wet feet

[Megapixel]

so we start our thru hike saturday from H.F. and it looks like currently there is a good chance of consecutive days of rain, which we have never experienced. This forecast coupled with low temperatures brings me to my question: wet feet: will they be too cold? Is there something you do to remedy this?
We plan on bringing 3 pairs of socks, one pair strictly for camp/sleeping. Is there something more I should be thinking of? It seems to me 40 degrees and cold soaked feet could spell disaster.

[DesertMTB]

Waterproof socks worked well for me

[d.o.c]

id say bring one more pair of socks to be sure for now u can get rid of them as it warms.. but be prepaird for weeks of wet feet i remember during my thru the whole month of may was rain i think the sun shined for a few hours..

[d.o.c]

you can always go with the bread bags if they get super cold it workd for me.

[Montana Mac]

On my 09 hike wet feet were the norm - dry feet was a rarity. Normally hiking will keep your feet warm. Once in camp change into your dry socks and put on your camp shoes if you carry them.

[johnnyjohnson2043]

I agree. One thing to remember on any long distance hike is that there are times that you are going to be wet, cold, hot, hungry, tired, sore, and just generally uncomfortable. Once you accept that...Also, a huge part of this type of journey is mental. If you allow your wet, cold feet to bother you there is a better chance of being miserable.

[ScottP]

Depends on your body. For me, if I keep my core warm my circulation is good enough that my extremities don't get cold.

Good wool socks will keep your feet warm even while wet.

[Jedeye]

For me wet feet just became part of it. I would recommend getting some pretty thin nylon socks and wear them while hiking. If your moving, then your feet will be working pretty hard, and should stay warm enough - keep a thicker wool sock to sleep in. That's how I would do it, but may not be the best option for everyone.

[1azarus]

i'm surprised how infrequently i see mention of Hydropel Sports Ointment. if rain is forecast i put it on my feet in the morning. it does a great job of protecting your feet. a bit expensive, but...

[royalusa]

The other thing I have found is that gortex shoes/boots stay wet longer. Once the rain stops and trails clear of water, mesh shoes will dry faster and therefore your feet will dry faster. But others swear by gortex...so you just have to find out what you like best.

[ChinMusic]

i'm surprised how infrequently i see mention of Hydropel Sports Ointment. if rain is forecast i put it on my feet in the morning. it does a great job of protecting your feet. a bit expensive, but...
I was just gonna post Hydropel. I'm one that posts about it on a regular basis. GREAT stuff.

[10-K]

Yep, just get used to it.

Put on yesterday's wet socks the next morning and keep going.

[Trailbender]

I wear double layer wool socks. Dealing with wet feet was something that took me awhile to get used to. Carry baby powder and powder your feet at night before you go to sleep.

[ChinMusic]

Yep, just get used to it.

Put on yesterday's wet socks the next morning and keep going.
This is a good point. Do put those wet socks back on the next morning unless you are going off the trail that day. If you have a pair of wet socks you are not wearing, pin them to the lower part of your pack with safety pins. If the weather cooperates those socks will dry quickly while hiking.

Someone mentioned bread bags. Once you get to camp you take off your wet socks, dry off your feet, put on your dry socks, place the bread bag over your dry, socked feet, and then put on your shoes. Your feet get a dry environment and your dry socks stay dry. Don't hike like that tho........:D

[mweinstone]

keeping feet dry is a skill. once learned, wet feet are rare and short lived. in the wetest conditions always adjust your hike to allow for foot care. it helps to baby your feet alot. every second of airtime is chased down and gotten. each drop of moisture is dispelled useing bodyheat and in sleeping bag and placed under shoulders of shirt to dry while hikeing even. sox are thrown out when they loose their loft. oil and vasalene are used when needed on feet. elevating sore feet is taken seriously. hardening of feet and the keeping dry of feet become ritual. laces loosen to let steem out when boots cant come off. boots are blotted of excess water with the uppers of sox and every caution is taken to aid the feets health. there are a million tricks. once you know enough, dry feet are yours more often. metabolism and massage,...i could go on.....hydration...anything haveing anything to do with the warming of feet and the drying of them.

[SassyWindsor]

If you wear trail shoes/runners you will have wet feet and all the problems that go with it. I wear non gtx boots, with low gaiters, treated with sno-seal and/or aqua-seal, stitching sealed with special sealant. Rarely have wet feet problems.

[ShelterLeopard]

Just make sure you can stay warm (if not dry) while hiking, and definitely have a warm sweater to throw on when you stop for a break. Apart from that, I'd say the most important thing is to have dry in camp clothing.

