View Full Version : How do I keep my feet dry?
Midway Sam
09-02-2004, 21:38
Relative noobie here. I plan on a 5 day section hike from Springer to Neels or Hogpen in a couple of weeks. If the weather turns out rainy, how do you best keep your feet dry? Gaiters? I have a decent pair of Merrell Goretex boots that I will wear.
TIA,
Sam
SGT Rock
09-02-2004, 21:40
IMHO and experience it is impossible to keep you feet dry for more than a day or two with any solution. The alternative is to find a way to keep them from staying waterlogged and dry them out whenever possible.
Blue Jay
09-03-2004, 07:59
I agree, you can't. I do know that if you combine GoreTex and leather you can be sure your feet will be wet with sweat.
squirrel bait
09-03-2004, 08:31
I agree, during my short (long for me) eight day hike my feet were dry twice, the day I started and the day I stopped. What's wierd is I actually got used to wet feet.
Blue Jay
09-03-2004, 09:01
That's not weird, if you like to hike it makes all the difference in the world if you start to like being wet. It does not hurt you, unless you're also cold. The colors are brighter, you see more wildlife as your scent is knocked down, you don't have to worry about water, your sweat salt is washed away so less chafeing, there are less humans, the sound of it on your tent is meditative. If you're smart enought to avoid the cold part it's all good.
If you want to keep your feet dry, either put them in garbage bags when you hike or don't hike at all. Unless you are hiking during the winter time, this isn't a big deal, though. I'd avoid boots during the main hiking times, as when they get wet, they stay wet. The humidity of the AT hiking corridor prevents things from drying very much. Running shoes take a few hours of hiking (when it isn't raining) to dry out.
lightning
09-03-2004, 16:05
i agree. if you're heading out in the next couple of weeks, i suggest sneakers (or comparable, well-ventilated boots/shoes). when you get to camp, slip on your slippers (i prefer my pimpin lightweight fluffy hotel slippers i borrowed from an italian hotel a couple years ago--i left a good tip). in the winter, i use gtx sneakers on the trail and down booties at camp. i've used gtx sneakers and boots (with gaiters) in the rain and snow: if you're in it long enough, it'll find its way.
MDSHiker
09-03-2004, 16:36
On the AT, I backpack in non-waterproof running shoes. I bring along a pair of hiking sandals as backup/camp shoes. When it rains, I put the running shoes in my backpack and hike in the sandals. If it's cold...I wear a pair of Sealskinz waterproof socks with the sandals. Works for me.
Relative noobie here. I plan on a 5 day section hike from Springer to Neels or Hogpen in a couple of weeks. If the weather turns out rainy, how do you best keep your feet dry? Gaiters? I have a decent pair of Merrell Goretex boots that I will wear.Sam
Here, I just came back from a 6 week trip where knee-deep mud, weeks-o-rain, armpit-high walls of soaking vegetation, and cloud-high camping were regular factors.
1) Unless one of these her-i-canes comes waltzing through, I wouldn't worry about Georgia rain in September.
2) A well-waxed pair of Norweigian-welted all-leather boots will keep you dry for two days plus (30-50 miles) of trail, provided you keep the water from coming in over the top. Don't know about Merrell boots (your model), or GoreTex in boots (some love it, some don't), but my feet sweat even when I'm *cold*, so I'm probably not the best candidate for GTx. Stay away from any fabric boot -- SpongeBoots. BAD for the feets.
3) Gaiters help alot. Make 'em taller the more you expect to lift your feet. In Georgia, a breathable OR Rocky Mtn Low is great; in New England, a knee-high gaiter with waterproof bottom and 60/40 top is great. The idea is to have something with which you can easily take off the crap of the day's trail, plus protect you from ground-to-knee-high nasties (which don't help if you're in it up to your armpits, but hey...), AND to keep water/stuff out of your boots by blocking the way.
sloetoe
(with baby'sbutt smooth feet
and keeping them that way)
Hey Sam, sticks here from KY Wilderness...
