View Full Version : I'm shoetarded....help!
SurferNerd
02-09-2010, 13:25
So ya.. I've got boot issues. 2 pairs from 2 brands, neither are waterproof for poop. I'm thru-hiking this year, 2010, and I need reliable boots that are waterproof. I purchased a pair of Keen Targhee 2 from REI, claimed waterproof, took them in the snow, toes were soaked and frozen. So I returned them and bought a pair of Merrell Moab Mid from Bass Pro. They claimed Gore-Tex liner, took them out on the Cumberland Trail this past weekend, TOTAL CRAP! :mad:The small streams kept my toes soaked as well.
With 20 days until my hike, this is NOT a good time to be freaking out about boots.:eek: I'm looking at Timberland White Ledge Full Grain Leather Waterproof Boots, or Redhead's Bone Dry Rainer Boots. Keep in mind I have a family member who works at Bass Pro, so I get between 10-40% off if I can buy it there. What do you guys suggest for a waterproof boot that I won't throw off a cliff?
Many Walks
02-09-2010, 13:36
No boots are waterproof on the trail. Get the ones that dry fast. Once Goretex boots get wet they'll stay wet for days. Just plan to get wet feet and put on frozen boots on some days. No big deal, once you get going they'll warm up and eventually dry out.
Many Walks
02-09-2010, 13:38
I'll add, once boots get wet they are HEAVY! That's why a lot of folks go with trail runners that dry quickly.
white_russian
02-09-2010, 13:39
How about "bag-tex"
Get some grocery sacks and put them over your feet before you put on your shoes.
trail runners! and don't forget to take out the insoles overnight so that they might dry.
Yep, Many Walks is correct. I found Gore-Tex or any other proprietary waterproofing like Keen-Dry will breech water after about 7-10 days in wet conditions. Once water finds a path inside the barrier is lost forever.
Follow Mountain Crossing advice and buy boots or shoes based on comfort first then consider waterproofing as a second option.
Good luck!
How about "bag-tex"
Get some grocery sacks and put them over your feet before you put on your shoes.
Someone else, in another thread, mentioned trying this technique and it really tore up their feet. The plastic doesn't allow your feet to expel perspiration so the result is even colder and/or very shriveled up feet.
Not good.
No boots are waterproof on the trail. Get the ones that dry fast. Once Goretex boots get wet they'll stay wet for days. Just plan to get wet feet and put on frozen boots on some days. No big deal, once you get going they'll warm up and eventually dry out.
I agree No boots are waterproof, and leather will freeze solid. Best to count on your boots being wet at times. When the temps are cold I have found neoprene socks to really help. just don't wear them for days at a time.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/common/search/search-results1.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&sort=all&QueryText=neoprene+socks&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23
SurferNerd
02-09-2010, 13:51
Someone else, in another thread, mentioned trying this technique and it really tore up their feet. The plastic doesn't allow your feet to expel perspiration so the result is even colder and/or very shriveled up feet.
Not good.
Maybe wrap the boots themselves in lawn garbage bags, lol. I'll look into trailrunners this evening.
The catch is that the O.P. is leaving for the trail soon ...
I too go with the quick drying (not waterproof) trail runner approach.
For the conditions you (me too) will soon be facing, I add a second pair of wool socks, a pair of (sized to fit over wool socks) goretex socks, and a pair of bread bags (poor man's vapor barrier), which latter also allows me to use the wet shoes in camp over dry socks.
What to do at the relative last minute like this though ... I'm afraid I have no clever advice!
Vapor barriers are very usefull if you pay attention to your feet.
You will only perspire to a point and then your feet will stop sweating. Wearing a liner sock inside helps, or a woman's nylon sock.
Your foot will wrinkle, just dry out at night with dry socks and powder as necessary.
I have used this for years and it feels funny at first, but really does work well.
20+ mile days are probably stretching it a bit though
SurferNerd
02-09-2010, 13:59
Vapor barriers are very usefull if you pay attention to your feet.
You will only perspire to a point and then your feet will stop sweating. Wearing a liner sock inside helps, or a woman's nylon sock.
Your foot will wrinkle, just dry out at night with dry socks and powder as necessary.
I have used this for years and it feels funny at first, but really does work well.
20+ mile days are probably stretching it a bit though
I've got two pairs of dual socks. Smartwool and a thin liner sock. They work great in unison.
the goat
02-09-2010, 13:59
How about "bag-tex"
Get some grocery sacks and put them over your feet before you put on your shoes.
this is terrible for your feet. it actually creates problems, as opposed to solving any.
icemanat95
02-09-2010, 14:37
Fit is more importaqnt than any other consideration. If your feet hurt and the boots/shoes provide insufficient support for you and your load and the trail conditions, it don't matter how much they weigh, who madew them, how long they last, etc. They will absolutely destroy your will to walk.
Wet feet are a fact of life on the AT. If they aren't wet from soaked through boots, they will be from foot perspiration. If neither of those, then the rain and body sweat will run down your legs and wick through your socks. Your feet WILL be wet. Get used to it.
The best solution I have found so far is to buy boots/shoes that breath well and dry quickly so that perspiration isn't a huge problem on dry days and rain and such drain out and dry out after bad ones. Goretex and similar membranes are of lesser effectiveness in boots under the best of conditions. I have it in most of my workboots, and it does work for a while, so long as you don't sweat out the boots from the inside.
Also, there is very little in this world better, after a long day in wet boots, than dry socks. Keep a set of camp socks solely for the purpose of providing a warm, dry place to put your feet at end of day. This is not a luxury. Putting on soaked socks and shoes in the morning is no fun, but the difference is moot after a short while. Walking around in wet socks at the end of the day is demoralizing.
