Water crossings and spare shoes

[lee737]

Hi all.... new member, first post....

I've noted in some reports people choosing between crossing creeks getting wet feet or walking over a log. Does anyone carry some lightweight shoes to don in the case of crossing a creek, to keep walking shoes/boots dry? I'm a bit precious about my feet, and one thing I really dislike more than most things is wet feet in shoes....

cheers
Lee

[corvus]

Welcome Lee,
I carry cheap Crocs and use if I have to wade and they double as camp shoes.
corvus

[gayet]

Welcome

I generally walk in Sealskinz socks and Teva sandals. Of Course the socks are only effective if the water is below the top of the sock! If not I take the socks off, wade across in the Tevas then replace the socks. Feet dry off quickly, and remain warm in dry socks, sandals drain and do not hold water. But anything to do with feet/shoes/boots is a very personal thing, so there is no right answer to this or best solution as everyone will have slightly different if not radically different approach.

[andrewa]

I normally just get wet feet ASAP, and deal with it! The only exception would be ski-touring, and normally I don't then have the option to get wet feet.

I'm amazed at how much energy people put into keeping boots dry bushwalking. Once boots are wet, you can just relax and enjoy yourself and forget about them.

A

[perfectlydark]

Second the crocs suggestion

[MickyB]

Welcome to the forum lee737

I normally just get wet feet ASAP, and deal with it! The only exception would be ski-touring, and normally I don't then have the option to get wet feet.

I'm amazed at how much energy people put into keeping boots dry bushwalking. Once boots are wet, you can just relax and enjoy yourself and forget about them.

A

I agree with you Andrew. Nearly every walk I do involves creek crossings and/or wading up or down stream in the water. As long as I continue moving I don't get cold (I don't feel the cold too much anyway) and I don't generally notice my wet feet/shoes/socks. I think I would waste half of my day if I kept changing shoes at crossings. Having said that nearly all of my walks are day trips so on overnight or multi-day trips I would change tactics. I would probably use corvus' advice and buy a cheap pair of Crocs.

[DanShell]

If the water is a one off and its cold then maybe the barefoot or crocs option is the way to go but for me generally wet feet is a common theme on some walks so I just embrace it rather than fight it

I like to use boots that let the water out as quick as it came in. Water in Tassie is freezing at the best of times.

[stry]

Socks off. Boots on. Cross. Drain boots, wait, drain again. Wipe from feet whatever you can. Socks on. Boots on.

[lee737]

Thanks for the replies - I think a pair of Dunlop Volleys might be an idea to hang off the pack.....

[Strider]

Volleys are quite heavy and will take a long time to dry. I can vouch for Rivers crocs!


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[corvus]

Thanks for the replies - I think a pair of Dunlop Volleys might be an idea to hang off the pack.....

Did the Volley thing ,too heavy cheap Crocs are the go ,light ,supportive and waterproof

[MickyB]

Has anyone tried lightweight waders like the ones in this link?

http://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwea ... ht-waders/

[wayno]

well there was this day when i had to cross a river 90 times in a day...

[stry]

well there was this day when i had to cross a river 90 times in a day...

I didn't cover that scenario in my post . For multiple crossings just suck it up and go through. Depending on how close the next crossing is, lie on your back (not in the water ) and drain out what you can with your feet in the air.

Also need to be aware that some crossings, particularly in NZ, will require gaiters or puttees to stop your boots filling with silt and gravel.

[wayno]

wear gaiters by default where theres any water. for a quick water crossing they cank sometimes reduce the amount of water that gets in.

[GPSGuided]

So the big question is, what were you doing with 90 crossing?

[wayno]

So the big question is, what were you doing with 90 crossing?

walking up a canyon.

[andrewa]

For all those determined to keep their boots and feet dry, why not just use a heavy garbage bag over each leg, or an equivalent home made something? I'll stick with wet feet though. More seriously, if you're really worried about getting cold wet feet, NRS hydroskin socks are light neoprene socks which at least keep wet feet very warm. I use them and hydroskin leggings for wet wading in NZ on fly fishing trips, rather than waders.
A

[oyster_07]

Just a thought....

[keithy]

Having said that nearly all of my walks are day trips so on overnight or multi-day trips I would change tactics. I would probably use corvus' advice and buy a cheap pair of Crocs.

I leave boots on if its a day walk as well, but multi day wet boots aren't fun. I remember doing a few river crossings in Borneo with boots on and for the whole week my boots never dried out so couldn't tell if the squishy feeling in toes were wet socks or leeches.

Last year in Iceland, I brought my toe shoes to do river crossings in. My Vibram toe shoes are around 350g a pair, but I use them for running and as camp shoes when I travel as well. Worked out nicely, especially after I found out that the fine black volcanic grit in the rivers in Iceland filled the nooks and crannies of my toe shoes. It would have been a pain to get those out of my boots.

I was looking at some Vivobarefoot sneakers (the one made from EVA with holes in it) which weighed around 280g a pair but couldn't find any in my size, and I wasn't sure how it would last.

I have a pair of sealskinz socks, but never got used to the feeling of them when I tried them with sandles - felt too tight in the ankle, and my feet got really sweaty.

[gayet]

I have a pair of sealskinz socks, but never got used to the feeling of them when I tried them with sandles - felt too tight in the ankle, and my feet got really sweaty.

