High Sierra Topix

After 20+ years of backpacking I got my first taste of hiking in the rain, like, all day and then some. Dang, did it ever rain! Equipped with my fancy-schmancy Tecnica Plasma Gortex supposedly waterproof shoes, I expected to have, you know, dry feet. Har. I know that my old heavy all-leather hiking boots would have kept my feet dry, but my heavy-boot days are over.
But before I start shopping around, I thought I would ask: Are Gortex-top shoes just going to get wet? They kind of worked, in the sense that I at one point waded a very tricky stream in them, figuring they were already wet, and found out they could have gotten wetter.
The good news was that I got used to having wet feet. But I would like to avoid it.
Thoughts?

There is a philosophical debate that happens over and over. Do your feet get wet from external moisture entering the boot, or do they get wet from excess sweat due to lack of ventilation?

Most long-distance hikers recommend against gortex shoes because water is going to get into your shoes anyway (rain running down your leg, stream crossing, etc). Once it's in, it takes a long time to dry out. The result is your feet are wet.
Here's a recent video by triple crowner Jessica "Dixie" Mills explaining that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8rwAL0qAIk

My feet don't sweat that much, so I don't think that's much of a problem. I've worn Gortex shoes on long hot-weather hikes and been fine. I think it's just water finding its own way in as it inevitably does. I'm going to wear my Oboz on the next trip; they don't have as much Gortex. The Tecnica are pretty much all Gortex, so they take a long time to dry.

Gortex lining in boots: good for brief exposures, such as a stream crossing, but otherwise about as effective as chumming for trout.

Ed

I've had a number of pairs of Gore-tex lined boots. For a short while they are indeed fully waterproof. But I never found that to last very long. And if we are talking shoes rather than boots, then even if they are completely waterproof, you are going to get water in over the tops. I do all my hiking in trail running shoes these days, and if I am going to be in serious rain I use waterproof socks, which work pretty well. But they are only good for dayhikes, since they eventually get saturated and take a long time to dry, so for multi-days I think they would not work. Gore-tex socks might be better, but I have never tried them. For backpacking, I would depend on breathable trail shoes that will dry relatively fast, and good wool socks. I would expect the Gore-Tex lined shoes or boots to take much longer to dry than a mesh trail running shoe.
I think there may be an old thread on the forum that deals with gear and footwear for daylong, day after day rain.

the "waterproof" miracle of gore-tex is marketing. not to mention "breathability" disappears when the fabric to which goretex is laminated becomes saturated. when you walk in the rain, particularly a downpour, your feet get wet. unless you wear rubber boots, I suppose...just make sure you wear rubber gaiters to seal the tops of your boots. and seam-seal the tops of the gaiters to your skin.

mkbgdns wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:49 am the "waterproof" miracle of gore-tex is marketing. not to mention "breathability" disappears when the fabric to which goretex is laminated becomes saturated. when you walk in the rain, particularly a downpour, your feet get wet. unless you wear rubber boots, I suppose...just make sure you wear rubber gaiters to seal the tops of your boots. and seam-seal the tops of the gaiters to your skin.

Slathering Sno Seal all over yourself also works.

Ed

Sno Seal. Good one Ed. Had to look it up to see if it is still made...indeed it is. Back in the day we used to waterproof the palms of our hands as much as waterproof our boots.

My Gortex waders keep me dry all day when wading and in Alaska downpours as do my Frogg Togg jackets (not Gortex). Wearing my Goretex Lowa Zephers with coated short gaiters my feet have stayed dry during extended hiking in the rain, including brief encounters with 3" deep puddles. Also I wear a poncho when hiking in the rain and think that minimizes rain running down my legs and past my gaiters and socks. Never could see the benefit of a Gortex Jacket when backpacking as then my hands would get wet and cold but with the poncho I can keep my hands under cover.