I use gortex oversocks and they do a great job of keeping my feet dry if I use low gaiters on wet trails or light rain, but nothing will keep them dry in downpours. That is unless you choose to sweat your b***s off and wear rain pants along with the oversocks.:-? Eventually rain will run down your legs and under the oversock and you will get little wet tootsies. The one thing I like about oversocks as opposed to a GTX boot is you do not have to deal with the heat build up when you don't need the protection. To me they are worth the investment and weigh next to nothing, if I expect wet trails or rain they are always on the gear list.
A tip if you use them is to make sure your hiking sock is not sticking out from under the oversock, this helps keep them dry longer in the rain...I feel I don't need to explain why:rolleyes:
magic_game03
09-07-2004, 20:33
after two days of 100 percent humidity (rain or otherwise) it will be impossible to keep your feet dry using current technology in footwear(a fact of hydrodynamics and physics.) others here have made good recommendations like synthetic materials and trying to air out your feet as much as possible.
i also strongly recommend AGAINST using leather boots or any kind of bag to keep your feet dry. Try this: weigh your leather boots then soak them for a few hours, afterwards let them drip dry for a day or so and weigh them again. then try this with a pair of your synthetic shoes but let them drip dry for maybe an hour. the boots will weight in excess of 100 to 200 percent more even after a day of dry time the synthetic boots will retain about 20 to 30 percent of their original weight. and bags trap in moisture. leather also has a tendency to cause blisters on soft wet skin due to its rigid structure.
Nightwalker
09-07-2004, 22:00
Just take off your shoes and socks in your bag at night. Just so they get to breathe some (as in all night in the bag :)) you won't get trench-foot.
magic_game03
09-08-2004, 10:04
highway,
I see your from florida, where sandals work well in sand and wet weather. they may work well in Fla but Georgia has a lot of mud and clay which is difficult to hike in with sandals. this is not to say sandals don't work, only that they may work better in dry weather in Georgia than wet.
.... this is not to say sandals don't work, only that they may work better in dry weather in Georgia than wet.
I completely disagree. They excell in wet weather because they dry so much quicker. When it rains enough your feet become wet no matter what you wear, either from moisture from without or persperation from within. The trick is to dry them when you can and sandals do a great job of that, even while wearing wool socks, which I prefer to use.
I have just used a pair of Teva wraptors in Georgia from the AT approach trail at Amicalola Falls to about mid North Carolina and they worked fine. I have used them on parts of the CDT at much higher elevations, even in a few inches of snow and they worked fine, too. In fact, many have done the entire AT wearing sandals, too.
But the Georgia wet clay????it's slicker than owl snot-so slick sometimes that no footwear would hold (including sandals) unless you used crampons! :D
magic_game03
09-08-2004, 11:36
Hum… I think you've just reiterated my statement and then contradicted yourself. Reread your last line and then reread my statement with those considerations.
The post is about WET FEET & GEORGIA combined; do you really want to be sliding around in sandals? Not me sorry, I like all 10 of my toes thank you.
Else, I agreed with you on sandals and wet feet.
Don't know if anyone has tried this...but for sweaty feet (don't think it would work in rain) try Gold Bond absorbent powder, I know it keeps my feet dry all day long :D
Hum… I think you've just reiterated my statement and then contradicted yourself. Reread your last line and then reread my statement with those considerations.
The post is about WET FEET & GEORGIA combined; do you really want to be sliding around in sandals? Not me sorry, I like all 10 of my toes thank you.
Else, I agreed with you on sandals and wet feet.
I should have been more specific about the type of sandals I recommended. I wasn't referring to flipflops but rather trail sandals, designed with an aggressive tread, toe protection footbed curl and amazing adjustability. Teva was, arguably, the one that started the trend some years ago and now many more brands are sold in the hiking stores. This trend is growing because more are discovering the sandal's unique versatility over boots or shoes.
It hasn't been too long that the footwear of choice for backpacking was heavy, clunky, Limmer-style leather boots. Then, the switch was to the lighter fabric-leather hybrid boots, then on to the even lighter trail runner "tennis" shoes, and now to sandals. Some even carry this progresion further and advocate a return to bare feet, where we all started in the first place. The resistance, I guess, towards each of these changes is normal because we become so content and complacent with what we know and use.
