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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1608 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2012 : 11:27 PM
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After a day of travel in the snow, my socks are soaked. I thought that my boots must be leaky but it also happens to a friend who just bought new mountaineering boots. I'm now thinking that it may be caused by sweat (and that it's made worse by gaiters/snow on the outside of the boots that prevent them from breathing.)
Either way, the end result is the same. The next morning (when camping,) it is very uncomfortable to slip into a pair of wet and cold boots, especially if the plan calls for an early morning ascent on snow.
Today I put plastic bags over my socks in the morning so that they wouldn't immediately get wet. They still got wet eventually but it seemed to work pretty well at preventing freezing toes first thing in the morning.
Is anyone else having luck with plastic bags? Any other tips?
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
874 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2012 : 11:51 PM
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| Double boots. Put the inner ones in your sleeping bag at night. |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3509 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 04:52 AM
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Yup, double boots are the answer. In the meantime, sleep with your socks on so they're dry in the morning and put your footbeds in your sleeping bag to dry them out. That will make it comfier in the morning, but not the same as having dry boots.
The bummer is when your boots are so frozen that it's super-difficult to put them on.
I have worn neoprene paddling socks in my boots in the winter with good results. It keeps your boots from getting soaked with sweat. Vapour-barrier socks will do the same thing. Be careful to dry your feet in camp. I take my neoprene socks off, turn them inside out, and overnight they freeze. Knock the ice off, and presto, they're dry. Put them in your bag for a few minutes before putting them on, and you're good to go. |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 06:37 AM
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You can do vapour barrier socks which is what we all used to use in the old days of ski traverses with leather tele boots before double boots became available, but, after a couple/few days using vapour barriers you get serious foot rot. Plastic bags work the same, as you discovered, but get holes easily and then your boots get wet again.
I always try and dry my boots by sticking them in the sun after a days climbing, but, if that is not possible, do what John recommends and sleep in your socks so they at least dry out. The problem with that is, that again, day after day doing that and your sleeping bag gets soaked. You can also bring your boots into the tent and use them as a pillow which keeps them a bit warmer.
Double boots, of course, means you can dry the liner in your sleeping bag, but most people find double boots overkill for trips like you just did (Frodo). I'm thinking ski's woulda been the way to go - then you got double boots anyway.
Finally, the old mountaineers trick of "suck it up Princess". |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1608 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 08:27 AM
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Thanks all. I'll look into these options.
Double boots (at least the ones I have seen) are overkill for the types of trips I plan on using them for. |
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Squamish, British Columbia
Canada
1009 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 09:15 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by johngenx
The bummer is when your boots are so frozen that it's super-difficult to put them on.
A little lesson I learned the hard way. If your boots are wet and it's going to drop below freezing overnight, loosen the laces and boot material before you go to sleep.
Trying to loosen up a frozen boot for an alpine start is one of those little moments of hell that I'm glad I can avoid.
Other than that I usually just put them on and get moving. My mountaineering boots are insulated so after about 30 minutes of movement they are warm and stay that way for the day.
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Kamloops, B.C.
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 09:51 AM
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| I use a bivy bag over my sleeping bag, put the boots there with a hand/foot warmer ( chemical kind) in the boots. at least they are warm if not completely dry. |
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Calgary, AB
49 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 11:35 AM
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| I used to put boots into my sleeping bag if there was a chance for them to freeze in the morning. Put them in the plastic bag. Ugly but workable solution. And if your feet are soaked after a day in the snow, CHANGE YOUR BOOTS or refresh waterproofing on existing ones. In my experience proper boots which are properly treated with waterproof solution, do not have to be double. |
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Victoria, BC
Canada
43 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2012 : 12:13 PM
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Try tossing a couple sacks of silica gel (those little white "do not eat" bags that come in packs of beef jerky, new camera boxes, etc.) in your boots as soon as you take them off. It's designed to suck the moisture out of whatever it's in. It works a lot like rice or crumpled newspaper, but is a lot more portable. If you're into home-made sushi, you generally get a good sized baggie of silica in packets of nori. Depending on how wet the inside of your boots are, it may or may not get all the moisture out.
Also, try carrying a second set of insoles. Pull the day's used insoles out as soon as you stop for the night, stick the silica gel into your boots, and insert the fresh (dry) insoles the next morning. While hiking, store the soggy yesterday insoles with your silica gel so they dry out. Or, of course, strap 'em on your pack if it's sunny. |
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Calgary, AB
49 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 11:34 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by nwaber
Also, try carrying a second set of insoles.
Excellent advise, too: I do the same with rubber boots. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1608 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 12:16 PM
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At the very least, sleeping with my insoles inside of my sleeping bag and undoing all the laces on my boots sounds like a good option. It's a little tight to fit my entire boots in my sleeping bag. It would be nice if they made sleeping bags with a special compartment for stuff like gloves and insoles. I will have to try out some desiccant packs and chemical warmers.
Here is another option that will probably illicit a love/hate reaction:
I went to the dollar store and found a tiny and light fan for $2 that takes AA batteries. It happens to fit very well in my boot and I imagine it could blow for quite a while on fresh batteries.
