Sierra Winter Footwear Advice

[Lowell k]

I am hoping for footwear system advice for winter hiking in the Sierras. The conditions range from cold rain to snow, daytime temperatures from near freezing to 10 degrees, and I would expect to be on the move most of the day, sometimes snowshoeing. I will be tent camping and expect to have heavy socks for sleep.

I was hoping to still use my trail running shoes, but not sure about how to best keep warm in the day, or if it is even a reasonable expectation to do so. Can I get a larger size trail runner and add more socks? Should I consider VBL sock systems and/or overboots?

Or, do I really need to switch to waterproof mid or high top hiking boot? If I need to switch, are there full-grain leather models anyone is happy with?

Thanks for any helpful info.

Lowell

[Brad W]

Trail runners and micro spikes/crampons are not a great combo. A stiffer boot and for sure neoprene/gortex socks to keep feet from freezing.

[AK Granola]

I am not in the Sierra, but the conditions you describe are exactly what is outside my window right now. Warm and loads of snow. I do winter snowshoe trips, but mostly at much colder conditions that would freeze your toes right off in trail runners. You want dry, warm feet. Even at warm temperatures better to have warm dry feet. You will not see Native Alaskans in trail runners in winter in the backcountry, for a reason.

I use mukluks here for very cold dry temps, but wet snow requires waterproofing. I use Boggs for snowshoeing, tall ones if snow is deep. Use a thicker sock for colder weather and thinner one for moving. I also bring a couple extra pairs of socks in winter, plus hand/footwarmers.

I can’t speak to mountains though; I don’t winter hike in steep terrain. I hope this helps a little, even if not in your chosen landscape. Bottom line, don’t freeze your feet!

[Scott F.]

Recommend mid boot, no waterproofing/Gortex (boots will get wet regardless-let them and save your money), thin sock liner, then plastic bag or waterproof sock, then layer a wool sock  for added warmth.  I found this to work really well in the rain and snow during cold temps. Same set-up with trail runners, but not as good when strapped into snowshoes.  At night bring a extra pair of wool socks that stay dry at all costs.

[AK Granola]

Forgot to mention tall gaiters. Those can help a lot if you prefer shorter boots. I use them even on my ski boots if it’s super cold.

Removable liners are nice, but not available for many types of boots. Mukluks have them so even if they do get wet, you can switch out liners. But not great for really hard hiking, at least for me.

[Lowell k]

Thank you for the advice, all.

Does anyone have experience with overboots?

Also, why aren’t Mukluks good for hard hiking?

Lowell

[Link .]

. LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTWEAR SYSTEMS FOR SNOW TRAVEL PART 1: PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES FOR KEEPING FEET DRY AND WARM .

. LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTWEAR SYSTEMS FOR SNOW TRAVEL PART 2: COMPONENTS .

. LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTWEAR SYSTEMS FOR SNOW TRAVEL PART 3: MODEL LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTWEAR SYSTEMS FOR SNOW HIKING, SNOWSHOEING, AND SNOW CAMPING .

. SPRING FOOTWEAR: LIGHTWEIGHT OVERBOOT & HIGH GAITER SYSTEMS FOR KEEPING FEET WARM & DRY .

. WET, COLD FEET WHEN BACKPACKING: HOW TO KEEP YOUR FEET DRY(ER) AND WARM(ER) IN INCLEMENT WEATHER .

.  GEAR SUITED FOR WET, COLD WEATHER HIKING .

[Bruce Tolley]

The company 40Below sells overshoes which have been reviewed and used by many BPLers. https://40below.com/product-category/overboots/

If you are just starting out and are going out for just one night, I would recommend that you either 1) read the above articles and see if you can adapt your trail runners or 2) just get some mid height shoes sold for snow shoeing or 3) borrow someone’s Sorels boots in your size.

I say this because many people find they spend a lot of money on winter gear and then find they do not enjoy winter camping. Even in the relatively mild Sierra Nevada winter, the nights can be long and boring.

