Watershoes

I have some running shoes that weigh only 6.5 ounces per shoe. The type is called a racing flat. There are others as light as 4 ounces per shoe. For comparison, normal running shoes are approximately 12 ounces per shoe. Oh, all of these weights are "with laces."

You don't get something for nothing, but how much nothing do you need?
–B.G.–

i use kiva feelmax about 6 ounces in 43.

Vibram Five Fingers are watershoes but walk much better than traditional watershoes. Perhaps you can use these and drop the runners from your pack.

Nothing would be good, but I am tempted by the 85g gore-tex socks. Maybe take my shoes/socks off, cross the river, dry my feet and put on the gore-tex till my shoes dry, I dunno. But on one trip I crossed 1 river 3 times each way, and wasted easily 15 minutes coming and going.

Someone had posted these a year or so ago…

http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901

Apologies for not imbedding it…

They're cheap ($4.00) and light (53 grams on my scale for the pair). They do seem to run small – I wear an 11.5 and the 11-12 barely fit me.

For less than an ounce a foot I think they're hard to beat.

I hike in trail runners, so after a water crossing I usually just ring out my socks, pour out the water, and in a short while my feet are dry again. I got tired of changing footwear at every crossing. It's especially tedious if you are crossing and recrossing the same water a bunch of times in a row.

I use these for camp shoes. I have never crossed a stream in them and I am not sure they would be safe for crossing. Not much traction on the slippery rocks.

These are great camp shoes though. Get them large enough to wear wool socks with them. They look goofy though but they weigh two ounces so who cares what they look like.

Lanny,
I use ankle length neoprene dive sox, made for skin divers. Although many diving equipment companies make them, mine are made by Deep See, with a textured bottom, and the neoprene provides some insulation for my feet from the cold water. Being waterproof, they dry quickly. When dry, they double as tent shoes-sole is too thin for rocky ground, but they are great for getting in and out of the tent at night without the grass soaking my hiking sox. They are around 4 oz. for the pair. Drawbacks: Being nonbreathable, they are no good in hot weather. They cannot be used for hiking-sole is too thin. Unless you add a strap, they are no good in real muck that will suck them right off your feet.
For me, the good features outweigh the bad. Thought about adding some stiff foam insoles, but don't really need them, and like the way they fold up small. You can get heavier water sox with thicker cleated soles, but you pay the weight/space penalty.
Sam

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I am very impressed with how quickly the replies came in, all with different options. I'm going to try the Vibram 5fingers when spring comes, in 5 months, and will post how it goes.

Crocs are lightweight, water proof, have good traction, and are like $3 if you buy knock-offs at Wal-Mart. They go on easy and come off the same, and make great camp shoes. When I hiked in boots, these things were incredible. Now that I use trail runners, I'm not sure I'd bother with them unless I was fording some serious stuff. For the odd creek here and there, my trail runners drain and dry quickly enough that it's not worth the extra weight for an extra pair of footwear.

I got some running flats for my water/camp shoes. I considered FiveFingers, but they're too heavy. I also looked at Crocs, but reviewers indicate that they're much heavier than the specs show. The ones I got weigh about 7 oz, have lots of mesh, and even have drainage ports in the sole. So far I've only used them for one creek ford, but I think they worked pretty well. Here's the exact one I got.

http://www.sdri.net/store/shoes-1/saucony-grid-fastwitch-3.html

I tried Crocs one year; I didn't find them all that secure for stream crossing and they're heavy and bulky. I'm ashamed to admit that after the first day (when they were tied to my pack and flopped around annoyingly because they wouldn't fit in my outside pack pockets), I put them in my dog's pack.

Last summer was my first summer of using trail runners and just wading through. Far more secure for stream crossings, and a LOT less fuss and bother than changing shoes for several stream fords. I usually don't even stop to wring my socks out until the next rest stop.

However, I ended up also taking Sprint Aquatics shoes, not for stream crossings but for camp shoes. The trail runners tend to tear up the ground just outside my tent door as I go in and out, while the Sprint Aquatics don't even disturb the soil surface. This result alone is worth the 1.7 oz. to me. They're also easier to slip on for middle-of-the-night tent exits, especially if the trail runners are still wet.