Hope this helps. They drain the water well and have good traction. Ive never had a problem with weak ankles, so I prefer to go with a lower cut. Ive had a couple of pair for almost 10 years and they are still in great shape. Your feet will get wet when you enter/exit the canoe each time. A lightweight pair of hiking boots, sport sandals, or sneakers. Is what I am doing the best for summer trips? There are several similar boots. The best footwear for portaging in the BWCA. In the BWCA I don't worry about mud sucking my shoes off. Master the extreme. My first pair made it 5 years before the glue gave. I have to admit I like the look of my new Chacos as well as the feel, but are they worth the extra money and will they last as long as my Tevas? I use old ankle high hikers and drill a few holes around the bottom. Their days stretched from dawn to dusk and they only fished for a change of diet. I have always wore Teva sandals because they are built to last. The shoe spectrum has been pretty well covered so fara lot of good advice..maybe it was already mentioned and I missed it, but another variable is the route/trip you will be taking. It gets quite a bit of use. Need convincing? One debate I have with a friend is about wearing sandals on a canoe trip. I found I hate heavy wet boots that dont drain, and get heavier holding water. I've told this story here before, so I'll just give the cliff's notes version: I've settled on Abyss Boots for travel days with portaging heavy loads and Salomon Tech amphibians for just out fishing or taking day trips and light portages. Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. The whole idea about a Boundary Waters Canoe trip is to enjoy the outdoors while having a fun adventure with your family or friends. I tried them all sandals, draining boots, and old tennis shoe. When Should I Visit Ely, Minnesota and the BWCA? You'll probably get as many answers here as what would be attracted to any "best" thread, be it canoe, tent, sleep system, water filter, etc. Then there was the issue of retrieving them from boot-sucking mud. The GORE-TEX Brand may use my email address, provided above, to send me relevant marketing communications, based on my preferences. I have a pair of NRS boundary shoes which I love. When I looked at my most lightweight tent and thought about how much gear wed be portaging (several times a day) a hammock started looking like a good solution. The main thing forthese people is ankle support for the portages. 25% off + Free Upgraded Shipping on Select Items! What suggestions does anybody have that might make my next trip even more comfortable when it comes to my feet? According to my staff these are way better than Teva and should be considering they are quite a bit more expensive. Any shoe that will allow an object larger than a grain of sand to become lodged between the sole and my foot is off the table as far as I am concerned. Use offer code RAPIDSHIP20 in cart. A buddy of mine has used them for several years now, however, I have noticed that at the end of the day he is just as wet from sweat as I am from wet footing it. A pair of rubber knee-high ankle boots will work just fine. My only concern with a low top shoe is loosing one in knee deep muck when crossing an area where a beaver dam has washed out. They are no longer made but you can still find new ones on eBay l. I use Keen Voyagers with wool socks while paddling and portaging. I wear a pair of wellies from Tractor supply and then change into hiking boots (Hoka) that I love at portages. After years of abuse, my knees dont like lifting that weight. Interesting perspectives. The main tasks on those days were gathering wood, keeping the fire burning and, oh yeah, eating. Charlene is the mother of 5 kids and has still found time to be involved in countless community activities. For some reason the Scouts really think this is a good idea, though they are too heavy for me. 5 10 water tennies with Chota hippies the water tennies grip on wet rocks is second to none in my opinion. In the end, it was both. Nope. Not too seriously, but it's on my mind. I have tried about everything..what works best for me right now is a pair of LL Bean "Maine Hunting boots" (Unlined/uninsulated). Canoeing shoes will get wet. Ive heard of folks using Jungle Boots. Cloud Times: Heres what you should ask a Boundary Waters outfitter. Recommendations about boots of shoes for canoeing will get you Kims 1600+ personal opinions. Her hobbies include all types of crafts, sewing, skiing, scuba diving, wilderness paddling, and traveling. Website by Altitude Marketing and Design. Offer valid while supplies last! All other hiking brands are frankly shit. Even in the early spring or late fall Id rather have wet feet than wet socks and boots. They carried loads far heavier than our packs