fording rivers..crossing creeks

I got back from Philmont yesterday, having taken a pair of their mesh shoes.
Yes, they’re incredibly light, and are throw-away considering the price and durability, but…

You can’t use them for a backup pair of hiking boots (my Montrail GTX split)
You’re feet are going to get incredibly dirty.
Anything smaller than a 1/4″ diameter with a mild point will penetrate the sole of the shoe, including small rocks, thorns, stickers and branches.
They are relatively slick to walk in, in a wet or muddy environment.
They didn’t hold up that well over several days in a camp environment.

I really think one needs to evaluate the type of environment you’ll be in before considering these for anything beyond relatively smooth and clean terrain. There are other options that are not that much heavier.

MikeB

I want these…

http://www.wiggys.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=5

Thanks to all for turning me on the the sprint aquatics! Received mine today just in time for a 3 day backpack crossing Alaskan creeks. I only had 3 choices in size: Mens S, M, or L. The men’s small fits fine on my size 8 woman’s foot. Now we’ll see if they also hold up as a camp shoe in our dry tundra!

Everyone in this thread seems to be talking about a second pair of shoes for fording. Since most of us hike in lightweight trail runners with mesh uppers… would it be ok to just ford with your hiking shoes on since they would dry out pretty fast in warm weather? That's what I've been thinking.

I have a VERY wet trip coming up this week… LOTS of fording… and I was thinking I would just stomp right thru without changing anything. Bad idea?

I was looking at the Adidas Cardrona shoe since the uppers are almost all an extremely open, durable, single layer of mesh. You can actually see your feet inside the shoe. They would dry in no time. Almost an amphibious shoe actually… but with a proper heel cup. But I found they felt a little flimsy and was worried they would not offer very good support. So I stuck with the Solomon XA Pro 3D.

Anyway… just debating if I should try to find a store open today that sells neoprene socks. Or maybe I could take my surfing booties with me. Not sure what to do. There is one side hike I want to do that is essentially 2 hours walking upstream… in water. I wouldn't want to do that in crocs or flip flips or anything like that. Too dangerous I would say. I think you want proper footwear on for that.

Thoughts?

David,

I was one of the readers of this thread. My assumption (many of which have proved to be incorrect) was that this "fording shoe" business applied to winter crossings when getting wet could be synonymous with dangerous.

Whereas, a good splash in the creek with thin, low-cut socks and mesh trail shoes in the summer is a welcomed relief.

Ok… since I'm a surfer anyway… I was thinking maybe I'd buy a pair of reef boots. Reef boots are ankle high surfing booties that surfers wear just for "reef" protection… i.e… they are not meant for warmth as part of a wetsuit… just meant for foot protection when surfing in shallow area or just for walking on rocky beaches and such. They would be heavier that neoprene socks… but the advantages are…

1. My shoes won't get wet at all
2. I can use them for surfing in the summer… which is a different kind of "dual use"… LOL. (I always wear something on my feet even in warm water… for toe protection)

http://www.oneill.com/mens-products.php?sport=surf&categoryID=-1&typeID=7&seriesID=10&id=52

Thank Michael. So you're saying… don't worry about it in warm weather… just jump in and slosh across? I guess in summer / early fall not getting your feet wet is more of a comfort issue than a safety issue?

Still wondering if I might want those reef boots for that 2 hour walk upstream. Sneakers might be safer tho'… more stable… better grip?

> Everyone in this thread seems to be talking about a second pair of shoes for fording. Since most of us hike in lightweight trail runners with mesh uppers… would it be ok to just ford with your hiking shoes on since they would dry out pretty fast in warm weather?

Well, we go walking in Wollemi National park here in Oz with lightweight joggers, and we often spend the entire day (or several days) walking IN the creek. It beats hell out of fighting the dense jungle on the creek bank. Does no harm at all, and does NOT create any blisters.

We have forded rivers in the snow as well in our joggers or boots. Yeah, a bit chilly for a minute, but by removing our socks before we cross we get to warm up pretty quick once we are over.

One thing we do NOT do is cross stony creeks in cold water in bare feet. The dangers from the stones are too great, especially when the water is so cold your feet are kinda numb for a bit.

The common idea that you have to keep your feet dry at all times is just a myth. It doesn't hurt them to be wet. In sumemr, cool water can be quite nice …

Thanks Roger. Not sure why I was thinking it was so important to keep my feet dry. I've never done a trip with this much water before… in fact… I've never done a trip with any river crossings really… so I wasn't sure how to proceed. One thing I do know is that in the past when I have accidently gotten a "soaker"… my shoes don't stay wet for long.

In summer, I wholeheartedly agree with the just get wet approach. I've hiked hundreds. maybe thousands, of miles with wet feet and never got a blister that I attributed to my feet being wet. It just doesn't happen, at least not to me. Same is true for most others.

When wading a lot in creeeks, you do need to be careful to keep sand and grit from grinding up your feet. If the bottom of the river is sandy, you just need to stop often enough to clean out your shoes/socks. Otherwise, march on.

In the winter though, it's a whole different story. I think this thread started with a question of how to handle this in cold weather. In that case, I'd be more careful, depending on the specific conditions.

> When wading a lot in creeks, you do need to be careful to keep sand and grit from grinding up your feet.
Don is very right about sand. Apart from 'grinding up your feet' there are several other problems:
Sand chews the hell out of good socks
Sand makes soft socks very hard by getting inside the knit
Sand builds up inside your shoes until there is no room left for your feet (seriously!)

So … we take short light nylon river gaiters which have elastic around the top edge and around the bottom edge and a strap (string) under the shoe. These are enough to stop 90% of the sand from getting in. We do have to clean out our shoes each evening in the creek though.

At least with river walking you know you don't need to carry water!

Roger, what brand of nylon river gaiters do you wear?

Montbell have 1.5 oz gaiters, and they have two sizes,
7-10 men's sizes (medium)
10-12 men's sizes (large)

What is your philosophy if you wear a size 10 shoe? get
medium size gaiter, or large size gaiter?

Hi Roleigh

> Roger, what brand of nylon river gaiters do you wear?
You should know me by now. I MYOG, for both of us.

I couldn't find any gaiters on the Montbell web site, so dunno about your Q. But trying to get wet gaiters on and off over wet socks and shoes is hard enough anytime, so I would probably go for the large.

Incidentally, I have been using heavy Lycra to make my own Dirtygirl-style gaiters. I rather like them for trails and places where the scrub is non-existent. They might be a thought for river work too.

Cheers