It is possible winterize summer footwear and with plastic bags over wool socks and or goretex socks. But as noted above if you are using snow shoes the show might not be stiff enough.

[Roger Caffin]

many people find they spend a lot of money on winter gear and then find they do not enjoy winter camping.
Funny about that!

Cheers

[AK Granola]

Winter camping is hard, much harder than summer camping imo. If you’re spending all of your time ensuring that you stay warm, it’s more of a chore than a joy. The only way I can enjoy winter – and I live in a place that has 6-7 long months of it – is to get really excellent gear that does its job keeping me warm and safe, rather than fussing over inadequate gear.

When my kids were little, we mostly had hand-me-down clothes for them, since it was too expensive to buy new coats, boots, skis etc. every single year. But I found that often the coats didn’t keep them warm enough and they complained about cold hands and feet if the gloves and boots were too worn. When we were able to afford better gear, I bought it for them. Instant results in happier kids willing to spend more time outside. We donated all of it – not everyone can afford such gear, but everyone sure ought to have it up here.

Rather than try to use summer gear with modifications, or borrowed gear not well suited to your size or need, I suggest buying really high quality gear, either used or new, if you can afford it, or save up until you can. If you end up not liking the experience too much, then sell your gear at a small loss. You’ll be so much happier out there.

We just had between 16-20 inches of fresh fluffy wet snow, and another 10-12 on the way. I cannot imagine anything worse than setting out today in trail runners with plastic bags in them. omg No way. I’ll be snowshoeing today (as I did yesterday) in my tall Boggs, with warm socks, and tall waterproof gaiters. Extra puffy, socks and gloves in the pack just in case. Then I can just relax and enjoy winter knowing I’ll be comfortable and have everything I need.

[Roger Caffin]

I cannot imagine anything worse than setting out today in trail runners with plastic bags in them.
Post-holing in joggers in wet snow ? ? ?
YUK!

Cheers

[Scott Nelson]

First, a great advantage of “winter” in the Sierras is that the snowpack extends well into May.  There is a lot of time to get on snow when it is not very cold in March and April.  January and February it’s colder and has higher chances of Avy conditions.  Spring conditions are warmer but that can mean wetter sloppy snow.  It is not as cold as it gets in the Rockies or the Northeast or the Midwest.  We can be wimps here in the Golden State!
The overboots seem good in concept, but I’ve found that a lot of snow trips in the Sierras have included a good portion of walking on plowed asphalt or dirt and gravel.  I’m afraid the overboots would wear out and/or be slippery.

A goretex boot with insulation is what I’ve found to work pretty well.  And over the years a classic leather boot heavily waterproofed has been on my feet a lot, with tall gaiters.  I stay away from Goretex in footwear otherwise and use trail runners the rest of the year.

I hope this helps.

Scott

[Lowell k]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice and tips! It is interesting to read what others are using in different parts of the country/world given their conditions.

A pair of lightweight trail runners worked ok this weekend in the Sierra storm that arrived. It wasn’t very cold and I think using them with VBL/Gortex socks would work well during the warmer days of Sierra winter. I don’t think they would work well for me in other winter conditions.

I decided to purchase a pair of Oboz Bridger Mid hiking boots. I plan on keeping the leather waterproofed, using tall gaiters, and I went up in size to accommodate multiple socks. If I end up doing multi-day trips with probable near-zero degree conditions, I will likely purchase overboots.

Boot link 

Lowell

[Lowell k]

@annapurna – Thanks for the multipart principles links!!!

Lowell

[Luke Schmidt]

I’m usually a minimalist shoe guy but not in winter.  Cold wet feet are dangerous. I don’t want to hear “oh the old times used moccasins.” Well yeah they also spent a lot of time drying stuff out over a fire. Different times.

