Swamp foot...

A

addictedtosteel

Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
144
Ok, I spent 5 days in the bush of northern Ontario for the first real "serious" camping trip of my adult life. A 20 km hike in through bush and bog, and another 20 km back out. My question is this.

Who makes the best (fastest drying / most comfortable?) boots to walk through waist high water / bog? The boots I had just filled up, then stayed wet for almost 2 days. Once we got settled I wore a pair of flip flops most of the time while my boots dried out. They were dry just in time for the walk back through all the crap.

Any help or advice is much appreciated, on the boots that is... Not the route we took...

Thanks.
 
Other than a pair of waders nothing could have kept your feet dry. You could try some seal skin socks but I doubt even they would work.
Your best bet is to take off your boots as soon as you make camp, dry off your feet by a fire and then cover them with a good amount of antibacterial foot powder and let plenty of air get to them before you put your boots back on the next day !!!
 
Yes as pitdog says, you can get waders for waist high traversing through the bogs. This will keep you dry. You can buy a set of gortex waders without the integrated boots that will keep you dry (this is a light alternative). You will need another pair of boots that can get wet to wear overtop of the waders.

Alternatively, you could buy yourself a set of good quality scuba booties. These are neoprine with a solid running shoe style sole. They are great for walking in the water, and protecting your feet. Your feet will get wet wearing these, but if yous trip to your shorts your clothes will stay dry. This is what I usually use when doing field work. Once you are out of the water, towel off and change back to your regular boots.
 
I would have hiked with a pair of fly fisherman stream boots , then put on my nice dry hiking boots for the dry parts of the trial.
 
My recommendation is a good pair of Jungle Boots with the drain holes (Wellco or Altima); just carry a couple extra pair of socks and dry them when you can. My canvas Jungle boots will dry overnight, but even if they're still damp, put dry socks on! That, and a good pair of sandles to let your feet air out at camp will go a long ways.

ROCK6
 
In your situation I would have worn my NRS Workboots while traversing the water and kept my hiking boots in my pack.
 
All the advice given so far is pretty accurate from my experiences. The most waterproof boots in the world aren't going to keep your feet dry in crud up to your waist. I'll just throw this in though...

If you have a good pair of waterproof boots and a kick ass pair of gators, you will get a lot further with dry and debris-free boots than you will with the boots alone.
 
while i was spending two months in australia backpacking i wore these boots:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302733589&bmUID=1217819711121

travelled the east coast from sydney to cairns and up past to cape trib.

i walked through salt water, fresh water, mud, and all sorts of muck and they held up great. although they do come with a bit of a price tag.

now that i'm back in bc i've been hiking on short trips again. on a recent trip up to pinecone burke mountain we had a few creeks we had to cross. while my buddy scrambled to get around the creek or hop rocks i simply walked on right through. the boots were wet, my socks were wet, but after about 15-20 minutes of walking they were suitably dry.

since you live in canada i suggest you go to ur local mec and try a pair on and see how they feel.

best boots i've bought so far and well worth the money.

cheers
 
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