 05:45
I started my thru on March 3 wearing Merrell Mesa Ventilators. They are mostly mesh and yep, my feet got very wet when we got hit by snow in the Smoky's & later around Max Patch & Roan Mountain. I don't suffer from cold feet & was never even uncomfortable, others I was hiking with had some problems with cold feet despite wearing full Goretex boots & 2 pairs of wool socks. I would suggest going with the trail runners,but as others have mentioned, make sure you are prepared in case you start to have problems with cold wet feet. The plastic bag idea is easy & cheap & very effective.
The big benefit of the trail runners is that they dry out quickly once the trail clears up, my Merrell's would be virtually dry after about 4 hours of hiking.
Have a great hike !
Kaptain Kangaroo
Grandad long johns
02-07-2009, 04:57
thanx kaptain kangaroo!!
haha yea bagtex might be a cheaper way for me to go!
good plan
Has anyone else hiked in neoprene socks before and can give some advice?I hiked through rain and wet snow and a very wet trail in April/May, so I wore thick neoprene socks and trail runners continuously for 2.5 days, except when sleeping of course. At such temperatures, and only a few days, there were no foot problems at all. I think I had some poly liners on also, but not sure they made much difference except when I first put them on. They didn't have to be so thick, but that is what I had for sailing and paddling, and so I brought them for stream crossings but ended up wearing them continuously, until the last day when the sun finally came out. They aren't waterprrof, but they reduce the water exchange. They are good for very wet and cold conditions, as in totally soaking wet, but I wouldn't use them in plain old wet snow or warmer conditions. They are a natural choice for cold water sailers and paddlers who would already be accustomed to such conditions, and might already have a pair. If I was to be something like that specifically for hiking it would be a thinner pair, socks rather than booties, with enough room for a thin or medium pair of socks inside, as an option.
The big thing for me is finding trail runners that absorb very little water.
I don't want them waterproof, but I don't want them absorbant either.
It would be nice to find a pair that's like 10oz for size 12, wet or dry.
It would be nice if places like REI or MEC published both wet and dry weights.
Prefer trailrunners, without Goretex that makes the feet sweat, over boots. More toe flexibility makes my feet warmer. IMO, I find no difference in snow. In early April '07, I hiked in a foot of snow from Brown's Gap, over Max Patch and halfway to Hot Springs (see pic in my gallery). I'll stick with the lighter trailrunners.
Camping Dave
03-17-2009, 07:19
Hi everyone
Im a New Zealander and need some advice about the conditions starting in March NOBO. I am leaving early march for my thru hike and my question is: Should I be hiking in boots for the first few weeks to avoid my toes freezing off? I guess I dont relish the thought of hiking in snow in sneakers...so need to know how much snow to expect and peoples opinions on the matter!
Thanks:banana
If you wear runners, use socks like these: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0005518810671a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=neoprene+socks&Ntk=Products&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
I even wear them inside snow boots, ski boots, etc. Anyplace you don't want water running onto your feet, or sweat running into your insulation.
When it's 30 degrees and wet warm feet are most definitely not just a matter of experience. You can have the world's most abundant experience with ventilated trail runners and thin nylon socks, and you will still have cold feet. In cold weather you need proper gear.