For those of you that have stocking/latex feet on suit or pants garments, how do you “shoe” them? What I mean is, What do you do to protect them from tears/rips in shoes/booties?
With my stockings, I put wool socks on inside the stocking foot and then put the stocking with my wool socked foot into my high top bootie. In the summer, I will use low top shoes, so a lot more of the stocking will be exposed around the ankle. I am concerned about the exposed fabric catching on sticks, rocks, etc and tearing/puncturing while walking. My drysock’s material doesn’t seem as tough as the main fabric.
TheBigYaker
With booties
Both my dry and semi-dry suits have booties. I usually wear wicking and/or warm socks under the booties (stretch Polartec, Smartwool, etc…) and wear Kickers or Mukluks over the booties.
Where do you live, Antarctica?
In the summer, I wear sandals. I can never understand how so many people that are drawn to paddling (which is a water sport) spend so much effort trying to avoid contacting water.
Anyway, if this is your need, you might try purchasing a pair of rubber Wellies to slip on your feet prior to going walking. They will give you the protection you need, have decent traction, and are big and roomy so they go on and off easily. You can stash them just about anywhere on your boat when you are paddling.
Hmm …
“I can never understand how so many people that are drawn to paddling (which is a water sport) spend so much effort trying to avoid contacting water.”
Maybe it boils down to the difference between paddling in cold water (Boston, his profile) and warm (South Carolina, yours).
drysuit socks
TBY,
I have latex socks in my drysuits, so I need to be extra careful. I bought some military surplus sealskinz waterproof socks (one size fits all) from cheaper-than-dirt for about $7 on sale (normally $10). I pull these over the latex and wear mukluks when it’s real cold and other water shoes when a bit warmer.
~wetzool
Boston in Summer
Is not really the Artic Bohemia…
Some people get in the water there in … Swimsuits with out dry suits.
My take is
if it’s cold enough to wear the dry suit or pants. then it’s cold enough to wear the neoprene booties over the socks.
My suit has latex socks and I don’t generaly wear my low cut “summer shoes” with that foe the same reason you mention ie wear and tear on the latex.
Tommy,
(also in the Boston area and yeah if you are off the coast north of Cape Anne the water can be c-c-c-cold even in August)
I am also in MA and in the summer
I would not wear a dry suit. If the person feels the need to wear one then he should wear the same high top boots that he would wear in the winter. I don’t see the need for wearing anything else over them.
And yet
In sunny Encinitas, CA (definitely not the Arctic) they wear drysuits and gloves! (or at least they do in their profiles.)
Dry suit ?
Are you refering to my profile?
That’s a 3/2 WETSUIT idiot.
Picture was taken in February a couple of years ago.
Water Temp was ~ 57 degrees, air temp was about 42 that morning. (I remember because it was my Birthday) It’s not always sunny and warm here.
Gloves are for gripping the slick paddle while surfing.
Come on out and we’ll show you some paddling instead of spending your life posing on Paddlingnet. Then you might have a clue about what you are posting.
Stocking feet
I don’t have a dry suit, in the summer in Boston I wear a pair of Columbia travel shorts, (they dry real quick.) But back to the stockings, I have a pair I wear early, this is only my second year kayaking, but I don’t anticipate ever getting started much before late April in this climate, although I’m aware folks kayak all year, just not that hard core about recreation. So the socks, I have a pair of neoprene stockings for early season with a wet suit, I just wear the same EMS Aqualung water shoes over them that I wear sockless during the rest of the summer. (Didn’t like sandals for paddling, found it easier to adjust my foot pegs on the water in water shoes.) The shoes fit over the socks easily, and it works for me.
Now Boys…
Play nice.
The water here in Boston Harbor very rarely gets above 70 deg F, even in the dead of summer. It is not unusual to be paddling early June and the water still be in the high 40’s, low 50’s. Last year on Memorial Day, the water on Boston’s north shore was about 48 deg F, with the air at 75 ish. Only until July/August is the water above 60.
A lot of folks here wear their Drysuits or farmer john/drytop combo well into May early June. Basically summer is short here on the open big water. In the shallower streams and rivers, the water warms up quicker.
TheBigYaker
NRS Desperado Shoe
is what I wear over my drysuit booties. They provide ample protection to prevent damage to the booties without excessively taking up foot room in the cockpit.
I generally don’t wander through the woods with my drysuit on, so results may vary.
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2302
Some people need to read the details of a post before commenting.
Sneakers watershoes
anyting with lots of fine mesh. If the insole it thick I just take it out.
I am using high tech watershoes right now grey marketed by friends of mine fron canada.
All you need is decent sand protection and very good rock protection.
Chota’s
I’ve tried many things over and under my latex booties. I wear really thick wool socks underneath them and for awhile wore a pair of oversized latext booties. I have also tried an ovesized pair of sandals but found them too bulky and hard to get on.
The best solution I’ve found and probably the most common in these parts are a pair of Chota Mukluks. I wear a shoe size 9 and got the Chota’s in a 10 1/2 and they work great.