No Wader Stream Crossings

[snowcamoman]

Curious how many people either use their rain-pants and tape over the cuffs to cross streams, or some other method (non-wader). I'll likely carry some type of Wiggy type wader in case of stream crossings, but the thought of ditching that extra weight and trying the duct tape/rain paint setup is looking better and better.

 

[Molon Labe]

If you wear plastics you can just peal out the liner and have at it.
Otherwise gaiters work pretty decent for shallow faster crossings.

 

[camping1601]

I wonder about cutting the legs off a pair of Tyvek clean room coveralls?

Not sure how water proof the seams are.

 

[snowcamoman]

I have plastics and have used them without liners as well as with the Barney's wader that slips into them. That's about the best system I've used, but I'm trying to not go with plastics on this season's trip.

Good idea on the Tyvek coveralls. There's video's online of guys making Tyvek waders that slip over boots.

 

[Russp17]

Curious how many people either use their rain-pants and tape over the cuffs to cross streams, or some other method (non-wader). I'll likely carry some type of Wiggy type wader in case of stream crossings, but the thought of ditching that extra weight and trying the duct tape/rain paint setup is looking better and better.

I use my rain pants and tape over the cuff along with gaiters. Instead of tape though I use straps. Two small straps per leg. It will work for a short amount of time as long as the water is at or near your knee. For water deeper than your knee (approx 24 inches deep it will leak).

 

[Huntin wv]

We just used gaiters last year and it worked better than I expected. The water was only 8-9" deep though and moving pretty fast. Stayed 98% dry.

 

[charvey9]

I gear down and throw my boots over my shoulders and roll up my pants. If its more than knee deep, I'd take off the pants also and cross in my boxers. Of-course, I've only had to do this in September and may rethink that strategy if was late November.

I've worn a heavy pair of wool socks to help with grip and the rocks, but now I pack a pair of barefoot running shoes to wear around camp (6oz for the pair) and these provide better grip and protection than the wool socks. Neoprene ankle socks are also a good option for stream crossings and camp slippers, and I are only about 3oz a pair.

 

[BGLEMIN]

I used to worry about staying dry and then I moved to the NW. Now I just hunt wet, make many stream crossings, and lose zero time trying to stay dry. Seal Skinz waterproof socks are a good choice.

 

[snowcamoman]

8 to 10 inches and I can usually run quick enough to make it with dry boots and gaiter. It's the hip water depth that I'm more concerned with.

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[BGLEMIN]

8 to 10 inches and I can usually run quick enough to make it with dry boots and gaiter. It's the hip water depth that I'm more concerned with.

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Merino wool base layers and a quick drying outer pant.

 

[Savage99]

Academy had some cheap (maybe vinyl) waders for like $8-9. Not sure how small they pack or weight, or even how much of a pain to put on. I eyeballed them for a few local ponds at the time to cast a little further.


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[IdahoElk]

I made a pair of slip on wiggy type boots out of Tyvek and duct tape,works pretty good.

 

[Blockcaver]

Electrical tape or several wraps of cord at the ankles of my 10" Meindl Perfekt Hunter boots and Kuiu Chugach rain pants work for me. No extra weight and dry feet on typical crossings.

 

[duchntr]

Depending on type of boot you are switching to, if its a synthetic boot they generally dry fairly quick depending. Do you generally bring camp shoes? If so you could bring some lightweight trail runners (minimalist type) and do your crossings in those. I do a combination of the two and am still young/dumb enough to not mind being wet, the more miserable the more memorable right?

The rain pant idea always intrigued me as well, would be cool if you could get dry suit gaskets built in on some quality 3L pants.

 

[snowcamoman]

I'll likely be using my La Sportiva Nepal Evo's. I have some older Simm's chest waders that leak through the bottoms of the neoprene feet area that I am thinking about cutting off. I'd like to leave a few inches of the neoprene cuff and then cut the legs below the crotch to use them as a hip wader. I'm thinking that if I strap neoprene down over my boot gaiters, that it might make a good seal. The area that concerns me the most for leaks is in the tongue area of the boot where the material always has a channel for water to push its way up and around a strapped or taped rain pant or makeshift wader gasket.

I do bring camp shoes with me, but having to stop and mess around to put those on while strapping my boots to my pack seems slow and tedious. I've done it once before and in areas where a river braids a lot, it can be slow going.

Thanks for the ideas

 

[durangobrad]

I'll likely be using my La Sportiva Nepal Evo's. I have some older Simm's chest waders that leak through the bottoms of the neoprene feet area that I am thinking about cutting off. I'd like to leave a few inches of the neoprene cuff and then cut the legs below the crotch to use them as a hip wader. I'm thinking that if I strap neoprene down over my boot gaiters, that it might make a good seal. The area that concerns me the most for leaks is in the tongue area of the boot where the material always has a channel for water to push its way up and around a strapped or taped rain pant or makeshift wader gasket.

I do bring camp shoes with me, but having to stop and mess around to put those on while strapping my boots to my pack seems slow and tedious. I've done it once before and in areas where a river braids a lot, it can be slow going.

Thanks for the ideas

Where and when are you going to be hunting? I think this makes the biggest difference in your setup.

 

[snowcamoman]

Summer time for sheep in Alaska. 10 to 14 day hunt, so dealing with wet boots can be trouble if the weather is wet and damp non-stop. Creeks and rivers can severely go up and down near glacial areas. What is ankle deep one day can be a raging torrent a day or two later.

 

[Stid2677]

Where I sheep hunt, it requires water crossing about every 1/2 mile or so. Most are less than knee deep, but a couple are mid thigh and swift. Over the years I have tried about every way to crack this nut.

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

Gaiters work okay for a quick crossing, but pause and you get wet feet. Wiggy's waders work good, but they are fragile and care must be used to prevent wearing holes in them and I found that if not held in place with gaiters, they will bellow in the current and can sweep your feet from under you and also pull them from walking on the soles and cutting them on sharp shale.

One of the better setups is plastic boots and Barneys glacier socks. Rolled down under gaiters until needed and pulled up and attached to belt for crossings.

 

[snowcamoman]

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.

 

[Stid2677]

Rain pants and gaiters works Okay, still pause and you will get wet feet.

Have done the drawers and camp shoes, glacier water is coooooold. Crocs I no longer use, they are heavier than my Vivos and come off in swift water.

One piece of gear that is always in my pack is water proof socks. I prefer goretex style as they are thinner. Rocky Goretex is my preference, but I might try the new Seal socks that are like hiking socks, I tried the old style neoprene ones and they were too thick. My boots always get wet somehow, so I just slip on my Rocky's and walk them dry, also wear them with my camp shoes to keep dry feet around camp. Nice to slip down to get some water or when walking in wet grass. The vivo's have a pull lace and stay on in swift water.