Winter sandals?

Let me be a little clearer. I’m talking about the sandals that have a strap around the back of the ankle, and cinch in the front of the ankle. I’m not talking about flip-flop style.

To clearly describe what you’re looking for, I think you’ll need to define what you mean by “sandal” and “full upper”. To me, a sandal is something that doesn’t cover the entire foot.

At the risk of coming across as a fashion whore I must say I love my keens. I have the Newport (google up “keen Newport”) which comes with a full toe box. I have hiked on them on beaches, deserts, young volcanoes full of crunchy lava, old muddy volcanoes, a number of other places, and they have taken the punishment without problems.

They are tough. I’m wearing the soles out but then again, I would have worn the soles out of my old Army boots with the amount of abuse I’m putting them through. The toe box is strong enough to protect your toes from falling rocks. Recently I had a big, sharp rock (30+ pounds) fall on my left foot and while I screamed like a little girl, I don’t want to think how it would have been with an open toe sandal. Through all that the stitches are solid and the materials look as strong as it did when new.

Funny enough, they are at their worst on wet sand. Sand gets in and don’t want to get out. The good news is that they work every bit as well dry or wet, and they dry in no time at all. Their straps are bloody perfect. Once you tighten them up you can confidently run down slopes without worrying about them rubbing your feet the wrong way. I have worn them with socks on chilly days. I know it looks retarded but I stopped worrying about what I looked like a long time ago.

If you can buy/rig some breathable-yet-waterproof sock liners, they might work. Only you know how warm you want to keep your feet.

You can always try something like sealskin socks. I’ve used cycling sandals in combination with sealskin socks for winter riding in cold/wet conditons. The sealskins should be sized large so you can wear socks underneath them. I’ve used this combination down to into the 30’s and my feet have stayed warm. Feet tend to get colder cycling than hiking by the way due to the wind).

WPB socks…I’ve been looking at some of those at REI. That might be the ticket.

Thanks for the ideas. Is sealskin a brand, or a generic description? I’d hate the think of baby seals getting clubbed just so I can hike. ;-)

Looks like Sealskinz were the socks I was looking at at REI. I might give them a try.

I used the term sandals, because that’s the only style I know of that lets me cinch in the ankle with a velcro strap.

I’m looking for some hybrid shoe, I know, but just trying to describe what it is I’m looking for. The Keens and Tevas might have something along those lines. I’d just like to keep sand and dirt and bugs out, and be warm.

Another source for sealskinz and other neoprene socks, they also have a sandel hybrid called scout water shoe, is nrs at http://www.nrsweb.com.

I have the Keen Newport H2 sandal/shoe hybrid things, and I’ve done quite a bit of hiking in them. I like them a lot, but based on your description, they’re probably not what you’re looking for. They don’t have velcro or any other adjustment on the ankle. They don’t cover the entire foot, so they can’t completely keep out dirt and bugs. Combined with the right socks, they can still be pretty warm (much warmer than I’d expected).