Paddling footwear - what do you wear?

mmmm … nice n warm
This fall while heading off on the annual “guys trip” we drove through a blizzard and camped in 6" of wet snow. The morning we put-in we stopped at a remote hardwartestore for some of those last minute items. I spent $25 cdn on a pair of insulated rubber boots and wore them for the next 5 days. That’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made. They were great! I was able to get in and out of the canoe with warm dry feet. I was the only one with warm feet sitting around the fire in camp. They are big and clumsy, but I was toasty warm despite cold wet weather and boggy portages.

Chota Mukluks Lite
I just got a pair of those for the cool weather. I bought them specificaly because they are very flexable and have no heel. I’ve had no problems getting them out from under the seat and my feet have been comfey.

If there’s a chance I’ll be swimming I’ll wear the drysuit with the attached socks and 6" neoprene boots. Gotta keep them pups warm and dry!

Chacos!
When I was guiding in the BWCA, I wore Chaco Z/2s. The water would be chilly at times, but I just dealt with it. They are as stable as any sandals I’ve seen. My feet never slid around even while portaging through mud.



I had a pair of old Tevas, and the velcro never stayed put and my feet slid around like crazy.



So unless it’s cold out, Chacos are my footwear of choice.

depends
I have an old pair of white canvas boat shoes (now they call them women’s shoes) that I often wear.

When it’s cold, I wear my scuba boots (unless my daughter takes them first) or just water shoes (the kind with the net top).

My kid wears sandals normally though the local school insists on shoes because of the broken glass in every river and lake in the state.



But this is Arizona and we can paddle a SoT in December if we want and will this year.

Teva Avatars with SealSkinz
Gives me the flexibility year round…plus I found the avatars great for portaging. The sealzkinz can be removed and hand washed (and I have a back up pair)and allowed to dry w/o tying up the entire shoe.

caveat…these arn’t useable shoes for low volumn boats.

cheap warm feet
mountain equipment co-op calls them coral boots (scuba-booties) at 19 bucks a pair you cant go wrong

Omigod a Caper!

– Last Updated: Dec-01-04 8:43 PM EST –

Quick! Hide the BEER!

Welcome, madmac. Great to see another Nova Scotian.

I like mine dry
Canoeing I like 18 inch boots such as Chota neoprene or LaCross rubber. Both are comfortable and great for getting on and off shore as well as sloshing through the marsh or wet grass. The Chotas are a little more flexable when kneeling for long periods in the boat. Around the camp site I use LL Bean shoe cut boots. These are great for walking around in the morning’s due covered grass and are easy to slip on in the dark for that middle of the night trip to the woods. They don’t take up a lot of room and are light too.