Shoes / Slippers / Sandals For Creek Crossing

[ericZ]

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.

SimmsRipRap.jpg

just an fyi.

eric
fresno, ca.

[Wandering Daisy]

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.

[steiny98]

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.

+1 on the bread bags. I used to take a pair of sandals for creek crossings, but as I moved to being weight - conscious this was one of the first things to go. I use La Sportiva Ultra Raptors which give good traction on wet rocks and tend to dry very quickly. Although some of the people I came across looked at me strangely when hiking with bread bags on my feet...

[sheperd80]

I primarily hike in trail runners (saucony perregrine 5) so i just stomp right through streams if i cant get across on logs and rocks. I absolutely love this shoe. They grip well to most everything and dry out fast.

Lately ive found myself wanting a dedicated camp shoe though. Im gonna start bringing a pair of slide sandals that i can get in and out of easily while wearing socks.

Whether the trail runners are dry by night or not, i often wish i had something like that for convenience for getting out of the tent and what not. My gear has gotten light enough that i can afford a luxury or 2, especially on shorter less demanding trips.

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[Wandering Daisy]

I can see the use of bread bags in camp if your shoes are still wet, but don't your socks still get wet due to sweat if you hike any distance?

Even if I walk through a stream with my hiking shoes, I stop and wring them out on the other side. This helps shoes and socks to dry quicker.

I think it depends on how many streams you have to wade each day and the difficulty of the wading. Early season you will be doing a lot of wading and with all the soggy terrain, you are likley to end the day with wet feet regardless of what you use to cross streams. In that case I take light camp shoes (even light flip-flops work) and simply wade in my hiking shoes. I like to set my hiking shoe in the sun to dry late afternoons. I sewed some camp booties out of old pack-cloth stuff sacks and then take extra insoles to put inside. Other than being a bit slippery, they work well. When I make my next pair, I am going to have to find a more grippy material for the bottoms. I was thinking of just sewing on strips of velcro across the bottoms.

Anther factor is the length of your trip. If I do a 12 day trip, having wet feet all the time tends to wreck my feet, whereas for a shorter tip I am OK.

Everyone is different! And keeping healthy feet is more important than the weight of a camp/crossing shoe. Some people have tender feet; others do not.