Cold Wet Boots

[bigandy]

I've given up trying to keep my feet dry in the bush TBH. I just get a pair of boots that dry really quickly. A fast drying boot coupled with a decent wool sock ( the white army arctic ones are good IMHO) does me for 90% of what I do here. If you're going to be getting wet feet on a regular basis then I'd avoid any boot with a GTX or breatheable membrane lining. They take an age to dry..

I've recently changed boots over to a pair of LOWA Desert Elites which are lightweight ( even in a size 12) and dry very quickly. Previously I had some Miendl Desert Foxes and they were very good also..

I think if you're moving and a lightweight boot has gotten sodden (river crossing for example) walking 'pumps' most of the water out and the boot drys rapidly. I find if I change into dry socks say at a lunch stop and give my feet a bit of attention this stops my feet getting soft and prone to blistering..

If I'm on a trip mostly above the bushline on open tops with infrequent river crossings then I'll use another pair of LOWA boots I have Mountain GTX's with a Yeti Gaiter it's a very good combination for moorland / above bushline conditions but if the boot gets swamped then the lining takes a long time to dry out as the Yeti's are not really designed for LOWA boots the seal around the boot rand is not 100% water tight as it used to be on the old Scarpa sole units so you get water penetrating into the gaiter if you use them for wading etc...

my solution to the non scarpa sole was a bit of silicone(bathroom variety)just put the gaiters on clean boots and use something to pry the edge open squirt silicone and let cure.four hands always handy for this!

 

[johnboy]

Johnboy, I think the easy come easy go attitude to dry feet that you mention of porous but quick-drying boots is the idea behind the US jungle boots - no way that your feet would keep dry in the jungle so they put holes in the bottom to let it all drain out. Not had a pair myself, although you do see people using them for summer use here, but they seem to be thought of highly.

Does this really work with the des boots you and Phil are using tho? I'm thinking even with the pumping effect of walking, suede is going to hold the water much longer than leather, rubber and nylon duck with grommets in the boot ever would... Don't you find your new pair of socks just get soaked through by the wet suede straight away?

I'm hearing you on the Lowa gtx mountains taking an age to dry out, they're great whilst they are dry but after the first 'GET IN THE RIVER!' of the day they are soaked for the rest of the day and even the rest of the week - cold times for your feet when you stop moving!

I've also seen people very attached to their junglies who mod them for wet weather/winter use by just wearing a GTX boot liner under them over their socks. Normally I keep these for when my boots are soaked through so I dont get a new pair of socks wet again straight away, but they will just wear them all the time - hey presto, a lightweight but waterproof boot, far cheaper to buy a set of boot liners than a new pair of goretex boots. Might that work with your des boots also?

I must say I tend to stay away from Magnums. As a sprog I bought a pair of Magnum Classics for a cycle of FIBUA training thinking they were some sort of light and nimble urban assault/patrols boot or something, but they fell apart on me so fast! I think getting their faux leather burnt with a smoke grenade wasnt the greatest for their life expectancy but even so the rest of them were coming apart after a comparatively short time, soles falling off, fake leather peeling away, padding in the tongue migrating unevely. Also they soaked up the water like sponges walking across only damp grass! And didnt dry out v fast... That said I know one lad who had a pair of Magnum Elites, the waterproof ones, for occasional use and they lasted a few years and he loved them, I also know people who wear the black Magnum Amazons for in-camp use only and seem to like them over CAB, but personally I would have reservations about ever going near Hi-Tec again...

I cannot comment on Magnums.. Never used em, Some folk say they are carp and some say they are ok.. Who knows... If you're spending a lot of time on your feet perhaps they're not so good. They always remind me of Zip It's, seem like a good idea but in practice not so good.. Now aircrew boots with a vibram resole I can vouch for

Both the Meindl's and the Lowa Desert Elites Dry quickly or perhaps another way of saying it is they don't stay waterlogged for long.. I had an old pair of the Garmont made sage green suede KSB's back in the day and they were uber popular for the same reason lightweight and they dried very quickly the Lowa Desert Elite is a very similar boot. Once they wear out I'll get another pair ( probably the black ones as they have open eyelets on the top and I'm unlikely to be parachuting wearing boots anytime this century). Putting on Dry socks yep they do get damp but not sodden like the ones you're taking off are likely to be... Oh and I ditched the standard insole and replaced with a super feet one.. A good move... Personally I'm not going to bother with a GTX sock of any sort a decent squirt of fabsil keeps the water rolling off for puddles and wet grass etc.. These days I can always get my boots off at the end of the day and get my feet sorted ( massage + powder+fleece booties or Jandals). Unlike some situations if you're 'working' in the boots.

my solution to the non scarpa sole was a bit of silicone(bathroom variety)just put the gaiters on clean boots and use something to pry the edge open squirt silicone and let cure.four hands always handy for this!

Yep they are a challenge to put on. I've glued mine on with carpet adhesive.

 

[Mastino]

Lundhags & a good supply of spare wool socks.