Dry feet thread

[MOwhitetail]

I’ll start this by saying I hate wet feet. To the point I’ll carry 100 pair of socks on a hunt to keep them dry if I have to (not really but you get the point).

I’ve been having a hard time keeping my feet dry on long trips. I’ve had a few pairs of boots leak and this year ran into rain that was so heavy it soaked my pants to the point they were wicking water from my socks into my boots. The kenetreks I had on took two days to really dry out.

I’m in the market for another pair and looking really hard at a pair made from lighter/synthetic materials like Crispis Briksdal MTN. My thoughts are that if they get wet they’d dry faster. But I’m not sure if a boot like that is more likely to leak in the first place than a heavy leather boot like the kenetreks.

What do y’all think?

I’m also open to suggestions on ways to dry boots without having to carry something heavy.

 

[voltage]

I think a lot of people’s feet are wet because of sweat and/or moisture coming from above. Gaiters help the vertical attack. If and when the boot actually fails, lack of maintenance is usually present.

I run Schnee’s Beartooths as my main boot, but I’m a stickler about maintenance and I almost always wear gaiters.

 

[MOwhitetail]

I think a lot of people’s feet are wet because of sweat and/or moisture coming from above. Gaiters help the vertical attack. If and when the boot actually fails, lack of maintenance is usually present.

I run Schnee’s Beartooths as my main boot, but I’m a stickler about maintenance and I almost always wear gaiters.

Gaiters definitely would have helped, but my feet and legs sweat pretty bad when I wear them so I don’t unless they’re needed. This rain popped up quick enough I didn’t have a chance to put them on before I was wet. Lesson learned there.

As far as maintenance goes, sometimes boots just leak. Not much maintenance you can do on the Gore-Tex liner.

 

[yfarm]

I spent 3 hours today walking thru prairie grass while it was raining, intermittent wet snow, grass was 3-4 ft high. Was wearing Muck apex laceups for the first time, stayed dry, boots were comfortable, better than walking in their or others slip on neoprene boots. Time will tell, anyone else with longer experience with this boot?

 

[LongWayAround]

Buy some sealskin socks. It won't dry your boots, but will keep outside moisture off your feet.

I think the biggest reason people think their boots leak (other than sweat) is the hydraulic pressure of flex pushing water through the gore-tex membrane.

 

[dirtshooter]

Man I can't tell if my crispi thors leak and my vivo trackers leak or if my feet sweat heavily lol. Maybe I should soak my feet in the tub for 10 min in the footwear and see. Drives me nuts cause I maintain them and my feet are still damp at the end of the day

 

[MOwhitetail]

Man I can't tell if my crispi thors leak and my vivo trackers leak or if my feet sweat heavily lol. Maybe I should soak my feet in the tub for 10 min in the footwear and see. Drives me nuts cause I maintain them and my feet are still damp at the end of the day

If they’re just damp I’d say that’s definitely condensation from your feet and it’s pretty much impossible to avoid. If they leak and you’re in water you’ll end up with water sloshing around.

 

[Jtb.kfd]

I hunt elk/bear hunt in the Cascade mountains in Washington. It’s always wet to put it mildly. I will list a couple things I have learned over 30 years of hunting here to maintain dry feet. These recommendations are based on backcountry hunts in harsh/steep terrain.

- Synthetic boots breathe better than leather.
- Synthetic boots dry faster once soaked through.
- Synthetic boots do not shrink when completely soaked and then rapidly dried overnight requiring 30 minutes of painful break in the next day.
- Uninsulated boots with thin wool socks keep sweating to a minimum and allow maximum breathability.
- Grakksaw boot dryers never leave my pack. If its hot out, I will dry my boots with these while glassing. They are amazing.
- I replace frontline boots every 2-3 years. Gore tex linings just don’t stay waterproof longer than that no matter how well you take care of them.
- Gaiters help a ton. If its super wet out I wear shorter gaiters under my pants. The upper part of the gaiter is against my skin. This keeps water from your pants/outer shell from coming in contact with your socks and wicking in. Sounds uncomfortable, but its not.
I have tried many different boots over the years. I won’t buy leather anymore and prefer synthetics with a flex rating of 2-3 max. For early season I use Salomon and Keen boots. From October on I mainly use uninsulated Crispi boots as they fit my feet the best. For late season, cold hunts I generally stick with uninsulated boots sized up one half size and run a thicker wool sock. My feet don’t sweat and stay warm even when stopped for extended periods.

 

[MOwhitetail]

I hunt elk/bear hunt in the Cascade mountains in Washington. It’s always wet to put it mildly. I will list a couple things I have learned over 30 years of hunting here to maintain dry feet. These recommendations are based on backcountry hunts in harsh/steep terrain.

- Synthetic boots breathe better than leather.
- Synthetic boots dry faster once soaked through.
- Synthetic boots do not shrink when completely soaked and then rapidly dried overnight requiring 30 minutes of painful break in the next day.
- Uninsulated boots with thin wool socks keep sweating to a minimum and allow maximum breathability.
- Grakksaw boot dryers never leave my pack. If its hot out, I will dry my boots with these while glassing. They are amazing.
- I replace frontline boots every 2-3 years. Gore tex linings just don’t stay waterproof longer than that no matter how well you take care of them.
- Gaiters help a ton. If its super wet out I wear shorter gaiters under my pants. The upper part of the gaiter is against my skin. This keeps water from your pants/outer shell from coming in contact with your socks and wicking in. Sounds uncomfortable, but its not.
I have tried many different boots over the years. I won’t buy leather anymore and prefer synthetics with a flex rating of 2-3 max. For early season I use Salomon and Keen boots. From October on I mainly use uninsulated Crispi boots as they fit my feet the best. For late season, cold hunts I generally stick with uninsulated boots sized up one half size and run a thicker wool sock. My feet don’t sweat and stay warm even when stopped for extended periods.

That’s exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[LoneStar]

I live in western Oregon and I've also had great performance out of the Schnee's Beartooth the last few years. Maintenance and gaiters as others have listed are important. I wear a thin wool sock and sometimes a PP liner sock when I am planning a longer day.

 

[mtwarden]

Under many conditions dry feet are simply not an option.

If your shoes/boots fit, getting your feet wet won’t hurt anything. I do a multi day race every May across the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The trails at this time of year are often small creeks and if they’re not, you’ll be fording dozens of creeks and rivers in a day anyways. You’ll also always have a half dozen snow filled passes to cross.

My feet are wet from start to finish. I do take the time twice a day (typically at lunch and supper) to air my feet out. Also at night I dry my feet thoroughly and don my sleep (read dry) socks. These socks stay dry the entire trip, save the last day while I splurge putting on dry socks, which last all of 10 minutes . Airing out your feet (if wet) and having dry feet at night are really important on multi day trips.

Depending on a very, very, very thin layer of Goretex to keep your feet dry is folly in very wet conditions, not going to happen.

In the late Fall and Winter backpacking, wet shoes/boots will freeze. I’ll often put them in a dry sack and stuff them into the bottom of my sleeping bag (all my cold weather bags are Longs) to prevent them from freezing solid. If I don’t do that, boiling water in the morning, put into 16 oz Nalgenes and then in the boot gets them loose enough to put on. The water is still warm enough for coffee/cereal.

Everyone likes dry feet, myself included, but I spend numerous days with wet every year and have never suffered any ill effects.

 

[cmwhitmoyer]

Foot sweating can be controlled by using antiperspirant spray. If it is extremely bad, a Dr. may prescribe a stronger roll-on antiperspirant.
Also, even through a boot might have GoreTex, proper treatment will slow the water from getting to the waterproof bootie.

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