Fording Footwear

[Jim MacDiarmid]

What does everyone use for fording? I bought a pair of Salomon Sport Amphibians last spring that are great water shoes for rafting and such, but at 23.5 oz in my size 13 are a bit heavy to be packing along just for river and stream crossings.

I have a few trips in my where I would have to ford knee to waist high streams and rivers.

Do people here just use there breathable mesh trail runners that dry as you walk? I'd be willing to invest in pair of those if that's my best option. I currently only have a pair of Gtx Salomon trail shoes that obviously dry slowly when wet. Great for snow running/shoeing and sloppy weather though.

Do cheapo water shoes from Sports Authority work? Or am I risking my life and/or gear on rocky bottommed crossings?

What about a decent pair a teva or similar sport sandals? I can usually find a pair cheap at DSW.

Thoughts?

[James Dubendorf]

James,

Consensus here for fording seems to be (under most conditions) in favor of mesh shoes that drain well and dry quickly- wp/b lined shoes get just as wet when under water and take much longer to dry. For short crossings, when possible, I just go barefoot. When shoes are required, I sometimes remove socks and insoles for the trip across, or just get everything wet if crossings are somewhat frequent. If you anticipate consistently wet feet, something like Hydropel can help control skin maceration. I haven't yet decided whether I like very thin socks for the quicker drying time, or thicker socks for the greater cushioning. A good fit of the shoe is important- wet feet makes any poor fit a hundred times worse!

I know Roger C. spends a lot of time with wet feet- I'm sure he'll have a valuable perspective.

James

[Nia Schmald]

"Do people here just use there breathable mesh trail runners that dry as you walk?"

Bingo. Wool socks are good too. No need for extra shoes just for this purpose. Completely unnecessary and wastes time switching back and forth when there are many fords to be done.

Goretex shoes are good in the winter when everything is frozen. But not so good in spring, summer and fall when everything is going to get wet regardless.

A pair of neoprene socks which insulate when wet, or goretex socks which you take off for the ford but otherwise keep your feet dry can be useful in shoulder season.

[Mike W]

…

[Diplomatic Mike]

I wear Inov8 295's. I also carry Rocky Goretex socks. My routine for river crossings is to remove my socks and cross wearing the shoes. On the other side i dry my feet then replace my socks. The Rockys then go over the socks, I remove the Rockys after the shoes have mostly dried out. In warmer temps i don't bother with the Rockys, but still remove my socks before crossing.

[Roger Caffin]

> For short crossings, when possible, I just go barefoot.
> When shoes are required, I sometimes remove socks and insoles for the trip across,
> or just get everything wet if crossings are somewhat frequent.

Reckon James has it right.

Cheers

[Robert Bryant]

I use a cheap pair of flip flops that I wear around camp. I also have some shock cord that is tied up so that it fits around my ankle and then over the bottom of the flip flop to keep it secured on my foot.

[Frank Deland]

To cross a fairly fast moving steram in Maine, I went to great lengths to fasten on my Crocs (Waldies) with a piece of webbing. When I reached the other side, the webbing was still around my ankle, but not holding the Croc at all. So, I found out that the Crocs work fine. I now even have the model with a bulit in strap the goes over the ankle. I also noticed that the water was rushing through the holes in the Crocs making less resistance on the foot. Crocs float, too!
However, if you step on a rock and role your foot over it the Crocs will not give you any support and your foot easily slides to the side off of the sole.
I would rarely cross a rocky stream bed in bare feet. Feet are too important to leave exposed to unnecessary cuts or toe stubbings. If necessary to cross using my footwear, I would remove both socks and footbeds to keep them dry. When crossing fast moving water, I try to angle my walk slightly up steam. I have also fallen off rocks trying to rock hop. Even large rocks roll! It is nice to have something on your feet when you fall.

[martin cooperman]

Fellows,
'Creek Crossing and Cross Dressing': that was the title my wife supplied when I told her about using my Crocs Mary Janes crossing a nearly frozen rocky creek in cold weather.

The Mary Janes have two straps which are more secure, and weigh less than conventional Crocs (8oz/pair).

It does take time to swap between hiking trail shoes and Crocs, but in cold weather trail runners don't always dry out quickly. They may not dry out at all. There may not be much sun out and the surrounding terrain and vegetation can be wet too. I'm talking about Eastern terrain in late fall, warm-ish winter and early spring.

Barefoot might be fine on a sand-bottomed river, but with rocks, branches, etc. that could be damaging to foot bottoms. Imagine stepping into a muddy, opaque creek and landing on the upturned jagged broken branch of a submerged tree!

The Crocs do double duty as camp shoes, especially if they are a bit large – large enough for some Hot Socks or thick wool socks on a chilly evening.