But sandals have a number of advantages, not the least of which is keeping the feet drier:
One's feet do not "slide around" but are, in fact, "snugger" because sandals are more adjustable than shoes or boots which only have laces to snug across the top of the foot. Trail sandals also have a strap behind the heel which adjusts for length and heel size. You can, for instance, loosen if you wear socks or tighten if you don't.
The tread is aggressively comparable to many of the hybrid or "tennis" shoe trail runners but the footbed is much superior-at least on the Teva Wraptors that I use. In fact, after use, one's feet seem to mold into the top of the footbed and it becomes like a custom orthotic, replacing any need for the inserts that some purchase for use with shoes or boots to make them more comfortable. My Tevas are more comfortable than any footwear I have ever used.
Toes tips are protected by the slighter larger footbed and,at least on Tevas, by an upward curl in front which absorbs any inadvertent front impact or "toe stubbing". Since there is no shoe fabric covering the foot, it should be slightly easier for an impact to occur, I guess, but I have not experienced it. You really want lose any of your toes wearing them.
And, for the wet feet, since there is no extra shoe fabric holding the water in, the foot dries so much quicker once the rains stop. Plus, you no longer have to remove your footwear before wading deeper streams-you just get a gentle foot-washing going across. ;)
Try them. You may like them :)
magic_game03
09-12-2004, 15:14
Ok, since I've never been bold enough to try teva's with a 20 pound pack on a slick Georgia trail after four or five (or more) days of 100 percent humidity, I will have to give you the benefit of the doubt and say "ok Highway, If you say so I believe you."
ps. I do wear teva's and think they are great for many conditions.
jackiebolen
09-12-2004, 22:14
I used Chaco sandals, from the NOC to Hot Springs, through the Smokies in early March. I hiked through snow, ice, rain, mud, etc and found the sandals quite enjoyable actually. The only reason I got rid of them was that they made my feet really dry and they started to crack. For short hikes, with a light pack I would defnitely go the sandal route, even in wet, muddy conditions.
... I hiked through snow, ice, rain, mud, etc and found the sandals quite enjoyable actually. The only reason I got rid of them was that they made my feet really dry and they started to crack.....
I suspect that constant use of sandals might eventually accustom one's foot so as to eliminate the dry, cracking complaint. But I found that, for the short term, wearing socks with sandals keeps your feet moist so they don't crack. I found low-cut Smartwool socks worked great.
I tried thinner liner socks but they were not as comfortable for me and my foot became too dirty with them
I use leather boots and treat them periodically with waterproofing wax. Even in the snow and slush my feet stayed relatively dry. But after a day or two of steady rain nothing will keep them dry. It is something you have to learn to live with and deal with. Deal with it by carrying spare socks and changing them as soon as you get to a shelter. Dry your boots as best you can - if there is a nice rock to streach out on when the sun comes out, take them off and you and the boots can enjoy the sunshine. Do not neglect your feet. If they smell so bad that others run away it means you are heading for trouble. I've seen some feet with skin peeling off because of poor hygiene - they hurt just putting on socks.
I needed the support of the full leather boots and carried three pair of socks plus a pair of polartec socks for sleeping in the winter months - I had one blister in over 3000 miles on the AT. So, that is what worked for me.
Lwop
cshir003
10-07-2004, 23:18
I'm gonna have to agree with the sandals for short hikes. I'm a chaco abuser, and I've found that the toe strap on the Z2 keeps oodles of stuff off of the footbed (rocks and such under your feet). Plus the arch support is great and you can get them with a really agressive vibram tread.
I have had problems with the feet drying out and cracking after long periods of use, but if you're willing to lug a bit of lotion your feet stay relatively happy. For shorter hikes I wouldn't trade em for the world.
cshir003
10-07-2004, 23:21
I'm gonna have to agree with the sandals for short hikes. I'm a chaco abuser, and I've found that the toe strap on the Z2 keeps oodles of stuff off of the footbed (rocks and such under your feet). Plus the arch support is great and you can get them with a really agressive vibram tread.
I have had problems with the feet drying out and cracking after long periods of use, but if you're willing to lug a bit of lotion your feet stay relatively happy. For shorter hikes I wouldn't trade em for the world.
Tha Wookie
10-07-2004, 23:24
Sandals rule. 4000 miles and counting