Fit, fit, fit. Always try on boots at the end of a day that you've been on your feet. Even better if you've been out hiking or running. Your feet will be swollen and sensitive, just right for trying on boots/shoes. If they don't feel good in the store, they won't feel good on the trail, period. If you try on shoes in the morning I guarantee you will end up buying at least a half size too small, or with a last that isn't right for your foot.
The more weight you carry on your back, the more structure you will need in your shoes. Ultralighters can get away with running shoes, but if your pack is getting up into the 40-60 pound range, you need boots of some sort.
This may be of no use to you but I have been through many, many varieties of boots and footwear over the years. I swear by the LL Bean leather hikers (Cresta) although they have a fabric version. Break in fairly quickly, fit was exact and they are good on customer service if you need to swap sizes. Maybe heavier than most here like or recomend but these boots keep my feet dry (unless water is over the top of course). Pricier maybe than some other options but boots aren't an area of compromise for me. I will cut corners elsewhere. Good luck.
How to dry gortex boots:
I boil water and put it in small bottles and shove that as deep in to my shoes as possible then tie the top, that will trap the heat inside the shoe and dry it form the inside out. I do this when I get to camp, then again right before bed I reboil the water. this takes a lot of fuel if you don’t have a wood stove.
I have used a lot of boots maybe 1% of the market but my favorites so far are Asolo fugitive GTX in WIDE in half a size larger. I silk liners under wool socks are SOO much warmer then just wearing wool socks.
Avoid damage to the waterproof liners: I have found there is one thing sure to destroy any liner, getting wet grit in your boot. For example stepping in mud deeper then your boot. This lets water and grit and sand get in to your boot where it acts like sand paper to your waterproof liner. If this happens stop and get as much water out as possible. If you step in water take your boot off as soon as possible and get as much water out as possible before your boot soaks it up like a sponge.
I work outside in the winter, inspecting work on construction sites and I use these. I was in them 12 hours a day in water, snow, slush, mud....never were my feet anything but warm and toasty with a normal pair of wool socks. I have only taken them on day hikes though. Great winter boot. But the soles are not as durable as other boots I have had.
http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/Sorel-Tezzeron-Metal/3537653/product.html (http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/Sorel-Tezzeron-Metal/3537653/product.html)
I hope any of this will help you.
Spirit Walker
02-09-2010, 15:24
As others have said, waterproof boots aren't really. You can put Snowseal on them - basically a wax coating that keeps them from getting as wet - but it wears off. It does help keep them soft when they dry. Plus if your boots are really waterproof, they won't be breathable and so you'll get soaked with sweat. Gore-tex only works when it's clean. Not realistic for boots.
On the AT the bigger problem is rain running down your legs and wet bushes that will get your lower legs, boots and feet soaked. You learn to live with it. Light shoes and boots will dry faster than all leather boots, but either way you will get wet. It's one reason people like camp shoes. It's nice to take off the wet shoes at the end of the day.
KnittingMelissa
02-09-2010, 15:47
There's no such thing as 'waterproof' as far as footwear is concerned (grew up hiking and camping in the Pacific Northwest, there really, really isn't), so give up on that completely right now. The best thing you can do is plan to stay as dry as possible (use those hiking poles to balance as you cross streams instead of wading directly through them, etc), and dry out your shoes each night by the fire.
Have good wool socks. You can buy hand knit wool socks online very easily (etsy.com) that are better than Smartwool (I hate Smartwool so much, it felts at a drop and doesn't breathe well). I have no clue what liner socks are or do, I've never had any use for them (done a lot of cold weather snow hiking in WY and been fine without them myself), but it's best to double up wool socks when the weather is very cold and pay attention to your feet.
If you can't feel your toes, stop and warm them up. If it's so cold that you're having issues with the cold, no matter your activity level, camp for the night, get some warm food into you, and get into your sleeping bag. It's better to have a short day than to lose toes/feet/limbs/life to hypothermia.
And, whatever you do, try to stay dry. Nothing saps your internal temperature like wet clothes. Good wool will have lanolin in it, a natural water proofing agent. While not a lot of knitters knit tight with lanolin anymore (mainly because, to get wool with lanolin still in it you have to spin it yourself, like I have done before, but you can buy lanolin oil easily enough and treat your wool with it, but it's just not the same), the stuff that is knit that way is worth its weight in gold on the trail.
ChinMusic
02-09-2010, 15:55
I'm thru-hiking this year, 2010, and I need reliable boots that are waterproof. I purchased a pair of Keen Targhee 2 from REI, claimed waterproof, took
Waterproof? ......doesn't exist on the trail. Water resistant has its advantages under mild conditions, but under nasty conditions everything gets wet.
What I have learned that is important to me is:
#1 comfort
#2 how fast it dries
The closer something is to being "waterproof" the longer it is going to take to dry. This just works against you.
Jester2000
02-09-2010, 15:59
If you do decide to go with boots (and I'll echo the comments about not bothering with Gore-Tex), you may want to look into gaiters.
No amount of waterproofing in the world keeps rain from running down your let and into the boot. But gaiters can.
Jester2000
02-09-2010, 16:00
If you do decide to go with boots (and I'll echo the comments about not bothering with Gore-Tex), you may want to look into gaiters.
No amount of waterproofing in the world keeps rain from running down your let and into the boot. But gaiters can.
And by "let," I mean "leg." But you knew that.
I've had good luck with my Asolo Sasslong boots. Feet have stayed dry, and at my other job, I work in water most the time.
How many of you carry a second lightweight pair of shoes? They're great while hanging at camp and letting the boots dry out.