Is it possible to keep your feet totally dry?

[billyjean45]

Hi,

I've got a bit of a dilemma regarding the purchase of some new boots. I've got some high length SWAT style boots (50/50 leather and cloth) that I've had for 10 years, and they're (almost) the bomb. I had them resoled a few months ago, but otherwise they're in top condition. However, I've been doing alot of hiking in cooler climates (ACT and Koz NP), and am really noticing how my boots get wet--even from rubbing up against dew-covered grass. I've tried waterproofing them a couple of times but it hasn't really worked. The main problem has been hiking in the mountains around Koz. I've been going there a bit, and doing some snowshoeing/snow camping, and when my feet get wet in these spots they feel reeeeaalllyy cold. However, I'm reluctant to get rid of the boots and find that with other boots, my feet still get wet . If I was going to get some new boots, I like the look of ASOLO TPS520GVs, or La Sportiva Cascade GTXs, but don't want to splash out--and get rid of my well-fitting boots--if I'll just get wet feet anyway. Basically with my current boots, I can't walk in a small puddle or walk through wet grass without expecting wet feet. In particular, snow or water gets trapped in the tongue and eventually makes it way through to my socks. The only other thing I was considernig is Seal Skinz, but their price is a significant amount towards a new boot.

Cheers!

[Liamy77]

Yup stay indoors !
seriously though... Not entirely dry no.... even with expensive goretex socks - (your feet sweat if nothing else) but warm and comfortable -yes...what i find is my preference is :
a leather boot with a high tongue joined up to the top of the boot (I use a blundstone walking boot - i find them cheap, solid and comfy)
heat them in the oven (get em warm but dont melt em) and keep applying a beeswax type product (eg snowseal) that wont rot the stitching untill no more soaks in. rub off the excess.
i also often use two or three pairs of socks to stop rubbing (one thick pair and one thin pair or so) i like a cotton thin pair on first then a woolen thicker pair or two in the snow over that... and some army disposal store foot powder - avoid talcum powder it can be abrasive when it gets damp.
gaiters help in scrub / mud / snow too. a spare pair or two of dry socks in your bag are a must i think too for the night if camping out (keep these dry for overnight)
cheers, liam

[climberman]

A drysuit !

or waders !

[22F]

Keep your feet dry?? Not really.

Even if you have a waterproof boot (like gumboots), there's one major entry point for water to enter: that big *&%$#! hole in the top where your foot goes in.

Gaitors can alleviate this a great deal, but I'm not a fan of them. I dont like too much around my foot ankle.

Even goretex lined boots aren't completely waterproof. But, I don;t think they're meant to be. The goretex just allows the foot to dry out faster. This is especially noticeable for my boots that have the brand spanking new eVent goretex liner in them.

Recently wore them in Eungalla National Park, p!ssing down rain, and they were still wet, but allowed me to dry out pretty quick.

[billyjean45]

Ha! Cool, basically that's kinda what I've been thinking. Since I've had my boots for a while, I wasn't sure how much of a difference there was with new boots. I'll keep looking into some options for snowshoeing...I've been thinking, as well as seal skinz, maybe some overboots, or (has anybody tried this?) getting some cheap snow boots from Ray's/Anaconda to strap the snowshoes onto--there's some on the cover of Anaconda's current catalogue http://www.anaconda.com.au/Specials.aspx .

[ILUVSWTAS]

No
Especially in Tasmania

[Ent]

Hi

Given you are otherwise happy with your boots I have found SealSkin socks ok. I used the almost knee length ones and are great when wandering around in frosty grass in open Croc's. They did not sweat greatly in the boot. A fellow walker used them on a hot (by Tasssie standards) day with runners and found them great. The only downside is the cost and apparently they do not last too long but I have yet to put mine to that much of a test.

As for other boots, I use high sided Scarpa SL's with gaiters and you can either walk or splash through most water hazards. The high side and firm lacing means unless you get stuck in a creek very little water gets down into the boot.

Cheers Brett

[sthughes]

Yep Sealskinz are very good, I'm amazed at how well they breathe. I usually only where them around camp however, but have walked in them in warm weather too.

Usually I use gaiters and Scarpa Trek Pros (no liner). These do leak just a tad but it's slow enough that I don't realise until I take them off. Of course they do leak when either go over gaiter height in a creek or spend any more than a second or two over the top of the boot.

