High Sierra Topix

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Jimr wrote:This year, it's Tevas with Altra Lone Peak as a backup for more serious stuff.

The Altras drain very nicely and dry pretty quickly. If I reach a crossing that can't be jumped/skipped, I just plow on through.

For the early season PCT section hike Andy & I are planning, I was originally going to take boots/crampons/axe for the passes. In that case, I was also going to bring sandals for crossings & camp shoes. But now that we've pushed it back a week or so (5/31 start), I'm just taking the Altras + spikes/axe. As the OP noted above, they can do triple duty: hike, cross, camp.

PS I've been an Altra fan boy for a few years. They've also become very popular on the PCT. This year, it seems like every IG photo has someone in the 2.5s (the best version so far):

https://hikersmith.wordpress.com/

The fact that I now often take a packraft means that I have to take crocs or fake crocs with me regardless of stream crossings. It has been years since my routes required a ford. So no fords and no raft means I will will not take the extra shoes. But with a raft or a ford I carry crocs/fakes. They then become a luxury item around camp as well, especially when nature calls in the middle of the night.

Mike

Packraft?

Packraft?

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8874&hilit=pack+craft#p65099

I used to bring river shoes, but my preferred method now is to hike in non-waterproof footwear made of quick-drying mesh and just wade in when I get to a crossing. The trick I learned is to bring along some bread bags or small oven bags. That way when I get to camp, if my shoes haven't dried yet I can put on a pair of dry socks, put the bags on over the socks, and put the wet shoes on over the bags. That way I can walk around camp without getting my sleep socks wet.

When it's particularly cold, sometimes I'll wear Rocky Gore-Tex socks under my shoes, which only modifies the system a little bit. I'll take off my socks (both wool and Gore-Tex), put my shoes back, wade through, then dry off and re-sock on the other side.

Not only are these systems lighter than carrying dedicated stream shoes, they're quicker (well, the first one is) and they let me use my grippy, protective trail shoes during the crossing.

Mitchellisdumb- interesting method using plastic bags to keep socks dry. I have never used special shoes for river crossings and rely on a camp slipper for dry feet at night. I think trail shoes drying quickly is over stated a bit, especially if they get wet late in the day. If my shoes are wet at night, they always seem to be wet the next morning.

I find it varies a lot based on the shoe. Most trail runners have a lot of foam padding and absorbent fabric, and that stuff takes forever to dry. My beloved Patagonia Rovers use less foam and fabric and more mesh, so they do better. Still, they don't dry unless I'm wearing them, so (as you say) late afternoon crossings mean wet shoes at night. The plastic bags work very well in that situation—I'm sure if I wore them too long or worked too hard my socks would get damp from perspiration, but I haven't had a problem yet.

This will probably not interest those after lighter weight gear, but the fly fishing company Simms offers two versions of sandals made specifically for wet wading and fishing in streams. The tread is a sticky rubber but they weigh in at 27 ounces (for a pair of size 10). This is the version with closed design, there is another version without the mesh on the sides which should dry quicker. I use Simms wading boots with similar tread and they stick well in streams and rivers.
just an fyi.

eric
fresno, ca.

I have sticky rubber climbing shoes and approach shoes. They do the job really well, but sticky rubber wears out quickly so for a "one-shoe-that-does all", sticky rubber sole shoes are not the answer. But if doing short walk-ins to fishing areas, the shoe you show probably is very good. If on the other hand you do 60 miles of walking and 2-3 stream crossings, then you need a sole that stand up to trails and off-trail terrain better.