When going into the backcountry, your feet are the most important part of your system and often the weakest link. What I put on my feet is of huge importance. Prior to completing the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic in 2011, I thought that foot fatigue and damage limited performance more definitively than muscular fatigue. I now know that while this does happen, it's not necessarily always the case. Thorough, well-considered training of your feet and legs is one step towards eliminating this barrier to wilderness performance. A solid footwear system is another.
Preemptive foot care is vital because getting anything beyond trivial maladies to heal while on the go is difficult. Footwear is one of the few “no fail” pieces of backcountry gear. A torn raincoat, punctured Thermarest, or ripped sleeping bag would be a nuisance, but not life threatening, and field repairable. Catastrophic shoe (or backpack) failure has the potential to seriously ruin your day. This article is written around the assumption that preemptive foot care and bomber footwear are interrelated prolegomena to backcountry enjoyment.
This article is limited to shoulder season footwear for a light and fast approach to wilderness travel. Shoulder season is here defined as lower 48, Rocky Mountains centric. For me, shoulder season is too cold and wet for just wool socks, with snow possible but temps much below 20 (F) unlikely. Stream crossings, wet postholing, and soaked brush make Goretex socks sub-optimal. In Montana, this period is normally late April through mid June and September through mid November, depending on year-to-year variation and altitude. Fast and light simply means this: enough continuous, all day motion to provide a dependable source of warmth. The systems outlined below depend on this, and the level of exertion required will vary substantially person to person. If these conditions and this approach sound like they’d fit well with your hiking, read on. If you hike on dry trails most of the time, stay away from gnarly weather, and take hour-long tea breaks while backpacking, this article is not meant for you.
My system is built around simplicity and the ability to keep feet warm by generating heat. If you prefer to travel slower, or have cold feet, some of the ideas outlined in Rietveld and Reichl’s Lightweight Footwear Systems for Snow Travel or Ryan Jordan’s Spring Footwear would be worth looking at. I find Jordan’s overboot system too hot for just about any conditions in which I won’t be wearing ski boots, and, as discussed below, merely relying on thick wool socks for insulation from the cold (as Jordan does in his lighter system) can be effective but is not as good as light neoprene socks. Rietveld and Reichl’s systems are light and flexible, but the less-warm incarnations rely on Goretex socks for water protection. As outlined below, my shoulder season hiking invariably involves wading streams far deeper than Goretex socks are tall. For this terrain, neoprene socks are more effective. Neoprene socks are also very durable, whereas Goretex socks are notorious for loosing their waterproofing in high wear areas like toes and the heel. Many users will find the comprehensive system outlined below to be more effective and efficient.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Principle #1: Wear light, non-waterproof trail shoes that fit well and provide optimal traction for and protection from the expected terrain.
- Principle #2: Wear gaiters.
- Principle #3: Have an outside-the-box sock quiver.
- Principle #4: Give your feet time to recover.
- Review:
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Discussion
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No the article does not have to be new. But these ideas were espoused by Ryan J and others years ago. Mike C! also discusses these ideas in length in various posts over the years. This is a good article for newbies; not for those that live these conditions consistently. We figured out this stuff a long time ago.
David: what kind of articles are you looking for from BPL going forward?
Kurt – I would like to see less a definitive approach and instead alternative approaches to these conditions. Shoulder season means snow for me and a gortex shoe works in this environment. As do tall gaiters. In wet conditions I use a gortex sock. A bit too many generalizations in this article for my taste but I appear to be a minority. I do chuckle at the sudden running to Dave's defence, however. I didn't get anything from the article – sorry about that – and am simply voicing my opinion on the article, not on Dave or BPL.
@Dave:
My I ask if you have to deal with many river / creek crossing where your shoes and socks will be fully emerged in water?
Neoprene socks make more sense for me in such situation, and the article was based on that.
As far as I remember the older similar articles had a stronger emphasis on goretex or vbl socks for shoulder seasons.
I'm with David Ure, the article was pretty general and no new info was imparted.
I used to live in Erie, Pennsylvania and THAT is "shoulder season" counry, wet and cold for 6 months every year and merely wet most of the other 6 months.
Accordingly for hiking and hunting I found Gore-Tex lined boots, whether ankle high or calf high, to be the answer. GTX knee high gaiters helped for warmth and Quickly crossing small streams.
I used 2 mm neoprene seam sealed sox only as a VBL in the winter for my felt packs and hard shell backcountry ski boots but they would work well in scenarios mentioned in other posts too where you KNOW water will get in your boots.
I have a pair of fleece socks that have saved my feet in the wet and snow on several occasions. They are warmer than wool and dry out fast; probably the least expensive but most valuable gear I own. Never tried NRS socks, didn't like sealskin gloves but maybe they deserve another look.
I liked the article. It's our website; We should be submitting articles that we have written.
"I have a pair of fleece socks that have saved my feet in the wet and snow on several occasions. They are warmer than wool and dry out fast"
Is there any way we can know the brand and model?
Thanx,
-Barry
I just got mine from llbean but Sierra Trading Post also sells them and I also have a pair of acorn fleece socks I got on Amazon. Nothing fancy but a lot of warmth in wet conditions. I also use them at night in my sleeping bag.
To those "complaining" (I use that word lightly) about this article being rehashed, I ask – who cares?
The information is great. BPL is not going to be around long term if it doesn't attract new people. And for new members, articles of all sorts are worthwhile. What is one member's old news is a new member's revelation. Not everyone that reads these articles have been BPL members for years.
I personally have been a BPL member for less than a year and found this article both relevant and helpful – so thank you for posting it!
Dave,
You mentioned inserting your own plastic rock plate. What do you use for plastic? Does it go full length of shoe?
The plates I made were full length. I played with a number of different plastics, just about anything will work. One of the softer pairs I made from 2 liter soda bottles; after a bit of use they flatted out and were easier to work with.
That's great. What thickness/stiffness did you decide was optimal?
The ideal is that one can tune the shoe stiffness/support to the terrain and needs of your feet. By this past August I was able to wear the stock X Countrys on rugged, off-trail alpine talus fests and wasn't held back at all. The rock plates helped me get to that point.
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