Hiking in wet conditions

[Boxerboxer]

I just went for a 30 minute hike on a WPA near me (rolling prairie, nothing crazy terrain wise) wearing a pair of Crispi Thors I have about 25 miles on. I didn’t think about how tall the grass was or how much dew there is in the morning and my nylon pants and socks ended up wicking a ton of moisture into my boots. In that short span the backs of my ankles developed 3/4” blisters which ripped open about 10 minutes from my vehicle.

Obviously the ideal situation is to keep the moisture out of the boots in the first place, but I’m wondering if this is just a normal thing with that much moisture or if it indicates poor boot fit. I never had it anywhere near that bad in my Salomon X Ultra Mids and I’ve had those soaking wet a ton of times.

I hate to turn around and sell these having just spent a bunch of money on them but this seems pretty unacceptable.

What would you recommend doing here?


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[5MilesBack]

Always wear a good synthetic liner sock and good boot socks, and have leukotape with you to apply immediately if or when you feel any hotspots.

 

[Moserkr]

If the grass was that wet from dew, enough to soak your pants and upper socks, then Id say gaiters were needed. Ive had whole outfits head to toe get soaked from the previous night’s rain as I busted through head high willow thickets. Didnt think I needed rain gear for that, ended up almost naked waiting for the sun to dry my gear.

For socks, darn tough have paired well with crispis for me, long enough to not remember my last blister.

 

[Boxerboxer]

Always wear a good synthetic liner sock and good boot socks, and have leukotape with you to apply immediately if or when you feel any hotspots.

I had some with me but didn't realize how bad it was til it was too late.

If the grass was that wet from dew, enough to soak your pants and upper socks, then Id say gaiters were needed. Ive had whole outfits head to toe get soaked from the previous night’s rain as I busted through head high willow thickets. Didnt think I needed rain gear for that, ended up almost naked waiting for the sun to dry my gear.

For socks, darn tough have paired well with crispis for me, long enough to not remember my last blister.

I have OR Crocs that were hanging on a hook in my garage. I'll bring them next time. The wet stuff was up to my hips in places, though, so even if I'd have had them I think I would eventually get wet feet. I may need to get some rain pants for stuff like that.

Obviously there's some stuff I could have done better preparation wise, but it's still concerning to me that my feet were that ripped up that quickly. The boots have a bit of a hotspot on the back of my ankles even when dry, and I don't know if that's a break-in thing, or if they just don't work well for me.

 

[BadTostada]

For me, heel blisters have been a result of poor boot fit that gets more noticeable with incline. I’ve hiked plenty of miles in soaked boots, if do end up getting blisters from wet boots they’re usually on the bottoms of my feet or toes. Try a good steep hike on a dry trail (once the blisters heal). If you get hot spots in the same places it’s boot fit.

 

[Moserkr]

Some crispis broke in right away for me. My new briksdals took 50 miles to break in. Never worn thors and everyones feet are so different. What socks were you wearing? I ask cause my feet sweat and are soaked daily regardless of the weather. I still dont get blisters when my feet are noticeably softened from being soaked, even on 15 mile all day treks. Now I open up my boots whenever I take a 5+ min break to let em breath.

After looking at socks, Id look at lacing. Too tight or too loose, either can be bad. Those two things plus break in your boots some more. The wet grass probably compounded an issue you were already going to have later.

 

[Boxerboxer]

For me, heel blisters have been a result of poor boot fit that gets more noticeable with incline. I’ve hiked plenty of miles in soaked boots, if do end up getting blisters from wet boots they’re usually on the bottoms of my feet or toes. Try a good steep hike on a dry trail (once the blisters heal). If you get hot spots in the same places it’s boot fit.

I've already had minor problems on dry hikes even without crazy elevation (it never gets all that crazy in west central MN). I just figured it was a break in thing and it would get better. I've been ok putting leuko tape on but for the duration and elevation of the hikes in question I was surprised I had to.

 

[roosiebull]

you certainly need gaiters in that scenario, prove one way or another if the boots leak. moisture may make you more blister prone, but you are experiencing poor fit for sure. if your feet get wet in boots that fit well, you will have plenty of notice if you're gonna blister.

if i spend a long day with damp feet (usually from sweat in my case) i will get a hot spot mid foot, slightly forward of center, ball of foot area, and i think that's mainly a function of softer skin from moisture, and the moisture allowing my foot to shift a little within the boot... next day it will be fine.

heel rub is never acceptable to me, and i do carry tape always, but rarely use it, because any boots that threaten to give me blisters, i'm not going to wear.

i think putting in some tough miles throughout the year helps a lot too and toughen your feet in those critical areas.... another benefit to staying in the woods all year... boots aren't a shell shock, and a heavy pack isn't either, it's another form of conditioning, but unfortunately, you can't show that off on social media so it's not highlighted very much.

if you are wading through wet grass, rain pants may be beneficial, but if it's warm, or gets warm early, i prefer a lightweight pant that dries quickly instead, i know being cold won't be an issue, i can handle damp for a couple hours in the morning..... just need to find a system that works well for what you do

 

[*zap*]

gold bond foot powder is very good stuff..as is their extra strength body powder.

 

[wyodan]

I just went for a 30 minute hike on a WPA near me (rolling prairie, nothing crazy terrain wise) wearing a pair of Crispi Thors I have about 25 miles on. I didn’t think about how tall the grass was or how much dew there is in the morning and my nylon pants and socks ended up wicking a ton of moisture into my boots. In that short span the backs of my ankles developed 3/4” blisters which ripped open about 10 minutes from my vehicle.

Obviously the ideal situation is to keep the moisture out of the boots in the first place, but I’m wondering if this is just a normal thing with that much moisture or if it indicates poor boot fit. I never had it anywhere near that bad in my Salomon X Ultra Mids and I’ve had those soaking wet a ton of times.

I hate to turn around and sell these having just spent a bunch of money on them but this seems pretty unacceptable.

What would you recommend doing here?


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It's just life, feet will toughen up after awhile. Also, gaiters help with this situation much more than anything else, IMO.

 

[Anglo-American]

I don't wear boots that stuff, so I could be wrong but I'd assume that you could need to size up.
Also wool socks could help. As would gaiters obviously. Also, nylon is fairly good at soaking up water.