Wet Feet

[tabman]

I'm having to hunt early in the morning to beat the heat. Walking in the dew wet grass gets my feet soaking wet. I've tried the these so called waterproof boots (Gore-Tex) and they just don't hold up and begin leaking in less than a year's use. I'm thinking about wearing sandals until the dew drys and then slip my shoes back on.

What do you use to keep your feet dry?

tabman

 

[Flintstone]

Hi Tabman, Try large freezer bag over your shoes. They will last about 2 hr. if you are not in rocks just grass. Then when the grass drys take them off. I do this some times, no one can see them unless up close. Good Luck Flintstone

 

[mudpuppy]

Yep same thing here, soaked feet in a few minutes of dew grass hunting...I carry a set of spare socks and shoes in the early spring when its still sort of frosty...but usually wear the sandals/flip flops...now that its hot.
I go barefoot on the beach, I know, I know...but dang, theres nothing that works as well as bare feet when covering miles of deep sand...
I guess you could always slip your feet into those plastic shopping bags to keep them dry...on the outside of your shoes that is...look goofy? Sure, but at least your feet wont get wet!
Mud

 

[tabman]

That's a good ideal on the freezer bags during the cooler mornings. I'm going to give the sandals a try, since it's so hot here right now. I have some that are completely nylon and rubber that take to water like a duck.

tabman

 

[Nauti]

Hi tabman,the wife and I have tried all kinds of dedicated boots for walking and for metal detecting and we have come to the conclusion that they are all pretty useless.Forget about all the dedicated walking and leisure boots.......get yourself down the army surplus store and get yourself some ALL LEATHER infantry boots.These boots will keep your feet dry all day and the soles are genuine non slip unlike some boots you get from camping and leisure shops.The only thing you need to do with these boots is look after them by regularly polishing them with a good quality shoe polish making sure you get into all the cracks and crannies and then spray them with a quality silicone based spray.I've stood in a stream with mine for five minutes with the water right to the top of them just to prove a point to someone and they never let in a drop.The only time they will let in water is if you don't look after them properly.As I said earlier,get all leather ones and not ones with any kind of mesh......gortex is excellent water resistant material for clothing but for footwear it does'nt work as well.

 

[hershey1]

Get you some high top wading shoes. $19.99. They are in a store close to you. HH

 

[stasys]

After trying allot different shoes and military boots I found only one PERFECT solution and not the costliest. I use few sizes bigger or more rubber boots, like fireman style with wool rags turned around the bear feet, cutted from any wool materiel; blanked, sweater and etc... after some time of use rubber boot inside gets wet, but feet always stay dry. After few hours or more detecting you will have wool socks formed on your feet if wool is genuine, very simple and perfect, except big boots weight. Remember that some rubber boots has steel toes caps. Good luck

 

[Jim Robertson]

Muck shoes

 

[KinTN]

Plastic bags just seem to make my feet sweat more resulting in wet feet. doh!

I wear sandals mostly, but sometimes keep a change of shoes/sox in the truck.

There are some all leather tennis shoes and if you apply a water proofing/resistant coating, it Kinda works. But they are pretty hot for summer imo.

 

[Woodchuck]

I use the plastic shopping bags over my socks.then put my shoes on and cut off any excess plastic that sticks out with a scissor,or tuck the excess plastic in shoe out of sight..Works also if its raining,at least my feet are dry!.

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, I think we made it through the "dewey" season just about. Funny how our gear and targets change throughout the season. I'll be sandscooping beaches and spending very little time on the dirt, unless its right after a festival for fresh drops until Late Sept.
Mud

 

[tabman]

The best socks that I've ever found to keep your hot sweaty feet dry and cool in the Summertime and warm in the Wintertime are Smartwool socks in the medium weight and crew cut. You wouldn't think merino wool socks could do that, but they do. They're also comfy to wear.

tabman

 

[KinTN]

I keep hearing great things about merino wool. I'm gonna have to give that a try.

 

[tabman]

I keep hearing great things about merino wool. I'm gonna have to give that a try.

It's all true. I've tried different merio wool shocks and Smartwool socks are heads and shoulders above the rest. They cost a little more, but they last longer and feel better.

Good luck.

tabman

 

[KinTN]

I was in the local hippie camping store last week and they had merino tshirts that claimed they wouldn't stink after a week's wear without washing!
Well, that may or may not be true, but I bet the underlying body would stink mightly!

 

[tabman]

I finally got around to trying sandals to combat the morning dew, but my socks still got soaking wet.

tabman

 

[Jedi]

Have you thought about a pair of mukluk's. Its a rubber boot that slips over your shoes. They are easily removeable. I think you can even wash them in your washing machine. I think they run around $10.

 

[Fantax]

You can get reasonable merino wool socks at Costco - I have used them for years for work and play - cold and hot - they beat cotton and itchy wool - and I wear them until they get "holy". Biggest challenge is he subtle differences in colors - so sort laundry in the sunlight or you will end up with an unmatched pair!!

 

[skookum]

Hi,
Where I live it rains a lot.
I find that moderate weight leather hiking boots treated with bees wax sealing compound make the boots about as water resistant as you can expect.
I also wear a pair of pure cotton socks underneath my wool socks to wick out any sweat from my feet.
Works pretty well as long as it

 

[hawgdawg]

as another member said here, spray your boots down with some silicone spray or wd-40,, back in the 80s, I took an old pair of my military boots that I would ride my motorcycle in, I rode year round, my only transportation for 3 years, well in the winter months and if I had to go out when it was raining, I would wipe my boots down with motor oil and thru some pretty heavy downpours my feet would stay perfectly dry..if it works in heavy downpours and 50 to 100 mile trips,, I guarantee a little bit of dew will be the last of your worries.