Boots for Wet Summer Hiking

Beginner's Guide to Backpacking

Home » Hiking Boots » Boots for Wet Summer Hiking

Boots for Wet Summer Hiking
There's one other category of footwear to consider: boots for warm, wet conditions, such as you find while hiking in the summer in those rare canyons in the Southwest that have permanently flowing streams. In many places, these streams are the trails; the banks are so choked with brush (and sometimes poison ivy) or hemmed in so tightly by cliffs that the only way to make progress is to walk right in the stream bed. As a general rule, I dislike letting my feet remain wet for long periods. Waterlogged skin softens and blisters easily and is susceptible to fungal infections. On the other hand, the thought of wearing knee-high rubber boots on a 100-degree July day in southern Utah is equally repugnant. River-runners usually wear some kind of heavy-duty sandals that strap on securely so they won't wash away in rapids. Some models even have soles made of the same sticky, high-friction rubber used on rock-climbing boots. Sandals offer the advantage that they let your feet dry out quickly once you do get back on shore, but they provide no ankle support and no protection against bruising by hidden, underwater rocks and branches. The best solution, I think, is to wear lightweight fabric/leather hiking boots with thin, non-absorbent socks made of polypropylene, nylon or polyester. Once you're done with stream-walking for the day, change into sandals or a lightweight pair of camp shoes. On a backpacking trip, you'll want to bring several changes of socks.

Next Page: Fitting Hiking Boots

Site Map -