No Wader Stream Crossings

[Stid2677]

This year I have a pack raft sheep hunt in mind, so I'm going to try something different. To be clear, this concept is in the trial stage, but my plan is to use a pair of NRS goretex footed paddle pants as both waders and rain pants. Bought new boots, and will wear the paddle pants to hike and cross streams, and also in the raft coming out. Will wear gaiters with them, but they have brush guards and are made for hiking. We shall see.....

 

[Stid2677]

Thanks for the photos Stid. We've chatted before on this issue and I've used almost all of the same strategies (Wiggy's, Barneys and Plastics..etc). I have yet to just try rain pants and duct tape or similar. I'm too chicken of soaking my boots on a trip and having to deal with that problem. I'm going to do some serious testing this summer pre-season and see what lightweight system I can come up with. My hunt partner uses the Neo's Overboot waders and they are truly a bomber setup. They're fast and work great, but the things weigh a ton. I hate to carry that much weight around for minimal use. If in fact I can get my Simm's hybrid cutoff's to work, I might investigate a custom setup using Cuben and neoprene. It would be easy for a cottage shop to make a couple of tapered cuben legs with 3 or 4 inches of thin Neoprene or similar gasket on them for quick slip on-off. Add a couple of straps to cinch down the bottom super tight and a grommet or two up top to hold them up on my belt and I might be good to go.

I tried the Neos too, used them on my first sheep hunt and several bear hunts. They are bomber, but at 5lbs too much for sheep. Luke just wears nylon pants and Salmon cross training shoes that drain. I'm too much of a pansy for that.

 

[Akicita]

I tried no protection, just powering through with wet feet. Sucked,, feet get soft and skin starts to get wore off.

Yep. . . This sucks and is hard to recover from! Definitely a punch to the gut for moral. . .

Gaiters work okay for a quick crossing, but pause and you get wet feet.

Short of packing waders there is no good light weight solution to stay dry that I have found. During Spring run off here in Colorado or if I know I have a few deep crossings to make on expeditions I pack a pair of LavaCore bottoms and a pair of their Polytherm booties. It is an absolute priority for me to keep my approach or primary expedition boots dry. The Lavacore bottoms and booties don't keep you dry but they will make cold crossings more bearable and maintain thermal properties after you get out much like a wet suit. I even use them for diving in temperate waters or under my dry suit for an extra thermal layer during ice dives. They are neutral buoyant so I feel they are a safer option if you get dumped in swift water.

I will always take as much time as needed to dry my feet well with a chamois after the crossing and get them into dry socks and boots after before transitioning to my approach or expedition boots. My experience has determined it is much easier to get my body dry and warm than it is to get my layers or boots dry when things go wrong during a stream crossing. For this I will take the short term punishment during a wet stream crossing over the long term agony of trying dry or wear gear that got drenched.

 

[Stid2677]

Yep. . . This sucks and is hard to recover from! Definitely a punch to the gut for moral. . .



Short of packing waders there is no good light weight solution to stay dry that I have found. During Spring run off here in Colorado or if I know I have a few deep crossings to make on expeditions I pack a pair of LavaCore bottoms and a pair of their Polytherm booties. It is an absolute priority for me to keep my approach or primary expedition boots dry. The Lavacore bottoms and booties don't keep you dry but they will make cold crossings more bearable and maintain thermal properties after you get out much like a wet suit. I even use them for diving in temperate waters or under my dry suit for an extra thermal layer during ice dives. They are neutral buoyant so I feel they are a safer option if you get dumped in swift water.

I will always take as much time as needed to dry my feet well with a chamois after the crossing and get them into dry socks and boots after before transitioning to my approach or expedition boots. My experience has determined it is much easier to get my body dry and warm than it is to get my layers or boots dry when things go wrong during a stream crossing. For this I will take the short term punishment during a wet stream crossing over the long term agony of trying dry or wear gear that got drenched.

Do you use the Lavecore bottoms as long johns??