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3509 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 2:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by sandy
I always try and dry my boots by sticking them in the sun after a days climbing, but, if that is not possible, do what John recommends and sleep in your socks so they at least dry out. The problem with that is, that again, day after day doing that and your sleeping bag gets soaked.
Yeah. I've always been careful to have a sleeping bag that doesn't have a gore-tex shell, as they trap moisture much quicker than "normal" shelled bags. But, the down will still eventually become wet if you load your bag with too much wet gear.
The neoprene socks work well as they can be dried using the cold, and no moisture enters your bag, but as Sandy noted, your feet take a kicking from being wet. I've found it works a little better if you have booties to change into, and get out of your barrier socks and boots as soon as possible.
For those cold mornings with frozen boots and using normal wool socks, I use a liner sock and heavy outer sock. I use a chemical toe warmer sandwiched between sock layers, and it really keeps my feet warm in those frozen boots. |
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Victoria, BC
Canada
43 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 5:41 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by V1
quote:
Originally posted by nwaber
Also, try carrying a second set of insoles.
Excellent advise, too: I do the same with rubber boots.
Rubber boots are pretty much what led to me giving thought to drying/etc. I spent a couple field seasons doing research up in Haida Gwaii, and as a somewhat ummm... "grace-challenged" individual, I could generally bank on taking an unplanned extra step between the boat and the shore two or three times a week (hooray for soakers- wake you up quicker than coffee). Stuff doesn't really dry on its own up there, so I cherry-picked a few techniques from anyone with good ideas. During the second season we actually brought along a big blue tote full of newspaper for the express purpose of overnight boot drying. |
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Vancouver
1820 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 5:45 PM
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| Putting deodorant on your feet will help keep them from sweating. And dusting the insides of your boots with British Military foot powder will help keep the rot down. |
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| gyppo
Intermediate Member
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Edmonton, AB
Canada
747 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 5:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Steventy
Thanks all. I'll look into these options.
Double boots (at least the ones I have seen) are overkill for the types of trips I plan on using them for.
I use koflachs in the spring and fall. They sound like overkill but when you slap those dry liners into your shells in the morning, they seem perfectly suited! No need to mill around or start climbing to warm up your feet. You have to remember to clear the snow and ice from the shells at night before you go to sleep though. If you look on ebay, you can often find some used ones. There is a seller from France who used to sell replacement liners for about $40.
I don't really climb with them either, I'm talking mostly backpacking type stuff with a bit of step kicking and axe work thrown in occasionally. Last year I hiked in and out of Spruce Lake with them. I think it's about 12km. No problem!
B |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 6:30 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by leimrod
quote:
Originally posted by johngenx
The bummer is when your boots are so frozen that it's super-difficult to put them on.
Trying to loosen up a frozen boot for an alpine start is one of those little moments of hell that I'm glad I can avoid.
Good to know! |
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663 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 6:39 PM
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Drysol!
Stuff really works. You have to order online or ask at a pharmacy. It is OTC, meaning no prescription needed but you have to ask for it. Bit pricey, but it really does work. Most of the moisture you complain about is sweat, and drysol works. |
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Qualicum Beach, BC
Canada
1308 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 8:59 PM
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For those that use double plastic boots, Intuition Fit Liners, in Vancouver make moldable liners for plastic mountain boots, as well as for ski boots. These liners are very warm and comfortable, but don't breath at all.
If I'm on a day trip, in leather boots, I'll use wool sox's, as I find them warmer and more comfortable than synthetic knit sox's. Wool won't dry out overnight, so I use synthetic sox's for multi-day trips.
At the end of every day, I change into dry sox's and put the day's wet ones in my sleeping bag to dry out at night. Next evening, the former days sox's are dry enough to sleep in and dry out further, so my feet are relatively warm & dry every morning. Sometimes I'll bring a third pair, just in case, but usually that means I carry a clean dry pair of sox's both in and out and never use them.
When I am ski touring my sox's are thin enough that I can use a thin "Smartwool" ski sock, that will dry out overnight in my sleeping bag.
One ski mountain guide told me that he brought a few pages of the local newspaper with him on multi-day trips. It gave him something to read while tent bound, a page crumpled up in a boot overnight absorbed a huge amount of moisture and then was soft enough to use as ass wipe in the morning.
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
112 Posts |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 09:58 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by prother
One ski mountain guide told me that he brought a few pages of the local newspaper with him on multi-day trips. It gave him something to read while tent bound, a page crumpled up in a boot overnight absorbed a huge amount of moisture and then was soft enough to use as ass wipe in the morning.
Brilliant! That meets my criteria that every piece of kit must have more than one use ;-) Can't say enough about good wool socks...feet are gonna get wet from the inside or the outside (or both), so something that breathes and stays warm is good old wool. MEC carried Patagonia Mountaineering felt wool socks but dropped them last year - used them from sea level to 7000m and they were the best IMHO. If anyone knows of another source I'd appreciate hearing about it. |
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Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 5:36 PM
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Wow! Newspaper! Haven't heard of that since my grandpa used to use it to dry out his boots in Pennsylvania winter after shoveling snow. Memories.....great idea, too.  thanks, Prother. |
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Wet boots and cold mornings