[north-north-west]

No, but you can keep them dry most of the time, with good, well-fitting, properly treated boots and gaiters. You just have to walk quickly when you're wading.

I had to do four almost knee-deep river crossings on the way back down the Howqua Valley on Sunday, and my feet were still dry when I got to the car.

[ninjapuppet]

what about hiking in snow? does snow sometimes get in and melt with the body heat to form puddles of water?

Ive never done any snow hiking, and looking forward to some this winter.

[north-north-west]

I've never had a problem with that either. Again, good leather boots, properly treated (snowseal, or something like that) and gaiters, and it shouldn't be an issue. Particularly if you wear overpants.
If you can keep water out, snow is easy.

[photohiker]

Define dry.

Do your feet sweat?

[Ent]

Hi

I was extremely impressed with my Scarpa's that stood two days of snow and about forty-five minutes of wandering in around a lake edge. The feet stayed dry all the time and no need to take them off to empty them. What moisture was probably sweat. In fact, only once when I got myself "trapped" in a creek did I need to take the boot off and empty it.

Cheers Brett

[Liamy77]

I think that eventually everyones feet will get wet somehow - the key is to keep them warm and intact (wet or dry) wool socks will insulate wet or dry for example... and to be able to dry them overnight too much water for too long and your skin breaks down more easily / rapidly -well treated boots and foot powder can help as a good excuse for a foot rub at the end of the day ( chance to look em over for sores etc too)...

[corvus]

Trench foot will be the result of continual wet feet so ensure you only put on well wrung damp socks the next day
corvus

[Liamy77]

Trench foot will be the result of continual wet feet so ensure you only put on well wrung damp socks the next day
corvus

too right... brings back memories of beating frozen socks supple enough to put on in the morning.... so delightful when youre wearing your warm dry camp clothes!!

[Jeff78]

dry feet? I have a few solutions:
1. Stay at home
2. when you encounter mud, Uturn back to carpark
3. when it rains, immediately pitch your shelter
4. encounter a running creek, uturn to carpark, use your iphone and email council to get a bridge built

[wayno]

Trench foot will be the result of continual wet feet so ensure you only put on well wrung damp socks the next day
corvus

too right... brings back memories of beating frozen socks supple enough to put on in the morning.... so delightful when youre wearing your warm dry camp clothes!!

pour or soak frozen socks in hot water ...

[andrewa]

No. Get over the concept

Avoid goretex boots as much as you can. They work as well as leather boots.

Aim for dry warm feet at night - eg NRS hydroskin socks, plus some lightweight neoprene boating shoe, or crocs.

Put on wet socks in the morning, and get on with the day. I'm amazed at how many people tale their socks and boots off for a river crossing, and fluff around on the other side drying things, before moving on.

2 sets, one wet, one dry. Simple.

A

[ninjapuppet]

frozen socks? meh....
Harden up and try putting on frozen Jocks!

shrivels them jewels real quick.

[Nuts]

ewww.. ive put jocks on here before but not the ones that are at the inside out stage ewww..

[Bushman Ben]

frozen socks? meh....
Harden up and try putting on frozen Jocks!

shrivels them jewels real quick.

You had me giggling like a goose. I can't stop sniggering at your free-standing undies.

[under10kg]

Another solution is to wear quick drying runners with thin socks.
My inov runners dry out in 30 minutes of walking and weigh 220 gms each.
Even fully wet they weigh less than many dry boots.
It is a joy and a nice feeling just to walk through creeks and not worry about keeping them dry.
The trip I did the other day at Queensland had me walking up the creek while the other walkers with boots struggled on the banks.

[justacouch]

It is possible to keep your feet totally dry in Winter. I've been using Scarpa ZG10s - a goretex boot - for a couple of years. They keep my feet totally dry through puddles, mud, whatever and definately dew covered grass. Snow is no problem, if it's deep I use gaiters.

Waterproof boots are for winter, great for when it's cold but you'll sweat them wet in summer. The ZG10s are also very stiff, for use with snowshoes and crampons. A friend has the Scarpa ZG65s, they have much more give in the sole and look like they might be more breatheable. In winter though, breathability isn't so important. In summer around Canberra there's usually no need for boots so runners are fine.