Marty Cooperman

[Derek Goffin]

My system is very much like Mike Fae Dundee. Different Inov8, different gortex sock, same system.
The goretex socks work for short night trips from the tent too, if the ground isnt thorny.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Crocs or their cheaper knock-offs are great. But when there are a lot of creek crossings, I find it easier to just plow on through, socks, shoes and all. I wear trail running shoes that don't appear to be mesh, but certainly behave like it. Fast-drying, lets in a lot of dirt, breathable, etc.

[John S.]

I just use the shoes I like to hike in, currently the Asics Enduro Gel line.

[Michael Davis]

In warm or mild weather, I wear the same mesh trail runners with thin wool socks on the trail and in the rivers. In winter, I wear ankle high, Gore-tex shoes and carry crocs for the crossings. Having a micro-fiber pack towel is very nice after the crossings!

[Jim MacDiarmid]

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to have to figure out which pair of Inov8's suit me best.

[Mel M]

For crossings, I prefer Waldies to any other lightweight shoe. The wet and ice grip on these things is better than any other foam shoe I've tried (they're not slippery, even after the tread is gone).

For tough crossings, I tried adding webbing to some of their competition's shoes but it tore through. Waldies' foam is more durable so after I added a bit of webbing I felt as stable as a mountain goat!

Finally, they dry fast, weigh nothing, and they make great low impact camp shoes. I've now been wearing Waldies on my adventures for six years!

[Christopher Yi]

Gonna give Vibram Five Fingers a try this summer for a 2 month trip. Heavy at 13.2 oz for a pair though.

[Adrian B]

Ditto to just wearing the same trail runners you walk in. My feet are usually wet before I even get in anyway. And a lot of my trips seem to involve splashing up and down rivers for hours at a time.

For winter, if I need waterproofness to stay warm in snow, I plan on using the Rocky Mountain Gore Tex socks, and taking all my socks off and just wearing the shoes for any major crossings. It's painfully cold but not for long.

What do folks do when it's super-cold and they're wearing waterproof insulated shoes/boots? Just avoid water?

[Chris Chastain]

I hike in Inov-8 Roclite 285 and sock liners, usually x-scent, that are thin and quick drying. It's amazing how fast the shoes dry.

[Chris Chastain]

> Sprint Nylon Mesh Shoes are light and cheap. Mine way 1.8 oz for the pair (size Large)

Mike, thanks for that link! Just ordered some.
Been looking for a minimal, light camp shoe.
I hate those bulky croc things.

[Dave Heiss]

Chris,

FYI, the mesh shoes from Sprint Aquatics run small. I'm a 10.5-11 shoe size, and my foot maxes out their large size (supposedly good to size 13, but I doubt it). Also, the soles are thin. For mine I added a second layer of thin foam, sized to fit inside the shoe, and found that two layers helped make the shoes much better for use around camp. I don't have rocks, sticks, and things poking through anymore, and they still weigh under 3 ounces for the pair.

[Chris Chastain]

Thanks for that info.
Hey for $3.50 it's worth a try.

I've been using homemade flip flops made from walmart blue closed cell sleeping pads and aircore line. Been through several pairs. They are great and light, but only hold up for about 1 long weekend. My daughter says they are "ghetto".

I also tried some weird little foam flips that they give you if you get your toe nails done at one of those chinese joints. No jokes please. If you do, I'll be forced to post a picture of my toenails proving that I don't "get them done"… trust me, you don't want that!

Also, the Sprint Aquatics web site lists the large as 11-12.
Maybe they changed it.

[Dave Heiss]

Those wierd little disposable flipflops are what I used (cut down) as the second layer of foam in my pairs of Sprint Aquatic mesh shoes! If you have some laying around, give it a try.

Good to hear they changed the size range. My package had a sticker that said "13" on it. Sooooo wrong.

[george carr]

I carried a pair of flip flops for camp wear the 1st time I went to Maine and quickly discovered they were worthless in the fast moving streams up there. Every step washed them out from under my feet, so the next stream crossing I just kept my trail runners on. When I got to the other side I took them off and wrung my socks out and went right back to hikeing, They were dry in short order.

[Adrian B]

It must be some dry country in the US. My feet get wet not far from the car, and stay that way.

[Adrian B]

>If you anticipate consistently wet feet, something like Hydropel can help control skin maceration.

I think your feet will eventually get accustomed to this though. I did a 7 day trip last month with wet feet all day every day (~10 hours walking each day), without any maceration or other skin problems. When I very first started walking, wearing boots, it was an issue on much shorter trips.

I wear the lightest socks that I can get away with (currently Bridgedale X-Hale Multisport are my favorite – 37g/1.38oz in size L).

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