Wet feet or dry feet?

Hey Philip,

This spring has been my first experiment using trail runners, so I'm far from the voice of authority on this, but here is my experience with wet feet in cold weather:

For any paddling excursion in the Yukon I have a pair of 3mm neoprene socks that I wear. They keep my feet as warm as can be expected when I'm paddling and wet all day. However, they are too thick to wear comfortably in my trail runners. I'll jam my feet into my runners to get in and out of the boat, but otherwise I'm only wearing the socks in the boat. (Note: I am also partial to taking along lightweight knock-off crocs that I can use in the boat instead of jamming my neoprene socks into runners. They are light and make great creek crossing/camp shoes too.)

As soon as I'm out of the water I'll usually just swap my neoprene socks for wool socks. The wool keeps my feet warm, and with trail runners my feet are dry(ish) in no time.

Cheers,
Travis

EDITED: I should note that neoprene is most appropriate if your feet are going to be submerged in cold water for lengthy periods of time. If you are just getting your feet wet jumping in and out of the packraft between hikes a pair of wool socks would probably suit you better. Neoprene also takes forever to dry.

Yeah, I have a pair of 3mm neo socks too. I guess I could have added those to the list. :)

I'm not really concerned about cold feet per se, I just don't know if I want to be wet every waking hour. My two basic choices are as follows.

1) Wet: bring a single pair of light, non-waterproof hikers and wear them in the boat and for the overland sections. Maybe neoprene socks in the boat and wool on land inside my boots. When it's bed time, towel my toes and put on dry sleeping socks. The benefit here is it's less gear and lighter, I would not have to walk around swamps/creeks/tidepools, and I can just march onto and off the beaches without regard to getting wet. I would not bring camp shoes if I went this route.

2) Dry: bring 'launch socks' (these are below-the-knee-height waterproof breathable socks, like Rocky goretex socks but tall) or stocking foot waterproof paddling pants and wear those with light boating shoes (I have Vivobarefoot Ultra Pure shoes) and then switch to my usual waterproof hiking boots and dry socks when on land. The Vivobarefoots are all foam rubber and dry instantly, so they would double as my camp shoes. The benefit here is I would have endlessly happy feet but I would need to be more careful about where I step, and it seems like it makes the transitions take that much longer, and it takes more pack space to protect my hiking boots while on the water. Those last complications are the real selling point on just getting and staying wet. I'm not a wussy, but I also don't seek out the damp. Coastal travel is wet enough as it is. :^)

I will do a packrafting overnighter this weekend and do the wet thing and see if it drives me nuts.

This time of year I'd go option one without hesitation. It took me a little while to get my head around the dry feet thing but any more I don't even think about it.

Earlier or later in the season, when air temps are colder, wet feet in a packraft can be a definite issue as they get very cold. A drysuit with feet is probably the answer here (mine has none).

I would go with wet feet as long as you can keep them warm. Don't "tolerate" chilled feet for long periods, you can cause long-term damage.

Also, if your feet are wet for many hours per day, the skin will deteriorate in various entertaining ways after several days. You've mentioned good first steps: dry them when you get to camp, keep them dry overnight, change socks.

You might want to liberally apply petroleum jelly or other moisturizer (most sunscreens work well) to the soles and toes every night before you go to bed. This will prevent drying, cracking, and bleeding, which is counterintuitive, but I've been there, done that. I take cotton socks (OMG, cotton!) just for the sleeping-in-Vaseline treatment. You might want to keep those socks in a plastic bag, to keep the Vaseline from spreading.

Don't be freaked out when you find white scum inside your wet suit socks after a few days. That's just dead skin. Wash out your wet suit socks every night, and dry them inside out as best you can.

— Rex

"I take cotton socks (OMG, cotton!) just for the sleeping-in-Vaseline treatment. You might want to keep those socks in a plastic bag, to keep the Vaseline from spreading."

I bet your socks would make good emergency fire starters.

Philip, for what your doing I would highly reccomend bringing some light camp shoes. You can change into dry socks and the dry camp shoes will keep them dry. You could do bread bags or goretex socks inside of wet shoes, but when your feet have been soaked all day long putting them into something non breathable isn't good, you want to air those toes out.
Only problem is if it starts raining and your dry camp shoes get wet.

