This spring, Virginia has received a significant amount of rain. Out west, snow at high altitude is melting. The result is our rivers and streams have an abundance of water. For drinking and bathing purposes, an abundance of water is great. When water crossing is necessary, an abundance of water is merely an opportunity to soak your gear and possibly get injured. So how can a lightweight backpacker effectively deal with water crossings without adding unnecessary ounces to his/her pack? Well, I have a couple of suggestions.
First, despite the fact that many lightweight resources claim it is completely unnecessary, I always bring an extra pair of footwear if I know there is potential for a water crossing during my trip. Personally, I don’t subscribe to the theory that lightweight and breathable footwear dries quickly enough to use on the trail and in water because I’ve found that any shoe I wear seems to retain enough water to give me blisters and otherwise irritate my feet. As a result, my goal is to bring the absolute minimum secondary footwear necessary to effectively and responsibility cross water.
Although I have made shoes in the past of Tyvek and foam, I simply can’t duplicate the fit, finish, utility, cost, weight, and lightweight nature of the Sprint Aquatics Mesh Shoe (http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901). At $4.50 a pair, and on sale now for $3.50, you honestly can’t go wrong. I should also mention that the sizing on their webpage is incorrect as I wear a 14 and their large fits just fine even though they claim it is for 11-12 size feet. My large pair weighs 54 grams or 1.9 ounces. You won’t be able to participate in a track and field event with them, but for their intended use, they are excellent.
So now that you have the proper footwear, the next step is to understand how to cross a body of water. First, pack everything you want to stay dry inside your pack. It is recommended that you use a dry bag, although a simple trash bag pack liner generally works just fine as long as it is twisted down at the top and otherwise free of holes. Locate a shallow area which is a short distance to your destination. Next, unclip your belt strap to ensure you have better lateral hip movement and can free yourself more easily from your shoulder straps in the event that you slip. Face upstream (i.e. the water should be coming at you) as you will be able to gain better perception from the water and any pending obstacles. Next, get a stick or something to put in front of you to aid with your balance and lean slightly forward on it as you walk to effectively give yourself three points of balance (foot + foot + stick). Remember to avoid walking on logs and rocks with algae, seaweed, plant life, etc. as they will likely be quite slippery. Generally speaking, keep your eyes on solid objects beneath the water as the moving water could distract you. With that said though, be leery of things floating at you such as sticks, trees, brush, fishing line, and even snakes. Shuffle your feet from side-to-side leading to the other side of the bank.
First, despite the fact that many lightweight resources claim it is completely unnecessary, I always bring an extra pair of footwear if I know there is potential for a water crossing during my trip. Personally, I don’t subscribe to the theory that lightweight and breathable footwear dries quickly enough to use on the trail and in water because I’ve found that any shoe I wear seems to retain enough water to give me blisters and otherwise irritate my feet. As a result, my goal is to bring the absolute minimum secondary footwear necessary to effectively and responsibility cross water.
Although I have made shoes in the past of Tyvek and foam, I simply can’t duplicate the fit, finish, utility, cost, weight, and lightweight nature of the Sprint Aquatics Mesh Shoe (http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901). At $4.50 a pair, and on sale now for $3.50, you honestly can’t go wrong. I should also mention that the sizing on their webpage is incorrect as I wear a 14 and their large fits just fine even though they claim it is for 11-12 size feet. My large pair weighs 54 grams or 1.9 ounces. You won’t be able to participate in a track and field event with them, but for their intended use, they are excellent.
So now that you have the proper footwear, the next step is to understand how to cross a body of water. First, pack everything you want to stay dry inside your pack. It is recommended that you use a dry bag, although a simple trash bag pack liner generally works just fine as long as it is twisted down at the top and otherwise free of holes. Locate a shallow area which is a short distance to your destination. Next, unclip your belt strap to ensure you have better lateral hip movement and can free yourself more easily from your shoulder straps in the event that you slip. Face upstream (i.e. the water should be coming at you) as you will be able to gain better perception from the water and any pending obstacles. Next, get a stick or something to put in front of you to aid with your balance and lean slightly forward on it as you walk to effectively give yourself three points of balance (foot + foot + stick). Remember to avoid walking on logs and rocks with algae, seaweed, plant life, etc. as they will likely be quite slippery. Generally speaking, keep your eyes on solid objects beneath the water as the moving water could distract you. With that said though, be leery of things floating at you such as sticks, trees, brush, fishing line, and even snakes. Shuffle your feet from side-to-side leading to the other side of the bank.
11 comments:
Hehe, you did not get the tip for the nylon mesh shoes from my blog, didn't you? ;-)
Actually...no. It was discussed about 1 1/2 years ago on Backpackinglight which is when I picked up my first pair. I'm now on my second. Maybe BPL got it from you back then :)
Bought a pair, thanks for the heads up!
I once ordered these a few years ago and decided that I didn't like them. But the funny thing is that I forgot that when I read this post and I went and ordered them again! When they arrived yesterday in the mail, they looked awfully familiar. Anyway, I think I got a bigger size this time - they run about 2 sizes small - and they might just work for me, after all. I'll try them up in the 100 mile wilderness later in the summer. Thanks for the post.
The funny thing is that these are great for the purpose of crossing water or wearing as camp shoes. They are made "well enough" and efforts I tried to make something similar just weren't as good.
I'm just looking for a lightweight water shoes... Thanks for the information and sharing this link...
Thanks for posting the information of lightweight water shoes. I was looking for it. And also good to know that you made shoes. Good that you are writer and shoemaker. Multitasking. Nice.
Thanks for stopping by.
Writer, well - barely maybe.
Shoemaker, definitely not as mine didn't turn out very well.
These shoes are much better - actually, quite perfect and well made for my needs.
Thanks for your excellent blog, I've gotten some great ideas from you. I would like to know how sturdy the mesh shoes are, and how thick the sole is. I may try these out. Thanks for the heads up on the sizing. I wear size 11 so I assume I would want the mediums. I also think I will get the rain skirt from ULA. Thanks again.
As far as the sole thickness, think of it as a thin flip flop with decent mesh on top. It's quite minimalistic, but very effective.
Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. I hope they're durable enough to last a while on the PCT, but I guess at that price I can buy as many pairs as I need.
The only thing that might be better is a pair of ultralight sandals, since you can also hike in them if you need to.
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