View Full Version : wet gripping foot ware
psyculman
08-26-2010, 06:24
I'm looking for foot ware which will provide the best grip on wet White Mt. creek rocks. They will be worn in the water of the creek, for scrambling over granite, not dry hiking and brief crossings.
Have you tried hiking in Keen water shoes? They're heavy, but good for water, and have a decent grip when wet.
Keen, Teva, Soloman all make descent "wet" shoes.
I am trying out a pair of Nike Sneakerboat's that I found ($25 on closeout) about a month ago, sticky rubber sole, 13oz for the pair. Mine fit just barely snug, since they stretch and lace, I can wear as-is or wear socks in cooler weather. No water crossings while hiking yet, but have worked well on a canoe trip and tubing - no slips yet, dry fairly fast - so far so good.
Slo-go'en
08-26-2010, 10:42
I haven't found anything better then the classic Vibrum lug soles, such as found on my Limmer leather boots. However, these boots are so darn heavy, they kill my knees in no time.
Might check felt bottom type stuff for fishermen's wadering. You don't say if you will be using them out of the water.
MichaelnStl
08-26-2010, 12:51
I have the Vibram fivefinger KSO shoes and they are amazing...they will "cling" to anything and they are super light.
Danielsen
08-26-2010, 16:47
In my experience Keens have soles that are actually pretty slippery. My recommendation, as always, goes to anything by 5.10, since the proprietary "stealth" rubber they use literally sticks to many surfaces in a way that no other shoe I've worn does. The Runamuck and Savant are two shoes they make that are specifically designed to be used in wet conditions without absorbing much water and drying quickly. The Runamuck is built more like a lightweight running shoe (though I've backpacked with mine) and the Savant is built more like your typical trail runner. Both of them come in under $100 on Zappos and cheaper elsewhere if you look.
For dry rock, wet rock or even ice, nothing else I've ever worn comes close to stealth rubber.
Hard rubber wears better, soft rubber grips better. If you don't mind weight, I am actually most comfortable in work boots like Hermans on wet rock. -Birdie
I think you will be happy with anything with vibram soles.....my merrells hold very well when wet.
Not all vibram soles are grippy. I have Chacos and they get pretty slippery. Some vibram soles feel really grippy though. When I hiked in Merrells they seemed to be best of all shoes I ever tried as far as grippiness. Keens suck for water. They have no traction, they let rocks, gravel and sand in but don't let it out, they get wet and stay wet. They are fashion shoes and nothing more.
Some surfaces are always going to be slippery, like wet rocks with algae on them, so you definitely want something that grips as well as it can, but also provides some protection for the inevitable slips and falls and stubbed toes etc. Going light weigth on gear and clothing and body fat makes a big difference, both in preventing slips and falls and also in minimizing the damage when you do.
psyculman
08-27-2010, 05:21
Might check felt bottom type stuff for fishermen's wadering. You don't say if you will be using them out of the water.
Thank you for all the great ideas. I will be using these for rock hopping, up the creek, in the water only. Many good leads. I will be looking into them all.
Slo-go'en
08-27-2010, 10:02
I will be using these for rock hopping, up the creek, in the water only.
Which is pretty much what the trails around here are like when its raining out...
Use felt sole wading boots:
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0011351810636a.shtml
Pedaling Fool
08-27-2010, 17:09
Some surfaces are always going to be slippery, like wet rocks with algae on them, so you definitely want something that grips as well as it can, but also provides some protection for the inevitable slips and falls and stubbed toes etc. Going light weigth on gear and clothing and body fat makes a big difference, both in preventing slips and falls and also in minimizing the damage when you do.
This is close to my thinking. Some shoes definitely have better grip than others. However, when it comes to wet slippery surfaces, especially moss/algae-coverd rocks, I don't think it matters and it may be a dangerous mindset to believe that because you're wearing grippy shoes then you're safe -- in other words a false sense of security.
All the slippery rocks I've successfully negotiated had nothing to do with my shoes and the rocks I wasn't so successful on were all because of my crappy shoes:D
Pedaling Fool
08-27-2010, 17:32
...it may be a dangerous mindset to believe that because you're wearing grippy shoes then you're safe -- in other words a false sense of security...
In retrospect, I think this was a little of an overstatement. I've never seen anyone just carelessly walk across moss-covered rocks. Everyone seems to innately understand that walking across these surfaces are to be done with extreme care and you can see it in their change of gait. The fact that they credit their footwear is probably due to some kind of bias.
I second the vibrams if you get the ones with the good tread.