My setup for Alaska is Stager Mukluks for deep powder snow. For wet snow I might use rubber boots (insulated). For shoulder season I’ve had good luck with Goretex Salomon boots with gators. They would probably leak a bit in water (Goretex always does) but in soggy snow they work well enough.  Sizing up and adding an extra pair of socks and a thicker insole helps.

[Roger Caffin]

I seem to recollect that Swedish/Norwegia/Finnish troops on skis actually wear what we would call 3-pin gum boots, on skis! I have to assume they work, if you have the right bindings.

Cheers

[Bruce Tolley]

+1 to what Scott said. In my experience, they don’t work for the distance between the SnoPark lot and the part of the trail where the snow starts.

“The overboots seem good in concept, but I’ve found that a lot of snow trips in the Sierras have included a good portion of walking on plowed asphalt or dirt and gravel.  I’m afraid the overboots would wear out and/or be slippery.”

Perhaps you already figured this out, if you are building a snow kitchen for cooking breakfast and dinner (vs cooking in your vestibule), it is always very nice to have a piece of closed cell foam to stand on (and 2nd piece to sit on).

[Roger Caffin]

it is always very nice to have a piece of closed cell foam to stand on (and 2nd piece to sit on).
Like this:

Morning tea in the snow. Sue has her eyes shut because of the brightness. Afterwards she put her goggles back on.

Cheers

[Bruce Tolley]

Nice photo. Good old blue pad.  Keep them handy for lunch time breaks on the snow, and at night it becomes part of my sleep system.

[Roger Caffin]

‘Old’ is right. I think I found that one in a canyon: some novice had lost it. Guess they had a hard night.

Cheers

[jscott]

“A goretex boot with insulation is what I’ve found to work pretty well.  And over the years a classic leather boot heavily waterproofed has been on my feet a lot, with tall gaiters.  I stay away from Goretex in footwear otherwise and use trail runners the rest of the year.

The above is for the winter Sierra. I agree. Gore tex or even leather with tall gaiters keeps my feet dry, despite what another poster said above. Come to think of it, I use fairly light weight B C ski boots with an NNN binding when skiing and that works well. Obviously, that’s designed for snow. But I’m only out for a few hours, never overnight. It gets dark and cold early…

[Russ Bogardus]

Lowell,

I’d recommend buying a pair of Sorel Caribous. Leather tops with rubber bottoms.  My experience comes from many years of winter camping/backing in the Adirondacks of  upper state NY on snow shoes an also with just 10 point crampons using the above Sorels. Mostly with heavy wool socks but if it’s really cold (<-10F) with 3mm neoprene booties. Winter in the Adirondacks is a mixed bag of sometimes just miserable rain and walking across streams to the complete opposite of camping at -30F. I’ve never experienced cold feet. My only hesitation is that the Sorels might be too warm for 10F and above unless you anticipate stream crossing with the potential of getting  the insides soaked. Anyway, happy winter camping!

Best regards,

Russ Bogardus

[Dave @ Oware]

Sorels will work, dry the liners in your bag at night and use a VBL during the day.

—

Plastic double boots are stiffer thus easier to walk in in snow. Dry the inner boots in your bag at night.

—-

In a pinch use extra large mid hikers with liner sock, vbl, wool sock,vbl, gaiters. Keep moving. Here is a link to a similar system what I used for a long spring trip in SEKI.

https://blog.owareusa.com/2011/11/14/using-light-boots-in-the-snow-and-wet-vapor-barrier-socks/

—

I used a pair of these once  over some leather hikers on a month long sloppy spring trip in the Oregon Cascades. Stitched and glued a small cord loop for my gaiter hook. Traction came from the snow shoe cleats.

 

[Lowell k]

@bogardus – I have a pair of Sorel Caribous and have used them snowshoeing. I never considered using them for extended hiking with a pack on. My pack weight in winter is about 30 pounds, how do your feet hold up wearing Sorels and hiking around 8 miles?

Thanks,

Lowell

[Lowell k]

@owareusa.com – That is a pretty interesting and creative setup you came up with!

[Author]

Posts