Water proof shoes. Dry feet. The Outdoors

By Kitty Terwolbeck

I came upon the perfect answer to keeping your feet dry in the outdoors.  It was so simple and easy to implement.  It would not cost a lot of money or require high-tech or expensive equipment.  Below is a synopsis of what I read, provided over at BEDROCK & PARADOX.

Don't.

That was the answer.  Don't attempt to keep your feet absolutely dry.  That is what I discovered.  Your feet will inevitably get wet either from the elements or from perspiration.  If the thought of a river or rain or whatever is so worrisome and you want your feet to stay perfectly dry, then just don't go.

Typically the answer was waterproof shoes.  The hard fact was that your shoe would have to be as long as your body to never let water in.  Once water could get over the height of your shoe, game over to your dry feet utopia.  Likewise if you are working up a sweat, waterproof shoes tend not to let your feet dry out either.  So don't worry about keeping the water out.

Dry your feet out mid-day if they get wet in the AM.  Wear your dry socks in the PM when you are done for the day.  If you are day hiking, then you can change your socks when you get back to the parking lot or at home, no problem.

Socks.

Socks are the key.  Have spares.  Use wool.  Even in my Coast Guard Auxiliary training I was taught wool was the best for warmth and hypothermia.  This I would recommend to go to the original article, scroll down to the sock section and read it.  Below are my proof thoughts and experiences, but they aren't many yet.  So read up from a more seasoned person.

I own a pair of  injinji and they are recommended as also a good base pair for cold weather or to protect your toes.  Originally I bought them for my FiveFinger shoes, but when I went to other minimalist shoe brands I tossed them aside.  Now I can use them again.

Darn Tough look like a great idea and I am going to get some soon.  They are a thinner wool sock, making it easier and smaller to use than a think wool.

Smartwool or REI brand wool socks are great too.  I like to use them for winter socks outside and lounging around the house.  The are comfy and warm.

The Perfect Shoe. Barefoot. Eliminating back pain.

This post is a long read, so below is a summary, but feel free to read the whole thing.

Summary
Barefoot shoes provide some protection and safety from the elements and allow you to go about your daily business (No Shoes = No Service).  Additionally, your feet and legs are allowed to operate in a more natural fashion, eliminating back pain, foot fatigue and toe constraints.  FiveFingers were my initial entry into this world, but I prefer Vivobarefoot and Barefoot Merrell shoes for the ease of use, superior odor control and their ability to blend in as normal shoes, even though they are far from normal.  

By pyoorkate

It has been about 3 years (can't say exactly) since I have started my barefoot shoe journey.  Unfortunately I cannot say I remember exactly how I discovered these type of shoes either.  It could have been an internet stumble or an ad from a magazine.  I was the first in my immediate circle to purchase Vibram FiveFinger shoes and this was back before they were popular.  That is my trend in life, to be a trend setter without knowing it or I am a trend pioneer, which I think I fall more in to the latter category.

I respect FiveFingers because it brought me into the barefoot community, but alas I have not been a huge fan of their line of barefoot shoes.  Due to the years of wearing conventional shoes, my toes have a slight inward curl and the bones in my toes fatigue when wearing  FiveFingers (or something I think are my bones).  Not to mention that even after becoming accustomed to wearing them, there are times when they are hard to put on, like when I am tired in the morning  If you need to go in and out of the house but need to take your shoes off while inside, it can be a drag to take the time to put each of your toes in their individual compartments.  Last but probably the worst reason I gave up... they smell.  I've tried various ways to clean them, wearing foot powder but none got rid of the smell..  When the wife complains about your smelly feet and only complains when you have been wearing FiveFingers then there is an issue.  For those reasons I gave up barefoot shoes and suffered (and I do mean suffer) in conventional shoes.

Then I discovered Earth Shoes.  My parents quickly told me about how these have been around forever and were big with hippies.  While these are not barefoot, they offered an alternative to regular shoes.  I could buy them in office friendly styles, which was a huge plus, since I work 5-6 days a week and can work 18 hours in the day.  I needed a dress shoe that could muster as long as me.  However, they were not perfect.  Especially in the toe box.  I do not consider myself to have wide feet, but always felt the toe box of ever shoe that I have worn up this point to be too narrow.  Which I believe is why my toes have curled inward a bit.  Eight hour days were fine, but long days or long drives, Earth Shoes could start to feel uncomfortable.

Again I was on the search again for an office friendly shoe.  I was determined this time to discover a barefoot variety.  Then I discovered Vivobarefoot.  Their dress shoes look normal (sorry Earth, while your shoes are not bad, they due look weird).  After a few months of wearing my new Vivos at work, I found myself wanting to wear them outside of work.  With pants they look ok, but in shorts or in the gym, they don't quite fit.  So I took the plunge and bought myself a pair of Neo Running shoes.

By Operatic Runner

On a casual day I can wear these to the office (the match our colors) and I can wear them for every day use.

Now I am in the process of updating my whole shoe collection to barefoot designed shoes and donating my old shoes to charity.  I also purchased the Merrell Trail Wide.  I had to get the wide version as the regular version was way too narrow.

By t feustel

My next challenge is to find boots and uniform shoes for the USCG Auxiliary that are barefoot.