could ever be. I wear them every day. The grip and support are good, but they seem to remain squishy and boggy for a long time. I put superfeet insoles in them and they work well on portages too. The fit and feel you love. The way that the rainfly marries up with the hammock kept out any rain or moisture. In summer its no big deal to step out into calf deep water, but in spring and fall it can be really miserable with the cold water. Amazing people. After setting the hammock up and getting my sleeping bag inside it there was still daylight and dinner before seeing if it really would be dry, never mind comfortable. Since then, finding the perfect footwear has been an ongoingmission. If it's too cold I switch to a pair of knee-high rubber boots. One type of boot that you will commonly see among the veterans in this area is a LaCrosse boot which can viewed here on the LaCrosse Footwear website. * For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed. I have used the sandals when canoeing the local rivers, and they allow too much crud (pebbles, etc.) Of the gear that I brought, here are three items that stood out on that trip, and especially on those days the rain socked us in: This one was a surprise for me. Love them, when the mosquito are out I just cover my feet in mud before the portage then wash them off at the other side. Camp shoes are Crocs with a good wool sock, but I'm not out hiking around in them. Trusted comfort and protection. I always bring warm socks and a pair of tennis shoes to wear around camp too! The Hereford Zone along the Mason-Dixon Line, La Verendrye- fulfilling a boyhood dream. Better control. Shoes, boots or sandals? Canoe footwear is one item that you do not want to mess up. Or 12" high for daytime if it's cooler or ticks and mosquitos really hungry. Frenchy, this may be something to look at. 02/27/2018 03:45PM (Thread Older Than 3 Years), http://bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=forum.thread&threadId=1037329&forumID=15&confID=1, Wow-no more wood stairway portage into Rose, We Eat Miles for Breakfast, a Kruger Challenge Story, YouTube Slideshow of Trip to Perent Lake with my Grandson. When I wetfoot, I wear a pair of wool socks and I take a dry pair of socks and shoes for camp. Farm to Feet Ocracoke Hiking Socks Womens, Vasque Inhaler II Mid GTX Hiking Boots Womens, Darn Tough Micro Crew Light Cushion Hiking Socks Mens, Footwear for Canoeing: Finding Your Sole-Mate, Hydro Flask Sale! BWCA Gallery Contact Us Customer Reviews Newsletter Archives About Us, Directions to Our Lodge Important BWCA Links Employment Opportunities, ADA Policy Merchandise Refund Policy Security Policy Privacy Policy, 14694 Vosburgh Road, Ely, Minnesota 55731 | (218) 365 -5837 | canoe@williamsandhall.com, BWCA Services, Ely MN Lodging, and Lakeside Dining Hall, Canoe, Camp, Fish and Explore in the BWCA, Boundary Waters Webinars From Prior Years. Liner socks help me tremendously with any moisture issues. However, I've also bought knock-off brand hiking shoes, ankle-high off the net for 20 bucks or less. Another popular boot is a Boundary Waters Boot made by NRS. Do we need canoe footwear for our trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness?. This year I will be trying some Rocky S2V boots. Most will admit that a long lasting water shoe is so hard to find. GORE-TEX, GTX, SURROUND, C-KNIT, PACLITE, OPTIFADE, CHEMPAK, CROSSTECH, PYRAD, PARALLON, GORE-SEAM, GORE WINDSTOPPER, GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY, and GORE and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates. You must log in or register to reply here. Astrals are second, as when the stitching busted after a few months, they sent me a new pair asap. Aqua-Socks can be purchased at K-Mart for about $10. Last summer and the summer before I hiked exclusively in Chacos and also wore them on my boundary waters trip. He is the king of $12.00 Red Ball black rubber boots that you can buy at any Holiday Gas Station in Minnesota. Leather gets heavy but the synthetics work well, just make sure the shoe is not built around cardboard. Login/Register access is temporary disabled, 2019 Canoeing.com Ltd. All rights reserved. I understand that I can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. There's a lot of opinions, and only 1 true answer. Has anyone ever tried drilling drain ports in the bottom of their hiking boots? My feet stayed dry the entire trip and the only part of my socks that needed drying by the fire was the part where they emerged high above the Salewa boots. I'm a rookie, but going with two veterans. North Country Canoe Outfitters: Outfitting Canoe Trips into the Minnesota Boundary Waters and Canada's Quetico Wilderness since 1984. I also love my Chaco's in warm weather. There are many different ideas on whats best, but