Emergency Footwear challenge

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Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,422
614
Knowhere
I don't know how many of you like to walk barefoot at all, I have just walked about 7 1/4 miles barefoot today, but I think it would be a different matter if I did not have the choice, so here is the challenge. If you were stranded in the middle of a forest, and for some reason missing your boots, not even a pair of socks to put on, using traditional bushcraft skills, how could you improvise something to protect your feet sufficiently to hike out?

The rules are that you have your favourite knife and paracord, but you are not allowed to cut up your rucksack as you need that for carrying.
 

beenn

Banned
Nov 16, 2009
1,092
0
South Wales
take off my tshirt cut it in two, wrap around my feet and tie with paracord.

but if i was really in this situation id punish myself for being in the middle of a forest with no shoes or socks
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,422
614
Knowhere
I am no Cogy Lundin either, it's all very well walking light and being careful where you tread, but if you are tired and carrying a heavy pack I can think of several things you will need to protect your feet against, sharp grit is one, thorns, biting insects and stinging plants another, if you do cut your feet there is a danger of infection.

For the sake of the argument, let's suppose person's unknown had snook into your camp and stolen your boots. Shredding clothing does come to mind, it would keep your feet warm, but wouldn't really protect the soles of your feet and would still make it uncomfortable stepping on tree roots.
 

BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Well. In many forests there may not be an immediate need for shoes and I would look for suitable bark to make a sole and then use the paracord for bindings.

If there was an urgent need, my shirt sleeves would come off at the shoulder and turned inside out to get a double layer. paracord to keep it on the ankles. If there is a need I would stuff suitable herbaeceous material into the "sock-shoe" for insulation or padding.
 

Chrisj

Nomad
Oct 14, 2009
251
0
Gwynedd
Not so much bushcraft skills as first aid skill but I always have a first aid kit in my pack. So I would either use a large dressing under each foot or maybe some moss or a fleece glove to give some protection / cushioning and bandage round my feet to hold it in place. Not the most durable perhaps but it depends how far you have to go.
Otherwise you could maybe fashion a crude pair of sandals from the paracord and bark. Come to think of it you could split a branch, to end up with a flat piece of wood and carve it to the right size for each foot and use the paracord to make the straps. If you were really keen you could even carve a tread into the underside of the wood to give more grip. Bandaging you feet would probably make either of these more comfortable by reducing the amount the paracord cut into your feet.
 

Stuart

Full Member
Sep 12, 2003
4,141
50
**********************
Well, there is the popular African solution to not having shoes:

african-bottle-shoes.jpg




but if its cold or your a bushcraft purist, you cant do better than the famous McPherson 'instant squirrel moccasin':

Untitled-3.png




as shown in John and Geri McPhersons book "Primitive Wilderness Skills, Applied and Advanced" which I recommend
 
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rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Call for help on your mobile would be step one (excuse the pun) and if me I'd get me crocs out of my pack and wear them. I did know one bloke in brum who went barefoot most of his life (he was a drum basher for some cult or another) and met a few others who went without shoes (no problems) and sometimes without clothes (some problems) but they were when I was nursing and they were sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

But lets use a bit of 'reflection therapy' a bit of Carl Rogers...What would YOU do.
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,422
614
Knowhere
Call for help on your mobile would be step one (excuse the pun) and if me I'd get me crocs out of my pack and wear them. I did know one bloke in brum who went barefoot most of his life (he was a drum basher for some cult or another) and met a few others who went without shoes (no problems) and sometimes without clothes (some problems) but they were when I was nursing and they were sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

But lets use a bit of 'reflection therapy' a bit of Carl Rogers...What would YOU do.

I think I would try something with bark to begin with, and if I had all the time in the world carve some wooden soles. Skinning squirrels is all very well but you have to catch them first.
 

forestwalker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Easiest would be sandals. Birch (e.g.) bark would work ok. Or use sedge or cattails to weave a pair. For real class make a bair of shoes or boots from birch bark (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenneewales/1249087835/). The latter was reportedly common in Finland, and the parts of Sweden colonized by Finns (at time the Swedish kings gave free land to Finnish farmers who settled remote regions of Sweden)
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
I've done a lot of walking barefoot - grew up running around in the australian bush barefoot. Used to run barefoot in the uk as well (anything up to half-marathons).

Feet are perfectly capable of adapting - but it takes a while.
tbh, in my opinion, you are better off completely barefoot than with flimsy footwear. When totally barefoot you feel sharp sticks, thorns, stones the instant your foot touches the ground, rather than when you put your weight on your foot. Unless your emergency footwear is thorn/stick/stone-proof, you would be better off barefoot.

Some of the advantages of bare feet:
No blisters.
Crossing a bog? np, just walk on through
Weight - you aren't carrying the weight of boots on your feet. No socks either.
Utility - with practise, you can get good at picking up sticks with your toes - very handy.
Cost - HOW much do good walking boots cost?

The cons:
Pubs -most pubs won't let you in barefoot.
Grip - barefeet don't get a good grip on things like wet wood
Stonebruises - if you slip and step hard on a stone, it can give you a very painful bruise.
Thorns can be painful (but if you do this a lot, you'll end up with thornproof feet).
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
.....The cons:
Pubs -most pubs won't let you in barefoot.
Grip - barefeet don't get a good grip on things like wet wood
Stonebruises - if you slip and step hard on a stone, it can give you a very painful bruise.
Thorns can be painful (but if you do this a lot, you'll end up with thornproof feet).

can i just add insect bites to that list please, i walk around quite a bit barefoot or wearing just sandals or flip flops and agree with everything that you've had to say on the subject, my feet are getting close to being thorn proof these days, i can't get a pint in my local wearing nothing on my feet (flip flops are fine though, work that one out), stonebruises come keen etc. but the only real problem being barefoot causes for me is insect bites on my feet.

footwear (especially boots) is over-rated IMHO, it amazes me every time i go to a meet and see people wearing hi-leg "combat" style boots in the middle of summer, how on earth do they stop their feet from rotting?!?!?!?!

cheers

stuart
 

FerlasDave

Full Member
Jun 18, 2008
1,760
533
Off the beaten track
Well I would probably do this;

Get two logs, about the same length and width as my foot. Split them down and carve them into a rough sandal shape. Make holes in the sandals using my knife, and then thread the paracord through to strap my feet into the sandals.

Either that or if there are no suitable logs then I would use moss wrapped in lots of big leaves bound to my feet with the paracord. :)
 

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