[Tinker]

This is a good point. Do put those wet socks back on the next morning unless you are going off the trail that day. If you have a pair of wet socks you are not wearing, pin them to the lower part of your pack with safety pins. If the weather cooperates those socks will dry quickly while hiking.

Someone mentioned bread bags. Once you get to camp you take off your wet socks, dry off your feet, put on your dry socks, place the bread bag over your dry, socked feet, and then put on your shoes. Your feet get a dry environment and your dry socks stay dry. Don't hike like that tho........:D
Also - your bagged feet will not be sweating into the shoes, but they will warm them a bit which may (no guarantee you'll notice) dry them a bit.
A couple of small bottles which will hold very warm to hot water can be used in your shoes and/or socks to dry them a bit overnight. Of course warming that extra water will cost you more fuel, so I, personally, only bother with it when I (we) have a fire going anyway (after the rain stops).
I'm considering buying a couple of the small Platypus soft bottles for this (and other) purposes.

Personal experience: I've hiked with vapor barrier socks (Stephenson's Warmlite) in the winter and got a foot wet in a stream with the air temp. around 20 degrees. I was wearing the sock under Thorlo socks. After hiking about 5 min. my feet were equally warm even though one sock was still wet.
I used Sealskinz socks (alone, no over or liner socks) on a hike in Harriman Park (NY) in the winter. I again stepped into a stream (clumsy :p) and had similar results to what I experienced with the vapor barrier socks. The temps. were in the middle teens.
Warning: Once you stop hiking, put on dry socks ASAP! I sat around for three minutes digging for dry socks after we reached camp and by the time I got my dry socks on I couldn't feel some of my toes. Walking around camp with the dry socks on took care of that quickly.

[Megapixel]

Thanks for the input from everyone... Lots to think on here

[Papa D]

F.Y.I. - Black socks dry out in the sun quicker - I get the new black or grey smartwools - 1 pair to hike in, one pair to be drying out and a third pair to sleep in that are totally dry - also, if you wring out the wet pair as good as possible and put them in the foot-box of your sleeping bag, the water will wick outward and they will dry out substantially --- these are good tricks that mitigate wet feet a bit, but sometimes you just have to deal with them.

[berninbush]

There is an opposite approach to take if you're hiking in, say, 40's or warmer (I'm not talking about knee-deep snow here). The misery of wet feet generally comes when your feet are trapped in wet clothing (shoes/socks). Bare wet feet are much less of a problem, when the moisture is not trapped against your skin and chafing against it. Skin dries very quickly, far more quickly than any form of cloth.

I'm almost always barefoot or in minimal sandals, and I'm reasonably comfortable down to the 20s in dry weather, or probably the 40s in wet weather, as long as I keep moving to keep the blood flowing. The key is to go barefoot or wear minimal footwear a lot in everyday life to build up your circulation and skin toughness (and to learn how to watch your step and take care of your feet!). Enclosed shoes restrict circulation and make your feet more dependent on being enclosed... a vicious cycle. My feet always used to be cold... they're SO much better now that I've trained them to take care of themselves.

I do wear enclosed shoes if I'm walking any distance in snow. Some hardy folks up north have even mastered "snowfooting" without shoes!

[tjforrester]

:sun

Seriously, you'll burn so many calories the only time your wet feet will get cold is when you start off in the morning. Keeping a pair of socks for sleeping is a good idea.

[Captain_Slo]

F.Y.I. - Black socks dry out in the sun quicker -

and they never get dirty

[Derek81pci]

Wool blends dry faster than 100% wool, and I don't notice the warmth difference honestly. Liners are a good option as well.

[JAK]

I like one medium or thick pair of smartwool socks, and 2 pairs of black wool dress socks.

[Jelly-Bean]

I have read to bring along some foil to put our shoes and/or socks in and to put it BY the fire. I am going to test this out this weekend. You would atleast be putting dry socks on each morning.

[hikemikehike]

+1 for Sealskinz. those things are legit water proof. Sealskinz is the brand they specialize in waterproof clothing accesories. I have used Sealskinz socks in so many applications when i just wanted my feet to stay dry and let me tell you... they stayed dry. I got curious and starting playing with these socks... i put them over my arm and stuck my arm under a faucet with water running.... dry. put my foot in a pool... DRY. I swear by Sealskinz http://www.sealskinz.com/socks/activity-socks

[hikemikehike]

or these http://www.sealskinz.com/socks/trekking-socks cant go wrong