Fording Rivers - Barefoot or booted?

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How do you ford rivers?


  • Total voters
    46

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
Crocs for me too if I know theres river crossings that are deeper than the cuff of my boots.

Makes a nice change of footwear for the evenings, which makes them double use.
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
9
Brigantia
I keep my boots on. Many rivers in NZ are actually the route in to wherever you are going, so you can be crossing the river every ten minutes. This is also the reason many people wear shorts or shorts and polypropylene long johns all year. My boots are the all rubber Skellerup Hiker worn with good thick wool socks. You used to be able to get a similar all rubber walking boot called the Viking or similar in the UK.

Ive always wondered why chesty waders never caught on in New Zealand, it being a mecca for fly fishing?

In any freestone river where there is a strong current, your foot kind of gets sucked into the gravel bed, and sinks a little. If you begin to see debris, being carried down, then thats a sign it may be about to rise sharply.
A river in spate can rise many inches and knock you off your feet, in just a few minutes. Even if its just knee height. Even if you are strong and fit.
If the river is unfamiliar, you wont be able to tell how deep it gets in the middle, or whats on the bottom, so wearing your boots is a must.
If you want dry feet and youre wearing boots, you can carry a pair of waterproof surplus MVP socks [which are made by seal-skinz for the MOD] then exchange them for your wet socks on the other side.
You can buy them for under a tenner. Or just wear fast drying footwear, like fell runners use. [Even then though, theres a reason why wading boots are made with studs in the sole]

Choosing the right place to cross is important as well.
Every river everywhere goes from a riffle, [or stickle, or rapid] to a run, to a pool.
[Riffle, Run, Pool]
You want to cross where the current is weakest. [Which is not neccesarily where it will be shallowest.]

This is a good link, showing up to date UK river levels.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/default.aspx
 
Last edited:

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
Adult%20Crocs%20Baya%20Graphite%20Side.jpg


Lightweight, very comfy, dry in no time.
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
It's not rocks that are a problem when crossing rivers, it is sharp sticks.

If the river is rocky, then clamber over stepping on rocks. Boots on or off, up to you. If I had padded boots and the weather was cold, I'd go barefoot. 5min to cross, then warm dry socks and dry boots.

If the river is muddy, chances are it has sticks and twigs. In cold weather, feet lose sense of feeling very quickly; you might not even know you've cut yourself badly until you get across. Or might end up with a 4" stick jammed right through your foot because you couldn't feel it until your full weight came down.

Walking boots in Australia used to be leather, unpadded. For river and swamp crossings we took socks off, boots back on and hit the water with sticks to scare off snakes. I always hated crossing swamps; snakes love them and coming face-to-face with hissing snake ranks as my worst nightmare. Particularly if the water was deep and we were holding rucksacks over our heads. 'Point man' always thrashed around with a big stick and someone else took their rucksack in those situations.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Thing is though, most of the time it's not really 'rivers' that folks need to cross, but burns and becks, and tbh there are sometimes so many that taking your boots off and getting them back on again a dozen times in an hour is a right royal pain in the situpon.

cheers,
M
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Thing is though, most of the time it's not really 'rivers' that folks need to cross, but burns and becks, and tbh there are sometimes so many that taking your boots off and getting them back on again a dozen times in an hour is a right royal pain in the situpon.

cheers,
M

Aye Toddy I'm only talking about taking yer boots off if it's likely to come over the top (and I wear high leg Meindl boots a lot.) If I'm just having a dicht across a wee burn I'll leave them on. Just don't see the point in getting wet boots if you don't have too. Especially as now most boots have a waterproof membrane it takes blinking ages to dry them.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
True, true. I still wear old fashioned ones that do dry with the heat of movement, and I forget about all the breathable linings, etc.,
I do find that a lot of the time that with a wee quick loup, and then a sort of skiddle through the shallow bits, is quite possible in gaiters to keep the boots dry though.

M
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Aye Toddy I'm only talking about taking yer boots off if it's likely to come over the top (and I wear high leg Meindl boots a lot.) If I'm just having a dicht across a wee burn I'll leave them on. Just don't see the point in getting wet boots if you don't have too. Especially as now most boots have a waterproof membrane it takes blinking ages to dry them.

True, true. I still wear old fashioned ones that do dry with the heat of movement, and I forget about all the breathable linings, etc.,
I do find that a lot of the time that with a wee quick loup, and then a sort of skiddle through the shallow bits, is quite possible in gaiters to keep the boots dry though.

M

I think some of the terms there are "Scottish Technical" and may have left our English brethren feeling isolated outside the tabernacle!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
:eek: :rolleyes:

:sorry:

A kind of careful long jump and a careful (nearly said plouter :rolleyes:) stepstone hopping with occasional acceptance of a wet step, usually gets me through relatively dry.