I wear a pair of light liners inside the sealskinz. That helps with the sweaty feet bit. And walking through cold Tas water helps keep it at bay as well. I like the Teva Dozers as they drain well, don't compress the socks or my feet and don't weigh that much. I have some longer sealskinz now so deeper water is possible without wet feet.

[GPSGuided]

Still like the Keen sandals on these trips. Their CNX series have the weight down to 255g and is tough and grippy enough to walk anywhere (almost), with toe protection. My Croc is comfortable but when the going gets tough eg. Rough river bed and surfaces, it's not a replacement.

[tom_brennan]

As always, it depends.

If you're going to be in and out of the water all day, then you're probably best off just sucking it up with wet feet.

If you just have one or two crossings, then bare feet or crocs can be a good option. But the river bottom and water temperature may not always be conducive to either of those, particularly bare feet. I've had times when I've cut my feet on sharp objects in the water. And if your feet go numb from the cold, you're more likely to slip over and end up completely wet!

Like you, I'm a bit precious about my feet. I'm happy walking in wet shoes from a comfort perspective, but my feet tend to rub and blister fairly easily.

My most common combination is walking shoes and Volleys. That's because we do a lot of overnight canyoning where we might have a long walk in on rough ground, where the walking shoes are better than Volleys. Then do the canyon in Volleys. Then back to walking shoes for the walk out.

But I've also done walking shoes and Tevas, and walking shoes and Crocs. And a lot of trips in just Volleys.

[nq111]

I normally just get wet feet ASAP, and deal with it! The only exception would be ski-touring, and normally I don't then have the option to get wet feet.

I'm amazed at how much energy people put into keeping boots dry bushwalking. Once boots are wet, you can just relax and enjoy yourself and forget about them.

A

+ 2

Work out the sock system and boots / shoes that drain and walking straight through is the better way. The right sock system is key to warm feet.

Waterproof boots will typically result in wetter feet over the cycle of a day than draining shoes / boots. Especially in places like Tassie where there is no way to avoid getting water / mud over the top of your boots in many cases, even before getting to a water crossing. Unfortunately there are very few free draining boots on the market so if you don't like shoes your options are pretty limited. It is surprising how much water wrings out of your socks over the first hundred metres or so after crossing a creek with mesh shoes on.

Also, for many creek crossings your want the best feel and grip you can get. The shoes / boots you walk in are going to better than crocs here.

For damp shoes and socks, but them in a dry bag in your sleeping bag over night and you'll have toasty feet in the morning.

[flyfisher]

Crocs for me.

My boots are virtually waterproof (AKU GTX) so I just cross in crox, no sox, then back on with sox and boots..

For crossings up to about 100mm, just walk through with boots on. No water in, ever.

FF

[north-north-west]

Waterproof boots will typically result in wetter feet over the cycle of a day than draining shoes / boots.

Not necessarily. Walking on damp ground - heavy dew or the remains of overnight rain - will get your feet wet in shoes but not in leather boots. I've spent entire overcast days with wet feet in walking shoes because of this, whereas my boots would have been dry inside.
It depends very much on where you're walking and what you find most uncomfortable.

[Gadgetgeek]

Because barefeet are not an option for me when working, and having wimpy boot-protected soft feet, I have done a couple methods for wet-feet. my main walking shoes are merrel ventilator mids (non gore) so I had good luck just walking through the water, then swapping to dry socks, hanging the wet ones off the pack to dry. that kept the moisture levels manageable. For other stuff, canoe trips, or similar, I've gone with fivefingers, but I'd like to try other options as well. I'm planing on getting some teva closed toe sandals, or some other sort of water-shoe, since I wear them often enough at work. My biggest problem so far with the fivefingers is that the ones I have (treksports) is that they do seem to collect the small gravel and sand. Not ideal, and I've had my feet chewed up when I couldn't clean them. still really enjoy them though.

[Alittleruff]

Sketchers Go walk.

They weigh 115grams, for a size 7 ladies shoe. They dry quickly. They pack down. They give grip, even on the rock pools at the beach. They feel good. They don't require any socks. They give some protection to your feet.

My ideal- Boots off. Sketchers on. Get to the other side, and decide if you want to continue walking in them or get back into boots.

[MartyGwynne]

I usually just wear my boots but with lightweight well fitting gaiters which restrict water and sand/mud ingress. Though I also carry crox to wear as camp shoes and sometimes to cross water if it is only one crossing for the day and it is early or first up. I have leather vortex lined boots which help wick the moisture out.
I have walked with a guy who could walk on water so it was no issue for him!

[Sandbars]

I'm amazed at how much energy people put into keeping boots dry bushwalking. Once boots are wet, you can just relax and enjoy yourself and forget about them.

A

I am one of those that expends energy into keeping my feet dry. If its cold enough that my socks are not going to dry inside my boots, then I will likely loose most of the ball of my foot to a fun-eating blister, quite quickly. If its hot enough - then it is likely that my feet are sweaty enough to start the blisters on their own, a process that can be slowed down or stopped by a short walk in the river, followed by dry socks. Having tried many different solutions, my go to ones are lightweight trail runners (which can double as a back up pair of shoes on super hot days) or copycrocs - the type with a back strap - which make awesome camp shoes, and the back strap stops them from floating away in the river. Bonus: $5 copycrocs from Woolworths are 100g lighter than the real thing.

If its warm, and there is water about (puddles, shallow creeks etc) I will deliberately get my boots wet - it cools my feet just enough to assist with blister control.