 

[toddb]

Nothing beats leap fogging across rocks and losing your footing in front of your whole group. Stuck between 2 rocks while on my back like a turtle. Hooting and hollering for help to get my kid to pry me out of rocks while he is laughing his ass off was no fun for me. The drying out time and 1/2 hour retrieval of my hat downstream let the woods settle back down. Every creek crossing now my companions get their phones and cameras ready.

 

[snowcamoman]

I too carry the Vivo's in my gear as opposed to Croc's. The Goretex socks would be handy at times, but I have yet to carry some with me. If someone made a more durable Wiggy Wader equal or lighter, I'd be all over buying it, but that item doesn't exist as far as I can tell.

 

[Stikine]

I've been using the Wiggy's option but I agree that they aren't the most durable. I minimize the time using them to decrease the wear & tear. Also, to minimize weight, I share a pair with a partner. If the crossing is short the waders are put in a ziplock with a small rock and then thrown back to your partner to use. If the crossing is too far for throwing, the first person to cross drags some p-cord with them so the second person can pull the bag of waders back across.

 

[snowcamoman]

I know there has to be a way to make a lightweight pair of Wiggy's that will hold up to more abuse. Thinking a Cuben fabric leg with super thin Hypalon or similar type bottom that will actually not puncture. Toe area in the Wiggy's take a lot of abuse in rocky streams with fast current. I anchor my boot solidly every step and in the process tend to kick rocks and put holes into the Wiggy's. I'd even carry half a pound heavier Wiggys if it didn't leak, since once they leak, I'm probably toting that much weight in water inside the waders anyways, even after trying to empty them out.

 

[Akicita]

Do you use the Lavecore bottoms as long johns??

No, they're designed for layers under a neoprene wetsuit or on their own as moderate thermal protection in water. I have slept in them in my sleeping bag during extreme cold but they really don't breath well. They are made from Merino and other synthetics and designed for water activities.

 

[oenanthe]

It really depends on the stream to be crossed, and on the consequences of a slip.

On a lot of sheep hunts I don't take any special stream crossing gear at all, and just take boots and socks off for any crossing where I'm likely to get my feet wet. Pants get rolled up as needed, and I cross barefoot. Sure, taking boots off takes extra time, but I usually take the opportunity to filter water, have a snack, or glass a bit.

There are lots of times I don't want to cross barefoot - sharp rocks, long cold crossings, heavy pack, deep rocky streams; basically any situation where I want to protect my feet. The next level of gear is simple: two loops of 1/8" shock cord that are sized to fit tightly around my boot tops. These keep my rain pants securely fastened to my boots. This setup does leak a bit in deep water but provides good splash protection. If it's a longer, deeper crossing I sometimes take my socks off, wear my boots barefoot, and put dry socks on on the far side. Wet boots are a lot more comfortable with dry socks!

Sometimes I take a pair of lightweight running shoes along for stream crossings. These are particularly useful when you have to cross braided streams and walk between channels. One place where I hunt sheep I have to cross multiple braids and channels over about a mile of walking - I just wear the running shoes for that wet mile, and then stash them in the brush on the far side.

And sometimes you just have to suck it up and know that you will get wet feet. I had to cross a fast, thigh-deep creek on this year's sheep hunt - maybe 50 feet wide. I had a packraft along but the creek was too fast, narrow, and steep to use it safely. My primary concern with that crossing was my personal safety; if I had lost my footing it would have been a wild whitewater ride with a heavy pack, and I wanted no part of that. It was cold, silty glacial water and I knew if I crossed barefoot I would have numb feet halfway across, and stand a good chance of losing my footing and going for a ride. So I wore my boots, left my socks on, and bungied my rainpants over my boots. With my boots on, and trekking poles, I was able to cross slowly, steadily, and safely. A fair bit of water leaked in (as I had known it would), so once on the far bank I changed my wet socks for dry ones and hung the wet ones on the pack. The rest of that day I changed socks every hour or two and by the end of the day my socks and boots were tolerably dry. Wet feet generally are nothing more than an annoyance, and if I have to sacrifice dry boots for safety I'll do it most anytime.