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Post by Coolkat on Jan 11, 2021 7:02:29 GMT -8
I've more or less given up on waterproof shoes/boots for backpacking. I just make sure my footwear is very breathable and drains well. This has worked well for me, for the most part. However, last September I did a 4 day hike where my feet were more or less drenched all day/every day. I'm susceptible to blisters anyway so wet feet for that long isn't a good thing.
However, last night I was listening to a podcast where one of the guys mentioned he takes gore-tex socks so at least at the end of the day he can have dry feet even if in wet shoes/boots in camp.
I thought this was a great idea and not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. 1)get into camp 2)remove wet socks 3)dry feet 4)put on waterproof socks 5)put shoes back on.
This would give me at least a couple of more hours of dry feet before bedding down for the night.
I'm thinking that the guy in the podcast didn't actually meant "gore-tex" but used that term as generically for waterproof socks because I've done a little digging and can't seem to find "gore-tex" socks anywhere. Lots of waterproof socks but no "gore-tex" socks.
I'm just wondering if any of you have used waterproof socks and if so do you have any suggestions for brand/model?
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Jan 11, 2021 7:55:25 GMT -8
GoreTex socks aren't great for hiking in or for wearing long-term, but what you describe sounds OK. I carry SealSkinz socks for paddling and I've brought them backpacking a few times.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 11, 2021 8:41:32 GMT -8
Honestly, I think putting saturated feet into waterproof socks would just leave them steeping in their own sogginess. That’s part of why I carry camp shoes, though if it’s really wet out there’d be no way to keep them dry.
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Post by johntpenca on Jan 11, 2021 13:52:55 GMT -8
Coolkat; I'm not sure exactly what you are using these for, but grocery store bags are used by many.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 11, 2021 13:55:28 GMT -8
“I thought this was a great idea and not sure why I didn't think of it sooner. 1)get into camp 2)remove wet socks 3)dry feet 4)put on waterproof socks 5)put shoes back on.”
Offhand that would be lighter than my habit which is to don tevas while offering the better overall foot protection of the day shoe/boot. Stubbing toes at camp being a trip spoiler for sure.
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Jan 11, 2021 14:23:24 GMT -8
I've hiked more days than I care to remember with wet feet. I have two brands of waterproof (supposedly breathable) socks -- Sealskinz and Dexshell. One time I hiked seven days straight in my Sealskinz. I know people say you shouldn't hike in them but I found them more comfortable than hiking in wet wool socks. The Sealskinz are thicker than my wool hiking socks so my shoes fit a bit tighter than usual. And they kept the water out. But just like W/B shoes and rain gear, they also kept the sweat in so my feet were still wet, soft, and wrinkled at the end of the day. And boy did the socks stink! At the end of a day hiking with wet feet, I want my feet to air and dry out. Putting on a W/B sock then prevents that. What I've found works best for me is this. During the day while hiking I prefer to wear thin Merino wool socks. But if I need to go with a thicker sock for warmth or cushioning I wear a thin liner sock underneath. That's the only time I wear liner socks for hiking. I find the combination to be more comfortable than wearing just the thick wool sock. It seems to help prevent blisters. And the liner socks will dry out overnight (unlike wool socks which stay damp for days.) When I put my socks on the next morning -- dry liner sock under wet wool sock -- I at least have the illusion of dry sock for a while. If I expect a lot of wet foot days, I take my crocs and some foot balm/salve. When I get to camp I take off my wet socks and go barefoot in my crocs. This gives my feet a chance to air and dry out. My feet may get a little wet while walking around on wet ground in my crocs, but they dry out again quickly. Before going to sleep, I dry my feet, apply some foot balm, and put on my dry camp socks. If I don't want to take my crocs, I take a second pair of liner socks and a couple of long, narrow, plastic bags that our newspaper used to come in. When I get to camp, I take off my wet socks, put on my liner socks, pull the plastic bags over them, then put my feet back into my wet shoes, tying them as loosely as possible. When I go to bed, I take off the liner socks, apply the foot balm, and put on my dry camp socks. If the liner socks happened to get damp, they will dry quickly. When I was trying to figure out how to deal with wet feet while hiking, I found this article by Andrew Skurka. It's worth a look.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 18:08:41 GMT -8
What I've found works best for me is this. During the day while hiking I prefer to wear thin Merino wool socks. But if I need to go with a thicker sock for warmth or cushioning I wear a thin liner sock underneath. That's the only time I wear liner socks for hiking. I find the combination to be more comfortable than wearing just the thick wool sock. It seems to help prevent blisters. And the liner socks will dry out overnight (unlike wool socks which stay damp for days.) When I put my socks on the next morning -- dry liner sock under wet wool sock -- I at least have the illusion of dry sock for a while. This has been my standard footwear for years, thin synthetic liner sock with merino over. And I might add I carry VBL socks with me for camp use. If my boots are wet, i'll put on some dry socks, then the waterproof VBL socks over. Feet stay dry and warm even though boots are wet. Lately though, I started bringing camp shoes for warmer weather.
I'll add - I did try goretex socks for a while, and really did not like them that much. Great idea, but in warm weather I still had damp feet issues just from sweat. I tried 'well drained' boots for a while, and ended up going back to my usual leather hikers and the system I mentioned above.
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Post by bobcat on Jan 11, 2021 18:35:34 GMT -8
Try wearing thin wicking liner socks under sealskins in your boots for hiking, then sandals in camp to let your skin dry out, then put on warm dry socks at bedtime. Wearing waterproof socks in camp just keeps your feet in a humid environment.
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Post by Coolkat on Jan 12, 2021 6:48:47 GMT -8
Thanks everyone for your input. When I first started hiking I would do almost anything to keep my feet dry but once I realized that was pointless I changed my footwear and embraced the fact that I'll get wet feet. But what I had not experienced yet was 4 days of relentlessly drenched feet. So I was trying to come up with a solution. Which apparently doesn't really exist so in light of that I found daveg's link very informative.
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Post by bobcat on Jan 12, 2021 7:47:02 GMT -8
Maybe, add an extra pair or two of socks to your gear list, so there is more time for them to dry out before you wear them again. I might carry three sets of socks for hiking, plus that one pair that I keep dry and clean to wear while sleeping. Once the socks are almost dry, I can sometimes get them completely dry by putting them in my sleeping bag at night. I have a tiny clothesline in the peak of my tarp just for drying socks and underwear, and a similar drying line in the top of my tent if I’m using it on that trip. Plus, try adding gaiters to help keep the muck out of your boots.
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