Glacier National Park Chat

I usually hike in leather boots and don't get wet feet too often, but on the odd occasion that I have gotten my boots soaked the results have been ugly (blisters, prune feet, peeling skin afterwards etc.) I am curious how some are able to hike with wet feet and have relatively few ill effects, especially with people going more and more to very light weight trail runners and some folks even just using sneakers that aren't waterproof. What's the secret?

Plastic bags over dry socks (before putting wet shoes back on) or goretex oversocks?

The best solution I've come up with is just to use sandals, but invariably I end up stubbing myself on a branch or rock!

I use gortex boots and gortex shoes. I love 'em, particularly the boots. I'm amazed at how "waterproof" these are. Wet vegetation will rub off on your socks, and the socks act as wicks (into the boots) but if you wear rain pants (or I assume gators), they work great. I have a pair of Salomons that are very comfortable. (Your feet may vary. )

Jay

Gortex lined boots are a good idea. My boots though have Italian Perwanger leather that is very waterproof. I find the biggest problem is moisture or water running down my legs into the boots. This really soaks the feet. To keep water out of my boot I wear a pair of Gortex lined OR Crocodile gaiters. The gaitors cover all the laces of the boots. I put the gaitors on under my rain pants. Water then sheds off the rain pants onto the gaitors and down onto the lower part of the boot.

Last summer my wife and I experienced an period of wet rainy weather and while we had rain pants we did not have the gaitors. When our feet got wet, we changed into dry socks. I always carry at least one, sometimes two, extra pair of socks for this purpose. The trick is to get those socks dry before you need them in the next rainy period.

goretex just dries faster than leather.

scott-atl wrote:goretex just dries faster than leather.

Goretex is a thin membrane applied to the inside of the boot usually as part of the interior liner. The outer part of the boot can be leather or a man made material or a combination of the two. Being inside, the goretex does not dry faster than leather. It supposedly allows moisture to pass through from the inside of the boot to outer materials while preventing moisture in the outer materials from penetrating to the inside of the boot.

While hiking in wet vegetation water may run down your legs into the boot. No amount of waterproofing of the boot will prevent the inside of the boot from getting wet in this case. That's why I wear gaitors under my rain pants.

Ear Mountain wrote:...To keep water out of my boot I wear a pair of Gortex lined OR Crocodile gaiters. The gaitors cover all the laces of the boots. I put the gaitors on under my rain pants. Water then sheds off the rain pants onto the gaitors and down onto the lower part of the boot...

What he said. Exactly right. Tis what I do as well.

I would only add cleaning boots as recommended, and applying whatever "waterproofing" agent the boot maker recommends(if any).
Ground in trail dust and dirt tends to accelerate the breakdown of the "waterproofness" of non leather boots(maybe leather too), especially in the tongue/lacing area.

My Solomans, Asolos, and Vasque's before them have kept my feet dry. However, like Ear Mountain, I always carry 1 extra pair of socks, and sometimes two.
Weight penalty? about 4oz/pair for my wool socks....bfd.

pete

Yup. What Ralph said!

goretex is a membrane of course. goretex lined boots dry faster than all leather boots.

I agree with what everyone has said here although I am not sure that we are all talking the same thing (soggy footwear versus full-on soaked).

By full-on soaked - for example - bushwhacking along following along gentle stream but it's desperately slow because there is deadfall and the streambanks are getting steep... the odd time I've just said screw it and jumped in to wade with my boots on (say right up to the shins)... didn't have wading shoes and didn't want to go barefoot.

Poured the water out of my boots after and put on dry socks but my feet were still going sploosh sploosh in my boots with every step after. Maybe bring crocs along for such scenarios.

trevbo wrote:... the odd time I've just said screw it and jumped in to wade with my boots on (say right up to the shins)... didn't have wading shoes and didn't want to go barefoot.

Poured the water out of my boots after and put on dry socks but my feet were still going sploosh sploosh in my boots with every step after. Maybe bring crocs along for such scenarios.

Well yeah...I'd say in that case you are back to plastic bags over dry socks.
I carry crocs now if I think I may need to wade a creek(e.g. going around Hidden Lake) or do some bushwhacking like you mentioned.
I can't do barefoot anymore.

There's no boot sold for hiking (that I am aware of) that can withstand "wading" in them....
And not stay wet for a long time after.

But I could be wrong. My knowledge on the subject is somewhat short of "encyclopedic"

pete

The nicest thing I ever did for my feet was stop wearing hiking boots. I wear trail runners that drain well and don't spend one second worrying about getting wet feet. I also wear thin running socks and haven't had a foot blister in years. I don't waste time at creek/river crossings trying to keep my feet dry. I just make sure to have a dry pair of socks for the tent. I know it sounds crazy to some people to not wear boots but after a few years of hiking and backpacking in trail runners it sounds awful to head out with those hot, heavy boots on. Now I only wear boots in winter or when I know I will need to kick steps in steep snow, but if that's the case I'm usually wearing ski boots.

The only downfall I can think of is scrambling on scree. Very hard on the shoes and easy to get little rocks in your shoes which tears up the socks. Lightweight running gaiters help. I do wear my shoes out quickly (new pair every year) but I am hard on them. They're also about 1/3 the price of boots these days.

I use to be a boot guy and it was hard to convince me to switch. The enjoyment of my trips has increased significantly as I no longer worry about my feet. Give it a shot sometime- you might like it!

I wear La Sportivia trail runners and Darn Tough socks. Just cross creeks and walk them dry. Normally within an hour they will be mostly dry. My feet sweat in gortex so they end up just as wet and never dry out later.

Footgear is very personal preferance. Best thing to do is test gear around the yard or nearby trail on a day hike. Go through creeks and puddles and see what works and what doesn't for you.

my brother gave me a pair of 'darn tough' socks last year. superb warm hiking sock. tight, thick weave, not fluffy.

Thanks nodust and tanK, I am a boot guy and my experience with wet footwear has always been blisters and peeling skin for days/weeks afterwards. I do find it a radical change but would like to try lighter foot wear... will probably carry boots in my pack this summer and try 1/2 in boots 1/2 in lighter footwear before committing!

Switched to New Balance trail runners (I wear 2E width) after two knee surgeries about a decade ago. Have only had to resort to the gallon ziplock bags over dry socks once after 2 days of solid rain at Rocky Mtn NP. Got lots of stares on the shuttle, but no blisters. But I haven't backpacked in Glacier yet. I take dry socks for the tent, and cheap, light plastic flip flops for camp and easy stream crossings. If you have wide feet, New Balance makes really nice trail runners.