Mary
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
Although I voted for 'booted', I tend to use a pair of Crocs when crossing rivers. That way, boots AND socks stay dry(-ish) and, if there's a bit of a walk to that day's camp, the Crocs dry out really quickly so your 'Campsite Scuffers' can used in comfort.
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
True, true. I still wear old fashioned ones that do dry with the heat of movement, and I forget about all the breathable linings, etc.,
I do find that a lot of the time that with a wee quick loup, and then a sort of skiddle through the shallow bits, is quite possible in gaiters to keep the boots dry though.

M

Then just do what more and more are doing on the TGO Challenge.....just wear a pair of Crocs and dump the boots ;)
 

Covert System

Member
May 6, 2013
19
0
Nottingham
Depending on how deep, if you are prepared and have suitable gauge plastic bags that are large enough and some tape like micropore tape for example, you can make a pair of makeshift wellies.

Method one would be to wear your bags with your shoes on top.
Method two would be to wear your bags over your shoes.

Each method has its drawbacks, second method if your bag ruptures or gets punctured then your foot or feet can get wet as well as having traction problems, not ideal for wet rocky crossings. Method one is better for traction but you then have wet foot wear meaning you need to keep your bags on and that can be a problem in itself with sweat.

walking with wet boots is never a good idea, quickest way to get sore feet and possibly trench foot.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I hate those plastic monstrosities :sigh:
They rub and I blister, any grit or grass or twig inside and it rubs more and I blister again :(

I really don't know how folks can wear them; they're as bad as the old j'elly' sandles we used to get to wear at the beach when I was a child.

Besides, lot of our burns are snow melt :hatscarf:

M
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I have worked three weeks straight, sodden wet, not a dry stitch to put on, in the early spring in the Lake district. We fieldwalked every day, and it poured incessantly. We crossed so many burns we lost count, the fields were flooded, the roads were sodden, and there was no way to get things dry. We just put waterproofs on top and kept walking. (we stayed in a converted medieval barn with one tiny wee coal fire, and the lum needed swept :rolleyes: )

None of us got trench foot, athletes foot, or blisters, come to that. HWMBLT drove down and brought every dry pair of hiking socks in the house, and every spare pair of walking boots I had. They all came back home sodden wet :(
Most miserable three weeks work ever, then we did it again for a fortnight two months later :sigh:

The only person who had problems with their feet was wearing wellies :rolleyes:.....and they stank ! Leather boots didn't, wool or wool mix socks didn't, and waterproofs are a incredible blessing even if all they do is stop the windchill (-degC) The becks didn't just have water but ice in them :( and it snowed too though that ended up as slush as fast as it fell.

I do think that walking in wet boots isn't really a good idea, but then, I can still wear two of those pairs of boots that I utterly saturated back then; the stitching has held, the uppers and soles haven't cracked, the eyelets rusted a bit but are still sound. Bit like Brit army boots of the past really :D and they were expected to deal with wet, dry, hot, icy, etc.,

Plain leather boots dry out with the heat of movement far more effectively than stuffing them with papers and leaving them for a fortnight somewhere dry and cool. Just nourish the leather when you get a chance and they're fine.

Tbh, I think a lot of kit is severely fashionised and over engineered these days; to the extent that it's not really reliably up to the job.

Mary
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I have worked three weeks straight, sodden wet, not a dry stitch to put on, in the early spring in the Lake district. We fieldwalked every day, and it poured incessantly. We crossed so many burns we lost count, the fields were flooded, the roads were sodden, and there was no way to get things dry. We just put waterproofs on top and kept walking. (we stayed in a converted medieval barn with one tiny wee coal fire, and the lum needed swept :rolleyes: )

None of us got trench foot, athletes foot, or blisters, come to that.......

.....Plain leather boots dry out with the heat of movement far more effectively than stuffing them with papers and leaving them for a fortnight somewhere dry and cool. Just nourish the leather when you get a chance and they're fine.

Tbh, I think a lot of kit is severely fashionised and over engineered these days; to the extent that it's not really reliably up to the job.

Mary

I expect it had/has a lot to do with your climate Toddy. Trench Foot and Althlete's Foot (which are just different names for the same thing) not only need wet and dark, but they also need a certain ammount of heat (sometimes body heat's enough, sometimes not)

I used to wear wet boots for quite a while myself. In fact that was how we were taught to break in new leather boots back in the day; soak them and wear them until they were dry. But that demonstrates the difference in climate doesn't it? I mean you mentioned stuffing wet boots with paper and leaving them somewhere to dry for a fortnight. Over here they'd be dry in two or three hours normally unless the humidity was unusually high (above the normal 60%-80%)
 

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