What shoes are good for working in wet conditions?
 

In the summer I do landscaping cutting grass, and we start early. The grass is still wet a lot of the time from the moisture at night, or from rain or anything else, and my feet get soaked in regular shoes after only a couple lawns. I was wondering what shoes are a good choice for wet conditions so my feet don't get wet, and also comfortable for the amount of walking I'll do. Something inexpensive wouldn't hurt either!

Shoes with a waterproof-breathable mid-layer like Gore-Tex would be best for function, comfort and convenience; but, you'd generally be looking at spending over a hundred dollars. Cheaper waterproof shoes can often achieve outer protection; but, at the expense of breathability and you'll end up getting wet from perspiration in hot weather.

A little less expensive alternative to Gore-Tex shoes is Gore-Tex socks. You will also need a pair of thin perspiration wicking sock liners (e.g. polypropylene) to use with Gore-Tex socks which aren't meant to be worn alone. The advantage here is that the combination can be worn with any inexpensive pair of shoes, that aren't too snug, until everything dries out after which you can change into your regular socks.

Waterproof gaiters (there are even breathable Gore-Tex versions) can help; but, they work better as a covering for boots than shoes.

I'm curious as to why you put this question in the Food and Drink forum. You haven't been grazing on those lawns have you?

No, no, judging by the other thread, this one eats only spiced pork products from a tin.

They're seldom pushing high end stuff like what I discussed above. That's why the other thread popped up immediately after I responded to this one. I flagged both and had some more fun in the other.

I banned him, and deleted the other thread with the links, but you have some decent tips there, sexobon, so I'll leave this thread alone.

Now I'll NEVER find out what shoes will be good for dog poo picking. :mad:

Sexobon, you bastard. Stop giving good advice.;)

Never say never.

sexobon is all washed up with his goretex advice. Everyone up here wears mucks. From Dew to Poo, it's your shoe©®

http://muckboots.com/mkstr.htm

$73? You could just use a bread bag.

guffaggis

I have video 'footage', copied from old 8mm, where my brother and I are at my grandma's house and there's some snow on the ground and we have bread bags on our feet! We were sliding around everywhere. Grandma was big into the bread bagged feet, bless her heart. :)

Footfootfootage?

Yeah, youtube that puppy.

It's on a VHS which I don't currently have a working one of. And I guess I could film it from the camera off the TV, if I do find a VCR?

I've been wanting to move it to another medium. There is some amazing footage. One where my brother gets me a flower comes to mind. And the Big Red Machine. And the first year of King's Island. And my mom and brother throwing snowballs at each other (I was a baby, inside with grandma, dad was filming my mom and brother...and it's SO freaking sweet.)

What about Crocs?

Those are good for all kinds of things! Wet, poo, wet-poo...and they're cheap!

I'm an advocate of wearing light running shoes and getting wet feet which will dry out by the end of the day.

Imagine that I've posted a gruesome close up image of toenail fungus. I won't though, because that's unwarranted.

I heard on Science Friday that each of us is an ecosystem... just doing my bit for diversity!

For snow conditions, the bread bags go inside the shoes/boots, in order to protect from wetness and to provide additional insulation.

Growing up in Chicago, this is essential survival information.

I'm the only one I know who gets a newspaper delivered. But the newspaper bags are even better for this. No bread crumbs.

But the breadcrumbs absorb the sweat.

There's got to be a good hacking joke in there somewhere, but I can't come up with one right now.

I have one of those Landsend shoes that's water-repellent, but they look like sneakers rather than boots. I like the look of these Muck boots though. They look light.


If you swing over to my place, you can use mine. Heck, if needed, I'll even hook up the Beta VCR. :D

One winter working offshore, some AH told me to put plastic bags on feet before boots, yea right. F@#King feet sweated and like to have froze.

There are cases of people wearing plastic bags inside their boots (or shoes), over their socks, successfully staying off incapacitating foot injury long enough to walk to safety through severe cold environments. While moisture from perspiration does accumulate to make socks and feet wet, the bags also trap enough body heat to keep feet from freezing for as long as a person remains active enough to generate sufficient body heat. That's why parents without other readily available means can use plastic bags to protect active children outside, for short periods of time, in cold (especially cold-wet) weather as long as they are brought back inside soon after their activity level drops. At lesser activity levels there will not be enough body heat generated and trapped inside the bags to offset the cooling effects of the trapped moisture. If I were forced to transition from high activity to low activity while using the plastic bag expedient, I would, if possible (which isn't likely), relocate the bags under my wet socks so that my skin would be protected from direct contact with ice crystals if the wet socks froze. The socks would go back on though; because, even wet socks may have insulation value depending on the material.

You could wring the socks out and drink the water.

That's what glove liners are for. :eyebrow:


Lay the wet socks out flat to freeze and you can throw them like boomerangs (doesn't work with tube socks).

Bass Pro:

http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-7-Hic...65262/-1157511

Don't take it personally if linlishan doesn't thank you for posting that information.

Okay, next winter one of you snow-dwelling northerners are going to have to do the experiment. Two feet, two socks, two shoes ... but only one bread bag. Randomly allocate the bag to one foot, place it between sock and shoe, go for a walk in the snow and slush. Report back.
If you have super sensitive scales you could even weigh the socks to see if they're different.

When I grew up we were so poor that we used to eat sock soup on Wednesdays.

That takes a good week's worth of sock sweat.

Pfft. We were so poor we couldn't even afford Wednesdays.

And make a great snack.

Turf King Sloggers

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

I've got four pair in various colors - they ROCK.

We tried bread bags mountain biking in wet winter conditions. They didn't seem to do better than wool socks because of the sweat.

One nice thing about the newspaper bags on little feet is that it makes slipping the boots on an awful lot easier.

I can't see those sloggers, though cute, doing much. Unless by "wet conditions" you're walking on a wet sidewalk. Otherwise doesn't all the mud and water and manure jump over the low edge of the shoe? Even just in tall grass your socks would get soaked.

Wednesdays? Those were the days me dad beat us kids with a two-by-four and we were glad of it! Lived in the middle of the lake, we did! And we were happy to live there!

Why is everyone looking at me?

Statistical significance.

I live in the woods in the wet and muddy Pacific Northwest - no sidewalks! And there really isn't much problem with crud overspilling into the shoe - of course, I do try to avoid big puddles... Mostly, they're just awesome. Sturdy, very comfortable, and totally waterproof. The BEST part is, they're so easy to slip off before coming in the house (out here in the country, we all avoid wearing shoes inside the house) - no zippers or laces or velcro to deal with.

Sure, they look kinda dorky, but out here fashion takes a back seat to just about everything. :)