Trail runner Question

Thick socks keep your feet warm.  Neoprene socks will block the wind if it’s that bad. As long as you’re moving you should be fine but everyone’s metabolism is different.

options:

1) be lucky and have high metabolism and naturally not get cold

2) vapor barrier liner

3) neoprene sock if near continually in water

4) goretex sock (not much difference from #2)

There are two issues to be concerned about:

– the need for your feet to adapt to hiking in trail runners
– your tolerance for hiking in wet shoes in possibly cold, windy conditions

With shoes more than almost anything else it’s critical to let your system adapt to something new and possibly completely different than what you’re currently used to (from the tone of your question). This could take a few day hikes or runs of increasing duration with and without a pack.

Also it would be great if you can do the hikes in conditions you expect on your planned trip (rainy, windy, cold). This will help you figure out what will or will not work for YOU and YOUR feet. No one else can tell you that.

Also your shoes will likely remain wet overnight in case of constant rain. Your best bet would be to have a few extra pairs of socks (and a pair of clothes) that you keep dry to change into.

The following threads might help you:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/ankle-strengthening/

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/just-get-your-friggin-shoes-wet/

And one more on the general topic of hiking in cold, rainy mountains:
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/best-insulation-system-for-cold-rainy-mountains/

A few tips that might not be in other threads:

• Use lightweight gaiters to block wind and dirt, like Dirty Girl gaiters. Dirt + wet for days accelerates blister problems. Keep your feet as clean as you can.
• Be careful switching to thicker socks if your shoes are already tight with thin socks. Reducing circulation will make your feet colder. You might need to upsize your shoes.
• Don’t tolerate cold feet for hours or repeated days, you can cause long term damage.
• Don’t expect miraculous warmth from GoreTex socks or extremely thin Neoprene socks. They help, but you’ll need a couple mm of neoprene (or wool, or synthetic) to make a big difference.
• A small squeezable towel works wonders for drying your feet in camp. Cotton bandanas aren’t enough.

As @pedestrian said, try some hikes in the conditions you expect with different combinations of gear.

— Rex

I’m definitely going to test my gear on shorter hikes, but I won’t be able to simulate the weather for my trips in August.

I see that everyone is different, but hiking in wet trail runners in 40 degrees F is something people do with no worries?

I do.    In 2015 I spent 11 days in Brooks Range and my feet were wet every day.  I did dry them off at night and slept in dry socks though.  I am not sure what the highs were but I imagine the 50’s or 40’s most days, though probably colder a day or two as it did snow during the day (and stick) at least once.

I will say the shoes were shot by the end of the trip and they never would have smelled the same again anyways :).

In my hikes in the Rockies or Sierras’s trailrunners dry pretty fast, but they didn’t in Alaska, nor do they here in the Southeast where I live.  If I am moving, wet feet don’t really bother me at all.   A few years ago I had one day in Cohutta Wilderness that was 31.8 miles with 84 (yes 84) creek crossings and no foot issues whatsoever.

I’m more worried about Iceland than any of the trails I frequent in the US.

Apparently it rains there constantly and dips pretty cold with strong winds.

I just did a 50 mile trip through the Hoh Rainforest with numerous creek crossings and up over the glacier in these.

I had 2 pairs of socks. One lightweight pair and one thick pair of Alpaca wool so I always had a dry pair in the bag. The shoes dry very fast so I always had a dry solution if needed.