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Shoes vs boots?

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    • Re: Shoes vs boots?

      I pack a couple of sheets of newspaper in a ziplock . if my non wp shoes are still wet at the end of the day i stuff the newspaper in them. by morning they will be mostly dry if not completely dry.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • twistwrist wrote:

      So you take 2 pair of hiking shoes?


      I agree with HB. Waterproof is fine for very short distances. It is better to have fast drying in the long run instead if waterproof. Your feet are going to get wet. So are you. It is okay to get your feet wet. They will dry. They won't if you are wearing waterproof shoes that finally get saturated. Bringing duplicate things really is not a good option either. The weight adds up quick.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

    • I will add that I tried to keep my feet dry at first. I still do to a certain extent. I find it is better to apply Glide to my feet and not stress if they get wet. I met a man in the 100 mile wilderness that just trudged though brooks with no care. It was not long before I started to do the same. It is amazing how quickly breathable trail runners dry. It is debatable if it is worth the effort to change into water shoes for brook crossings. I use my water shoes more for camp now, if I bring them at all.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

    • I sloshed right through Big Wilson Stream with my tennis shoes (they weren't even trail runners.) It was a warm day. No problems. Feets were going squish squish for a mile or two and after that I barely noticed. The prior week during a practice hike, it had rained hard all night, the next day most of the trail was underwater. I just sloshed through it all -- it's liberating not having to try to avoid the water on the trail.

    • its funny that even though i dont mind sloshing through, i do try to avoid the puddles for the first coupla whatever, before i finally plunge in, and just stomp through themknowing full well my feet will be wet all day.
      since i switched to darn tough socks, theyve kept my feet relatively dry, and always comfortable, even soaked. i only got a coupla hot spots on one very wet 20 mile day into reliance.i zeroed while waiting for rasty to meet me, and it was enough to keep my feet blister free, which i stayed the rest of the trip.
      i have a pair of merrill ventilator gtx i wear in wet snow or wet day hikes. even if i were only out for a week, i still prefer trail runners.once you've gotten used to the idea your feet will get wet, its no big deal, so long as you have dry socks to change into at the end of the day. wet is okay. wet and cold is not.
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:


      i have a pair of merrill ventilator gtx i wear in wet snow or wet day hikes. even if i were only out for a week, i still prefer trail runners.once you've gotten used to the idea your feet will get wet, its no big deal, so long as you have dry socks to change into at the end of the day. wet is okay. wet and cold is not.


      This. Whatever happens, try to get a few hours (whatever time you can manage, but the more time the better) of fresh air against your feet. Esp. if they've been wet for a while. They need time to dry (each evening) between days of wet hiking, else bad things happen. Try to get your feet warm and dry before you hop into the sack for the night.

    • rafe wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:


      i have a pair of merrill ventilator gtx i wear in wet snow or wet day hikes. even if i were only out for a week, i still prefer trail runners.once you've gotten used to the idea your feet will get wet, its no big deal, so long as you have dry socks to change into at the end of the day. wet is okay. wet and cold is not.


      This. Whatever happens, try to get a few hours (whatever time you can manage, but the more time the better) of fresh air against your feet. Esp. if they've been wet for a while. They need time to dry (each evening) between days of wet hiking, else bad things happen. Try to get your feet warm and dry before you hop into the sack for the night.


      Another great thing about quilts is you can stick your feet out.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:


      i have a pair of merrill ventilator gtx i wear in wet snow or wet day hikes. even if i were only out for a week, i still prefer trail runners.once you've gotten used to the idea your feet will get wet, its no big deal, so long as you have dry socks to change into at the end of the day. wet is okay. wet and cold is not.


      This. Whatever happens, try to get a few hours (whatever time you can manage, but the more time the better) of fresh air against your feet. Esp. if they've been wet for a while. They need time to dry (each evening) between days of wet hiking, else bad things happen. Try to get your feet warm and dry before you hop into the sack for the night.


      Another great thing about quilts is you can stick your feet out.


      oh big deal. you can do this with any sleeping bag, so long as you are willing to sleep head first in.
      its all good

    • Actually most people now days appears to stay away from waterproof on multi-day hikes. They are good for car camping and perhaps one day hikes. Another benefit of trail runners is how quick they dry.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • hikerboy wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:


      i have a pair of merrill ventilator gtx i wear in wet snow or wet day hikes. even if i were only out for a week, i still prefer trail runners.once you've gotten used to the idea your feet will get wet, its no big deal, so long as you have dry socks to change into at the end of the day. wet is okay. wet and cold is not.


      This. Whatever happens, try to get a few hours (whatever time you can manage, but the more time the better) of fresh air against your feet. Esp. if they've been wet for a while. They need time to dry (each evening) between days of wet hiking, else bad things happen. Try to get your feet warm and dry before you hop into the sack for the night.


      Another great thing about quilts is you can stick your feet out.


      oh big deal. you can do this with any sleeping bag, so long as you are willing to sleep head first in.


      Yeah, that way you are sure to keep your ears and nose warm. :rolleyes:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • I wear well ventilated shoes. I wear two pairs of no-show synthetic socks bought at Family Dollar for padding, and one pair of nylon dress socks pulled up over my pants to seal out bugs and keep my shoes from rubbing my heels raw. I do not use poles. My Montrail shoes are softer on my feet than my Merrell shoes. What works for me will probably not be ideal for anyone except me.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

    • twistwrist wrote:

      So you take 2 pairs of hiking shoes?


