What footwear is best for long days in rain?

Slogging through water all day isn’t that much of an issue (for me anyway). But slogging through icy cold water all day is quite a different story. Of course, as you no doubt know, there is no ‘best’ for all people. What’s best for one just doesn’t work for another.

How cold are the temps projected to be during the day? How many miles will you be hiking in the rain each day? Are you hiking on snow, or just wet dirt trail? Will you be putting on wet, cold, frozen socks each day? Will your feet be submerged in the water, or is rain from above the only concern? I think these are important considerations that lead to a better answer, FWIW.

50s is warm enough

I’d go option one

with low gaiters, rain pants and jacket.  It’s what I use in the wet UK down to low 30s. And that’s often off trail in bog.

Maybe take some waterproof socks for evening wear .

I agree with what’s been said so far and Wisner summed it up well. I would just add that you should try out your wet footwear on some long hikes ahead of time to make sure you like the system you have selected. Start with wet feet from the trailhead. Some shoes have thicker padding that hold more water weight than others.

If you have several options of shoes, I’d suggest a test run – stand in water, then start a day hike, noting how well excess water drains out, and how long it takes for them to get to be moist and then fairly dry.  Repeat with a different pair in similar conditions.

“ Of course, as you no doubt know, there is no ‘best’ for all people. What’s best for one just doesn’t work for another”

“I disagree with everyone else”

You just have to love that :)

The best advice you can receive is: Try out all the options and decide what works best for you.

Recommend Option 1 plus daily applications of Vicks Vaporub (or similar) to your feet and toes for a couple of weeks before and during the trip. That kills fungus which causes foot rot, blisters, and peeling in wet, warmish hiking conditions, plus prevents pruning which can lead to other problems.

On long river trips with many hours of wet feet per day but not so much hiking, we put Vaseline (or similar) on our feet at bedtime so it could soak in, plus sleeping socks to keep from trashing sleeping bags. I treated foot problems for trip mates that didn’t.

In my experience, “waterproof breathable” hiking shoes are neither in practice. Ankle+ height leather boots are even worse. “Flow thru” mesh trail runners aren’t very warm and won’t keep your feet dry, but they dry out a lot faster. Take extra socks. Keep some dry and clean for bedtime. Clean and dry your feet every night.

— Rex

Vicks VapoRub at home, then VapoRub or Vaseline in squeeze tubes, whichever is easier to carry on a particular trip.

There are plenty of alternatives. I’ve switched to Badger Foot Balm with good results. It’s less messy, easy to carry, and more natural. Tea Tree Oil or Camphor seem to be the magic fungus-killing ingredients, while thickened oil or wax improves skin water-resistance and keeps the magic ingredients in place.

— Rex

I find that the smell goes away pretty quickly. But my nose has been notoriously insensitive for years, according to someone very close to me :-)

VapoRub or Balm should go in your bear bag or canister as required.

I don’t worry about my feet, but I’m not a bear, and rarely travel in bear country. Maybe others can chime in.

— Rex

Yes – Fixing Your Feet is a great resource – highly recommended.

An additional tip for people going the breathable route. Skurka recommends an expensive foot care cream that’s not available in the UK. I showed the formula to my local pharmacist and he laughed – apparently it’s virtually the same as inexpensive nappy/diaper cream.

I’ve used nappy cream a few times on wet multi-day walks and have had zero foot problems. Whether the cream has actually helped I can’t say, but as it’s cheap and safe I use it on the precautionary principle.

It all depends how much wet OP is going to encounter. Last year I hiked the 250 mile Kungsleden into arctic Sweden. Temperatures ranged from 37F / 3C  to 60F / 15C. It rained every day, but not all of every day. The ground was sometimes flooded, but never above shoe level, and there was soaking high vegetation in places. There were many rivers and fjords, but with bridges or boats.

I wore Brooks Cascadia GTX shoes.  The shoes were almost constantly wet on the outside, but my feet were never more than slightly damp inside. I also wore lightweight long gaiters under waterproof pants so the rain could not drain into the top of the shoes.

I camped every night, and when I stopped I just wiped my feet with my slightly damp socks – no dirt, no wrinkles, no hot spots or blisters the whole trip, just warm dry feet, and socks, and no other care required. I carried some Trail Toes with silicone mixed in, but never needed to use it.

I’ve done long walks in similar conditions in the 30s and 40s in the U.K. sometimes in snowmelt too, with plain mesh shoes, and having wet, cold dirty pruned feet a lot of the time was simply miserable.  Your shoes will never get a chance to dry out. Warmer conditions are a different case altogether. Pick your gear to suit the trip, and for these wet cold trips on good tracks GTX was without any doubt the way to go for me.  I think conditions in Spain in the winter might be similar.

The wpb membrane doesn’t last forever. I find after about 250 miles some water will get in, but obviously nothing like the constant flow of muddy and maybe slushy water through normal plain mesh. Another alternative to maintain dry feet might be wpb socks.  I suggest OP experiments with all these alternatives, including the soaked feet one, to find what he is most comfortable with.

Agree with @jjmcwill. I’ve used my goretex socks quite successfully in cooler conditions for much of the reasons he mentions.

“Waterproof breathable mid height boots work best for multiple days of wet in moderate temperatures in the Pacific Northwest

My merino socks will get damp but not wet. Moderate “pruning”.  No cracking.”

This has been my experience as well.  Merino socks are key.  Make sure you lather your feet with Body Glide.  And when you get to camp, switch out to waterproof socks (they will keep your feet warm).