Keeping your feet dry?

[yakimanoob]

Hey folks,

Just wondering what your footwear setup is for mild rainy conditions walking through wet brush.  So far, I haven't found a reliable way to keep my boots from getting soaked when trudging through wet brush in rainy weather. 

This weekend I was using the cabelas space rain pants with mid-height OR gaiters and my Scarpa Zodaic hiking boots.  Best I can tell all of the individual parts are solid, but water still got in through the tops of my boots and my feet were soaked most of the time. 

What do yall do to keep your feet dry?   

[kselkhunter]

I've never had my feet get wet with good boots and good gaiters.

You shouldn't get rain in the top of your boots if your boots, rain pants, and gaiters are waterproof, so somethign is off.   Either boot, gaiter, or pants failed. 


I use Zamberlan boots and Operation Research gaiters.  Variety of different rain pants, but usually Sitka.  I've spent 10 days backcountry hunting in snow and heavy rain multiple times with this setup. 

[biggfish]

I only wear boots, waterproof leather, and shy of stepping in water above the places I've never had wet feet. Are you sure your boots just don't breathe and it's sweat?

Sent from my LG-US701 using Tapatalk

[huntnnw]

ive yet to own a single boot lined in gore tex that doesn't leak within a year

[LongBomb]

Muck boots all day long. Some ppl dont like them because they dont fit very good since there sizing isnt very specific.

[Highhuntin]

ive yet to own a single boot lined in gore tex that doesn't leak within a year

Same here.. second pair of lows Tibet’s gtx and my feet got soaked yesterday took off gaiters and pants were dry underneath so defiantly a boot issue, I’ll fill them with water after they dry to test but not happy, both pairs less than 1 year

[Highhuntin]

Also 3 pairs of danners with gortex that leaked less then  a year.. am I doing something wrong??

[huntnnw]

I've lost count how many "high end" boots I've had that have failed. latest pair are Meindl perfekts they went on 1 elk hunt and then I wore them shed hunting and leak terribly. whats sad are my Georgia romeos I wear around the place that get the crap used out of them are waterproof! had them 2 years

mucks are not made to hike in

[trophyhunt]

Sounds like you need better gear, I was out yesterday and it was very wet.  in fern and grasses all morning on the wet side, I had my Asolo boots, kuiu gaiters and yukon bottom and top, perfectly dry all day.  It was expensive but worth it.  My boots are about 3 years old with tons of miles on them.

[C-Money]

I always buy Gore-Tex boots. Danner or Rocky, I have never had an issue. wet vegetation, creeks, no leaks for me!

[7mmfan]

I've also had terrible luck with boots leaking. I buy the most comfortable boot I can find now, goretex or other, and I Obenaufs the heck out of them and keep them good and greased up. No issues in a few years now.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Obenaufs-Heavy-Duty-Leather-Preservative-oz/721512.uts?productVariantId=1748272&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=02874800&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpZSvua_C3QIVEVp-Ch1HOg5BEAQYAiABEgKfa_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Also, I do a fair amount of blacktail hunting in late October, and it's virtually guaranteed that it's going to be wet. I wear Xtratuffs and gaiters and never get wet. It is usually not grueling hikes in rough terrain though.

[yakimanoob]

It's possible that my boots have failed, but it's unlikely as I stood in a creek with them to test them a couple weeks ago (with only a few miles walked in them since).  I'll test them later today or tomorrow as soon as they're dry. 

I do suspect the OR Flex gaiters are simply the wrong design for the task -- they're marketed (and reviewed) as good for shedding water but they don't seem to be constructed with any kind of proper waterproof layer.  I'm also curious if the height is the main problem, as they're only about 8" tall.  Folks that have had success with this: are you running full-height gaiters? 

I sat for about an hour and a half glassing in rain and my pants performed great.  They're dainty little things and I'm expecting them to shred at any moment, no doubt, but they were $38 so I'll happily use them until I get wet for the first time and then I'll get some proper rain pants   

[Jpmiller]

Also 3 pairs of danners with gortex that leaked less then  a year.. am I doing something wrong??

Wax your boots. Keeping them waxed keeps the leather from absorbing moisture and allowing it to sit on a waterproof liner the water always finds a way through. Whether they're stitched in or screws through the soles leave them in water and it will find a way through. I work outside in the mud and rain in lined dannera and never have an issue with wet feet after I started religiously waxing them.

[Highhuntin]

I have not waxed or greased a pair with gortex yet because I have read conflicting things about it with gortex... I have tried a couple different “conditioners” that are supposedly gortex safe but have been thinking about giving up and using sno seal or something similar

[7mmfan]

It's possible that my boots have failed, but it's unlikely as I stood in a creek with them to test them a couple weeks ago (with only a few miles walked in them since).  I'll test them later today or tomorrow as soon as they're dry. 

I do suspect the OR Flex gaiters are simply the wrong design for the task -- they're marketed (and reviewed) as good for shedding water but they don't seem to be constructed with any kind of proper waterproof layer.  I'm also curious if the height is the main problem, as they're only about 8" tall.  Folks that have had success with this: are you running full-height gaiters? 

I sat for about an hour and a half glassing in rain and my pants performed great.  They're dainty little things and I'm expecting them to shred at any moment, no doubt, but they were $38 so I'll happily use them until I get wet for the first time and then I'll get some proper rain pants 

My guess is that the short gators don't help any. Consider this as well. You have a few overlapping layers. Boots, with pants over the top of them, and then gators over the top of the pants. Water will inevitably find it's way into the top of your gators. More will find it's way in because they're short. If you're standing, your pants should shed any water past the top of your boots, so if your boots are good, you should stay dry. However, if you're sitting, your pant cuffs will pull up slightly, and if you have lowrise boots, you are probably exposing your ankles and the top of your boots. At this point, any water that is trickling down your legs and into the top of your gators will probably find its way to the top of your boot/socks and wick into the fabric. Game over. The only way around that is taller boots, longer pants, or some other way to accomplish full coverage.

That's just my thoughts on it. In the end, water is the most tenacious substance on earth and it WILL find a way into any system given enough time.