I'm planning a trip to Escalante, heading down this spring. Anticipating hiking some of the canyons and gulches, I'm sure I'll be hiking in moving water. Any suggestions on footwear? I'll pack my hiking boots to wear when on dry terrain, but for the water do you use neoprene socks, watershoes, both...? I have sandals, but they're not comfortable for longer distaces and debris gets in there easily.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Posted by Paul Beiser on March 3, 2007 at 12:35 PM
HI Rick,
I've tried a lot of things, and the basic Tevas seem to work great for me - although now they have a full line of ones for water. Some folks like a covered shoe meant for water hiking, I have always found that they collect sand and such. The open sandals, IMHO, work the best.
I also really like Chacos (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48117171&parent_category_rn=4501258&vcat=REI_SEARCH)
I've spent many days hiking side canyons in the Grand Canyon using only Tevas (guide version). They worked well, dried fast and were light in weight, but as you mentioned, gravel gets under your feet at times making them uncomfortable. And the hikes were fairly short.
For longer wet hikes I now use NRS Attack shoes, a light weight neoprene booty. If the water will be cold I also use a pair of neoprene socks with them. They are quite grippy on wet rocks and provide enough cushion for your feet that hikes of 4-5 miles are comfortable.
See them here: www.nrsweb.com
I use the same combination when I'm kayaking a cold water river.
I've used two shoes for technical canyoneering. Salomons, designed specifically for the task, and Chacos. The Salomons suck. They aren't grippy on wet rock and don't offer much support, though they do drain well. By far my favorites are Chacos. The model I have is an older one and they now make a version with a Sticky Rubber sole. I have a friend here in Moab who makes her living guiding canyoneering trips and she wears only the new Chaco.
Even the older version grips pretty well, provides loads of support, and drainage isn't an issue. You will get some small pebbles between your feet and the insole but they're very easy to remove while wearing the sandals. One final piece of advice: WEAR SOCKS! They minimize the abrasions on your feet from sand grinding against wet skin.
Hope you have a great time in my neck of the woods!
Posted by Scott Borger on March 3, 2007 at 5:05 PM
Chacos are sweet- durable and good arch support. However, KEEN makes some sandals that are similar and have a closed toe (for rocks that you might kick while trodding through the stream).
I loudly second Bret's suggestion to wear socks with whatever footwear you choose. I have packed with a 55+lb backpack many, many dozens of miles in canyon streams wearing Tevas and wool socks without any major problems. But last spring I found that I prefer low-cut Merrell "ventilator" hiking shoes for that purpose... stiff shanks for better support and no irritating pea gravel collecting under my arches. Just hike them wet on the benches between stream stretches and crossings; no problem.
And whatever you wear on your feet, you MUST use two hiking poles! They dramatically reduce the exertion needed to retain balance in slippery footing, and in streams allow you to walk at least twice as fast as without poles and with less danger of a dunking. And if the water is relatively clear, polarized sunglasses reveal the stream bottom much more clearly for choosing your steps.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! The NRS shoes looked pretty interesting, but trying to find a local distributor (that was still in business...) was a bit challenging. So I picked up a pair of Keen Arroys at REI today. 20% off plus dividend...didn't hurt the pocket book too much. I liked that they provide better support than the sandal-style choices. Assuming a reasonably light load, I probably won't need to worry about lugging around boots for the dry parts of the trail. The Keen's look sturdy enough to handle several miles of day-hiking hiking with camera gear.
When I hike these canyons it's with Neoprene socks and FiveTen Canyoneer (aka "bumblebee") shoes which are very grippy. The only down side is that they are a bit heavy/hefty to carry but if you're day hiking with a light pack that's not a big deal.
Discussion
7 repliesThanks in advance for any suggestions!
I've tried a lot of things, and the basic Tevas seem to work great for me - although now they have a full line of ones for water. Some folks like a covered shoe meant for water hiking, I have always found that they collect sand and such. The open sandals, IMHO, work the best.
I also really like Chacos (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=48117171&parent_category_rn=4501258&vcat=REI_SEARCH)
Have fun, that area is so so much fun!!
Paul
For longer wet hikes I now use NRS Attack shoes, a light weight neoprene booty. If the water will be cold I also use a pair of neoprene socks with them. They are quite grippy on wet rocks and provide enough cushion for your feet that hikes of 4-5 miles are comfortable.
See them here: www.nrsweb.com
I use the same combination when I'm kayaking a cold water river.
I've used two shoes for technical canyoneering. Salomons, designed specifically for the task, and Chacos. The Salomons suck. They aren't grippy on wet rock and don't offer much support, though they do drain well. By far my favorites are Chacos. The model I have is an older one and they now make a version with a Sticky Rubber sole. I have a friend here in Moab who makes her living guiding canyoneering trips and she wears only the new Chaco.
Even the older version grips pretty well, provides loads of support, and drainage isn't an issue. You will get some small pebbles between your feet and the insole but they're very easy to remove while wearing the sandals. One final piece of advice: WEAR SOCKS! They minimize the abrasions on your feet from sand grinding against wet skin.
Hope you have a great time in my neck of the woods!
Check em out: http://www.keenfootwear.com/
And whatever you wear on your feet, you MUST use two hiking poles! They dramatically reduce the exertion needed to retain balance in slippery footing, and in streams allow you to walk at least twice as fast as without poles and with less danger of a dunking. And if the water is relatively clear, polarized sunglasses reveal the stream bottom much more clearly for choosing your steps.
You will have a blast! Enjoy!
Thanks again!
http://canyoneering.com/gear/gear_selected.html?category=footwear&new=1
Guy