Once you embrace the wet foot technique, you will find it incredibly liberating. You no longer have to worry about getting your shoes wet or keeping them dry. Remember stream crossings, and the rigmarole of taking off your shoes and crossing tentatively on tippy-toes over the river bed? With non-waterproof trail runners you just walk straight across, keeping your shoes on. Try it – it can be startlingly refreshing (in more than one way). On the other side your shoes will be wet and your feet might be a little cold, so what do you do?

Just keep walking.

After 30 seconds or so you'll find your feet are no longer cold, and much of the water has already been squished out the shoes. On a reasonably warm day, and with a decent pair of shoes, I'm willing to bet that after 30–60 minutes, your shoes will be well on their way to being dry again.

Another key to success with this technique is choosing the right socks.



Socks

I know what you're thinking – my socks will be wet, and hiking in wet shoes and socks gives you blisters. Actually this is another myth: hiking in poorly fitting, tight shoes gives you blisters, and socks wet from perspiration that cannot dry because your GoreTex shoes don't breath as well as advertised only exacerbates the problem.



The trick is to have a sock strategy for walking, being in camp, and sleeping. In Ultralight Makeover Part 8 - Dress Down I looked in depth at clothing and sock choices, but I will reiterate a few points briefly here.



For hiking in trail runners you need a short, thin pair of quick-drying socks. The ideal sock would hold as little water as possible, and keep your foot warm. Generally speaking, merino is warmer but slower to dry, while synthetic material is quick to dry but not as warm – so personal preference will likely dictate which you choose.



As you hike, your feet generate heat that dries out socks and shoes. However, sometimes the rain just keeps pouring down, or mother nature inconveniently places a river crossing just before you want to stop for the day, and you end up with wet feet in camp.



Airing and drying your feet is vital to keeping them healthy while backpacking. Give your feet a chance to breath during breaks, and they'll thank you for it. But what do we do when we end up in camp with wet feet, wet shoes, and no wood for miles around to make a fire (other than picking better campsites)?

A-ha! Fortunately, you packed a pair of waterproof socks with you, you clever thing! In camp, take off your shoes and wet socks, dry your feet, give them a bit of an airing, then slip on your cozy pair of waterproof socks – SealSkinz or GoreTex (this is the one occasion where Gore-Tex is acceptable), whatever you prefer. With your dry feet safely ensconced within their waterproof haven, you can put your wet shoes back on – and keep your feet dry. In camp you'll be able to limit your exposure to water/rain and make sure your shoes don't get any (or at least much) wetter, and the heat from your feet will begin to dry out the shoes some more.



At night, take off the waterproof socks, and slip on your warm, fluffy, sleeping socks that you packed and have kept safely in your waterproof stuff sack (you did this because you read the rest of Ultralight Makeover, and are well-prepared).



In the morning, don't worry if your shoes are still wet. Don't even worry if your hiking socks are wet. Your feet have had a good night's rest and are dry, warm, refreshed, and raring to go. Once you're packed up and ready to hit the trail, just put on yesterday's wet hiking socks and trail runners and get going. If you're lucky and the weather holds, before you know it your socks and shoes will be dry, and you'll have put another 5 km behind you. Stop and have a nibble of your GORP, and smile at the world with satisfaction at having beaten the elements by embracing wet feet.



One note: sometimes you read about people getting into non-waterproof trail runners who then buy a pair of waterproof socks to hike in. There is no logic in doing this: you might as well have a pair of waterproof shoes. Just like shoes, waterproof socks are going to get wet if you continually expose them to water and perspiration. They are also not very comfortable to walk in over long distances, and if you do their waterproofness wears out a lot quicker. When they get wet (and again, they will) you are stuck carrying a pair of heavy, wet, impossible to dry, so-called waterproof socks. Unless you are carrying multiple spare pairs of waterproof socks, you are doomed to having wet feet in camp, and putting your delicate slabs of meat at risk of a ghastly case of pruning (if not trench foot). So, remember: waterproof socks are intended for in-camp use only.



Talking of pruning, if you really are likely to be walking through swamps for days on end, you might need to pay attention to minimising the effects of wet fee on the trail. Andrew Skurka has considerable experience of this, so check out his advice. You might think hiking in wellington boots is an option, but 100% waterproof means 100% non-breathable, and in the height of summer their total lack of breathability means perspiration collects inside the boot, wetting your feet. Additionally, their generally poor fit makes them an equally unpleasant option for long distances.

One solution for very wet hiking is to wear a pair of neoprene socks, such as those from NRS. Neoprene is not waterproof, but is designed to be warm (it's wetsuit material). A thin pair of neoprene socks will keep your feet warmer in the long term if you're spending all day crossing streams or swamps. Dave Chenault has an excellent article on neoprene, as does Joe Newton.



In his excellent book Ultralight Backpackin' Tips, Mike Clelland suggests using two plastic bags – the free ones you get at the supermarket for fruit & veg – as an alternative to neoprene socks in wet conditions. This is essentially a cheapo vapour barrier liner (VBL) system, the idea being that you wear a pair of dry socks, put the plastic bags over them, and then put on your shoes. No water will get in the bags (unless it pours over the top) and the non-breathable bags will keep your feet warm. Of course, over long distances, your feet will perspire more and the socks will eventually get wet, but it's a definitely an idea worth bearing in mind – especially in camp as an alternative to waterproof socks – as those plastic bags weigh next to nothing and are usually free.



The idea of allowing your feet and shoes to get wet might feel anathema to traditional backpacking practices at first, but trust me, once you've tried it, you'll be looking for streams to giddily splash your way through. And on a hot day, there is nothing better than allowing the chill of a stream to sooth your hot feet as you continue along the trail.





VBL techniques

As Ultralight Makeover focuses on three-season hiking, and Vapor Barrier Liners are typically used in colder weather, I won't cover their use in detail in this article. In short, they make use of a 100% waterproof barrier between foot and show that keeps all water out, and all perspiration within, creating a kind of managed microclimate. It's a specialised technique mainly used in long distance winter trekking, and for more information, once again Mr. Skurka is your man.





Lacing & Fit

Another tip for comfortable walking in trail runners is to keep your laces loose. The tighter your shoes, the more likely you will develop sores and blisters. Allow your feet and your shoes to breath by loosening those laces – we're not talking totally loose, just looser than normal, so your feet don't feel packaged like canned sardines.



I've found that sizing up when buying shoes also helps. Over long distances, your feet tend to swell up a little, so it's best not to squeeze your feet into too tight shoes. By buying a pair that are one-size too large, you keep your feet relaxed. This also allows room for thicker waterproof or neoprene socks in camp.



Ideally, of course, you should try on shoes in the store. The fit of shoes varies a lot among manufacturers, and even between the models of one brand. Watch out for narrow toe boxes which can become uncomfortable over time.