Think about trying some goretex boots for winter, lightweight runners or leaky boots in the Brindies or KNP at this time of year aren't going to do toes any favours.

[forest]

Dry feet = stary home or wear 2kg heavy boots, even then they still get wet.

Go the runners as others have said.

I'm just home today after a few days on Barrington Tops in the snow and mud (I'll post up a report once I downloda the pic's). Temps on Monday hovered around -1°C all day with strong winds, misty, rain/sleet and a little snow... Generally crap weather.
Was fine while moving with just light icebreaker socks and my Inov-8 295s mesh runners. I had wet feet all trip "whilst walking". My feet stayed warm as long as I'm on the move and not still for longer than about 25 minutes. After that and they got cold. I also tried yesterday on the walk out some NRS Hydroskin socks. They work very well and I had nice, very warm feet. I didn't think it was cold enough to warrent the NRS socks but if I was crossing more creeks and had more water submersion they would be the poo.
It doesn't take much to walk runners dry but even wet, I find with wool socks my feet warm back up after about 45 seconds from a cold creek crossing anyway. Wet still - Yes, but not cold.

Just take some really nice "dry" socks for camp. My goosefeet booties and shell socks are my new best friend

[justacouch]

billyjean45 » Wed 02 Jun, 2010 7:48 pm

I've been doing alot of hiking in cooler climates (ACT and Koz NP), and am really noticing how my boots get wet--even from rubbing up against dew-covered grass. I've tried waterproofing them a couple of times but it hasn't really worked. The main problem has been hiking in the mountains around Koz. I've been going there a bit, and doing some snowshoeing/snow camping, and when my feet get wet in these spots they feel reeeeaalllyy cold.

In my experience and as Forest and others have suggested, wearing runners and light gear is usually the go for less difficult conditions. But OP billyjean45 says they're doing walks in KNP and the ACT, not Queensland or Barrington Tops. If the OP wants to walk around the more interesting parts of the Alps in winter, and take the time to enjoy being there, boots are the way to go.

Mt Ginini this morning at 8:00am:

-4.6 and apparent temp -11.5

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60801/IDN60801.95925.shtml

and Mt Gingera 3 weeks ago:



A firend and I walking in snow with runners in May this year (on Stockyard Spur):



You can count grams, but you might also consider the experiences you'd miss because you have to keep moving to stay warm. Like snoozing in the afternoon sun on Mt Gingera, or stalking up on brumbies on Mt Bimberi. It's a question for billyjean45 to decide for themselves, hopefully taking into account the conditions they'll be walking in and what they want out of their trips, rather than weight alone.




[Edited to add quote]

[walkinTas]

Yes. But they make your feet very heavy and you won't want to walk far. Great for short walks on snow and ice.



Start, as Liamy77 said, with a good leather boot - make sure it has a gusseted tongue. Add a comfortable merino sock. Finish off with a canvas gaiter (like the quagmire) to stop things entering the top of the boots. Not necessarily the lightest option, but you can stand in water up to the height of the tongue. I find gore-Tex makes my feet sweat and I can't stand elastic topped or synthetic socks, but for dry feet I don't think you can beat the old fashion leather, wool and canvas combo. You could try wearing a wicking liner under your sock if your feet sweat a lot, but never wear cotton socks (unless you like blisters).

Leather boots won't stay waterproof if you don't look after them. Never rapid-dry your boots - on a hut heater etc - it ruins them. Wash mud off your boots at the first opportunity - especially in areas with acidic soils - and don't let mud dry on your boots. Before and after a walk, use a waterproofing product (on dry boots only) to replace the leathers natural oils.

[slparker]

Can't say i've ever worn a pair of leather boots that is waterproof and how is it possible that they could be waterproof and not result in sweaty feet, particularly in warm/hot weather?

I agree that goretex lined footwear results in sweaty feet feet in warm weather but synthetics are wonderful in the snow or consistently cold/wet weather.

[Moondog55]

Depends.
Cold wet snow will strip the wax from the leather quickly so my feet get wet eventually, or they get wet from sweat no matter how much antiperspirant I use. get used to it and remember to take a set of spare dry sock plus a sleeping set.
Wear double plastic boots or the NEOS overboots.
Get used to it and become a real walker

[slparker]

yeah... that's my experience... just get used to being damp the entire time.