The vivobarefoot ultra pures sound good, but unless you regularly hike in super minimalist shoes you will be in pain hiking any distance in them. I would do mesh trail runners with the ultra pures as camp shoes.

Neoprene socks are good for being in cold water.
For hiking (not walking through water) extended periods in wet weather I like thick wool socks. When they absorb water, they absorb it in a way where a large percentage of the water is not in contact with your skin. They feel much drier. They have cushioning to protect your water logged feet. They just keep your feet so much happier when wet. They also keep your feet pretty warm when wet. Of course they dry much slower, but are a good option if your shoes will be wet 24/7 without a chance to dry.

My experiences come from off trail creek walking trips where I'm wading through creek canyons all day long.

I've done many steep side hikes from rivers, up to three miles long, in 3 mm neoprene socks, worn inside Chaco sandals, or oversized Converse All Stars shoes.

Depending on your ratio of packrafting to hiking, you might not need to change into hiking socks, if your hiking shoes/boots are big enough.

I still recommend sleeping socks, so you get to carry another pair of socks anyway.

— Rex

Depends on how the socks are made, if they have seams that will rub you. I've river walked (in water and on the dirt) for up to 10 miles before with the nrs hydroskin socks no problems. I can see some other neoprene socks causing serious chafing.

I have blind stitched and glued NRS neoprene socks, so seam chafe is not an issue. I still would not walk any significant distance in them. I don't suffer from cold feet, generally. Tofu toe however, that is another kettle of saturation maceration…

I live in Vibram five-finger shoes year-round (please feel free to laugh, roll eyes, etc!) Despite recent litigation, they have in fact saved my feet from pain. I love the Maiori neoprene shoes for packrafting + beaches. NO sand enters + chaffs continually; the fabric keeps warm in moderate temps. The grip on the soles is exceptional; I have screeched to a halt while scrambling over soaking wet logs & driftwood. When taking breaks on beaches/shores, I air out my feet + apply tea tree powder. The Vibrams are so light I can easily afford to carry "normal" hiking shoes/boots of any sort (esp. since those will be worn for hiking and land-scrambling). Even if 5-fingers are not your thing, I think the practicality & "weight penalty" of footwear specifically for water is worth it for comfort, health, and sanity. Soggy feet SUCK!
+1 on Justin's caution about minimalist shoes. I love them but have definitely had to adapt; now it's hard for me to wear anything else. Whatever your physical status though, be realistic about footwear expectations when hiking.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm definitely the OPPOSITE of a minimalist footwear guy, but I have used my Vivobarefoot Pures for sea kayaking while in the boat and and for short portages, and other than being total sand and pebble magnets (big holes), they work well. I would use actual hiking boots for any walking sections though, either wet or dry.

My trip will only be 4 days, so I doubt I'll get trench foot. Foot care is a serious business though, for sure.

Well, I answered my own question empirically. I did a weekend packraft trip to some islands outside town, and went the wet route. The weather was stunning (trip report to follow), so it was not exactly challenging from a comfort perspective, but getting and staying damp was a non-issue. I took one pair of thin polypropylene liner socks and over those I alternated between 3mm neoprene socks (paddling) and medium weight Smartwool socks (hiking). The Smartwool socks got soaked too, of course, as I tromped through creeks and swamps during my overland portions, but life was still reasonably pleasant. Dave C is right: this time of year, go light and go wet.

Did you have any issues with circulation stuffing the neoprene socks in your shoes?

I'm quickly becoming a convert to the wet approach as well. We got hit with a couple hours of hail/snow yesterday and having wet feet was no problem. My biggest issue is doing away with camp shoes. I have a pair of knock-off crocs from Canadian Tire that weight 8oz for the pair. I love having them at the end of the day to air out my feet and relax in before bed. Time will tell if I can do away with them too.

Hopefully that warm weather you got continues.

Cheers,
Travis

My neoprene socks are about the same thickness as my wool socks, so I don't notice any appreciable difference in how my boots fit relative to which socks I have on. I even hiked a couple of miles in the neos today since I was too lazy to swap the socks for a quick jaunt across an island on my way home. I hardly noticed a difference. My hiking boots are not an overly tight fit overall.

I hear you on the camp shoes. I felt a little dumb standing around in the evening in damp hiking footwear. But then again, it was not a big deal either. It's not like the other parts of camping out much resemble lounging on the couch at home, eh?