      I take two pair of shoes, but the second are not "hiking shoes."

      For the last hike I did (planned thru-hike of the Northville-Placid Trail, but had to bail out with the trail about a third done because of illness), I wore my trail runners the whole way, but brought a cheap pair of water shoes as camp shoes and for fording rivers (which I knew I'd have to do). I'll be doing the same later in the week when I get back on trail.

      If you take that approach, I recommend buying the water shoes as small as will fit your feet. You want them tight, so they won't slide around. (For example, my street shoes are usually an 11.5, my hiking shoes are a half size bigger, and my water shoes are a 10.) The advantage to wearing them is that your socks stay dry, you get better traction on the stream bed than you do in bare feet, and your feet get a little bit of protection from sharp rocks and vegetation. The disadvantage is that there is another muttered oath or two when you have to pull them on to get up in the night to visit a bush, as you're stretching to pull them on.

      Some people use Crocs for wading, but I never feel secure in them.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • twistwrist wrote:

      Water shoes as camp and wading shoes! Brilliant idea!


      Vivo Barefoot UltraPures. HB's choice. I concur.

      Also, notice the size suggestions of AK. I don't make my water shoes super tight, but my trail runners are 1/2 size bigger than my street shoes. Many, if not most hikers do the same. Your feet can swell. Loose shoes help to save your toenails too.
      Non hikers are about a psi shy of a legal ball.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by BirdBrain ().

    • speaking of the a.t. the only place where wading is as issue if i remember correctly is in maine. being an open boater, i have water shoes and sometimes take them on hikes. i'm more likely to take tevas, although some here will gag at the weight. for weekend trips i generally don't take anything; just loosen the laces on my tennis shoes.
      2,000 miler

    • BirdBrain wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Water shoes as camp and wading shoes! Brilliant idea!


      Vivo Barefoot UltraPures. HB's choice. I concur.

      Also, notice the size suggestions of AK. I don't make my water shoes super tight, but my trail runners are 1/2 size bigger than my street shoes. Many, if not most hikers do the same. Your feet can swell. Loose shoes help to save your toenails too.


      when you buy your shoes,fit shoes late in the afternoon, when your feet are swollen.
      my feet have grown a full size and a half over the past 5 years
      its all good

    • hikerboy wrote:

      BirdBrain wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Water shoes as camp and wading shoes! Brilliant idea!


      Vivo Barefoot UltraPures. HB's choice. I concur.

      Also, notice the size suggestions of AK. I don't make my water shoes super tight, but my trail runners are 1/2 size bigger than my street shoes. Many, if not most hikers do the same. Your feet can swell. Loose shoes help to save your toenails too.


      when you buy your shoes,fit shoes late in the afternoon, when your feet are swollen.
      my feet have grown a full size and a half over the past 5 years


      I mailed REI my feet for the last set but they fitted them in the morning.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • Rasty wrote:

      hikerboy wrote:

      BirdBrain wrote:

      twistwrist wrote:

      Water shoes as camp and wading shoes! Brilliant idea!


      Vivo Barefoot UltraPures. HB's choice. I concur.

      Also, notice the size suggestions of AK. I don't make my water shoes super tight, but my trail runners are 1/2 size bigger than my street shoes. Many, if not most hikers do the same. Your feet can swell. Loose shoes help to save your toenails too.


      when you buy your shoes,fit shoes late in the afternoon, when your feet are swollen.
      my feet have grown a full size and a half over the past 5 years


      I mailed REI my feet for the last set but they fitted them in the morning.


      next time, send your afternoon feet.
      its all good

    • twistwrist wrote:

      So in that case, even if the case is each shoe is 4 oz, 8 oz for a pair would still be pretty damn good.


      Yes it would. I made super light ones by taking the bottom of a pair of flipflops and stitching some cuben fiber to it, they only weighed like 3 oz I think, but they made my feet sweat and there was no way you would want to walk around town in them. So I went back to crocks. I just hang them off the back of my pack with a couple of small 'biners.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • While in another profession and subject to travel to remote locales for hiking and overnighting purposes, I wore boots both for durability and to support heavy pack weights.

      However as I continue to hike and overnight for different reasons, I've found trail runners beneficial not only for comfort but the aspects of quick drying.

      I've not yet succumbed to gram counting, but am enjoying the benefits of lighter footwear as well as reduced pack poundage However I've found TR do not offer the durability of boots nor are they as warm in snow

      Therefore I'm still exploring footwear options.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Dan76 wrote:

      While in another profession and subject to travel to remote locales for hiking and overnighting purposes, I wore boots both for durability and to support heavy pack weights.

      However as I continue to hike and overnight for different reasons, I've found trail runners beneficial not only for comfort but the aspects of quick drying.

      I've not yet succumbed to gram counting, but am enjoying the benefits of lighter footwear as well as reduced pack poundage However I've found TR do not offer the durability of boots nor are they as warm in snow

      Therefore I'm still exploring footwear options.


      Hiking in 3 straight weeks of rain in the summer of 2013 I definitely glad I switch to trail runners due to the quicker drying aspect you identified.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General