there is some agreement on what not to wear. Exciting stories. Make more of everyday. As we set up camp on night one I quickly began questioning my decision. My club has a Boundary Waters trip scheduled and I'm actually thinking about it. Make sure you're prepared to portage with these tried and true tips. I bought Chota Caneyforks 7 or 8 years ago and never looked back. After landing in Minnesota to meet the rest of the group and head up to Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I didnt find out I was short on footwear until we were practically putting the canoe in the water. From the tranquil backdrops to its welcoming locals, the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area does not disappoint. As an ingredient brand, we are very proud to be part of a big network. (Make sure the sandals are not open-toed or open-heeled.) They have enough support that they are a backup if I blow out the portage shoes. For swimming only! I once did the mile long Crab Lake portage in them(normally easy)but did not have the added padding; my feet felt like hamburger the next day. I generally sleep in a tent, and had never owned a hammock in my life. Best shoes is a very individual issue. Sign up to learn about new products, upcoming events, and other news from the GORE-TEX brand. Some of our customers have used 6 high leather work boots, high top sneakers, and hiking boots. I am sort of cheap. I'm on my 3rd pair over 6 years. Go ruck Macv1. Between paper and digital maps, we could have lost three sources and still been fine getting where we were going. Made to keep on. I had a pair of goretex lined and insulated bean boots in the past and they were great until I went in over the tops, they never did dry out and felt like 5 pound weights on my feet the rest of the trip. Tennies for camp. I only trip in early spring or late fall though when the water is cold. New insights. As an update to that blog is I have now converted completely to Chacos, Mike is still a Teva fan. I don't wear hiking boots as I tend to trip over them. Moccasins work well, too. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Chota trekkers. I really like my Chota Quetico Trekkers. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The boots took on no water (as guaranteed). I've got a question for this thread. This trip, while carrying the least amount of gear and having the most challenging of conditions comparatively, ended up being the most comfortable of them all. The trip ended up being logged as one of the best trips Ive ever been on. Besides, back in the 70s I had to wearthem every day for real in Vietnam when I wasnt actually flying a mission (Pilots had to wear leather boots in case of fire. Pretty quick easy on/off for nighttime pee breaks and dry during evening rains and morning dew. Once I reach camp, I dry my feet and change into these. Others prefer an old pair of hunting boots with a pair of socks. I have some lightweight sneakers in camp that I try and keep dry. Canoe routes and time of year will influence your footwear decision. Heck, I even had an opinion back in 2005 according to a long ago published blog I wrote titled, Chaco vs Teva.. I even use them as light hikers for backpacking sometimes. I prefer to wet foot but on long dry portages I may wear the camp shoe I mentioned. They don't have a lot of support but luckily I have strong ankles so have never needed ankle support. These are modeled after the jungle boots worn in Vietnam for wet conditions. You will need some type of boot or shoe that can get wet and will support your feet and ankles on portages. In camp, I use Keen Clearwater CNX Sandals. Three days (two of them rain-drenched) later, the boots were all I had worn. When we got to our outfitter in Ely, they recommended bringing a set of rubber boots for when we hit the deep mud. That was when I started to worry if I was going to be able to keep my boots and socks and feet somewhat dry and available for comfortable use for five or more days in a row. They're good for wet foot portaging, as they work well both in the water and on mucky ground, and they're pretty good on slippery rocks. Each of those features was used on the Boundary Waters trip. I take 2 pair of footwear: canoe/portage shoes, and camp shoes. The NRS boot is a knee-high waterproof boot that offers great portage ankle support. they are on my list to look into a little more. The boots I wore when I climbed Mt Rainier went on only one canoe trip. The closed toe protects me from kicking roots and rocks while walking around camp. I just go barefoot. When it gets cold I have some LaCrosse neoprene knee highs. Children and cold wet feet do not go together. Salomon GTX Ultra hiking shoes. Let me know what you think. I glued them back together and they are the backups now. Letting everyone at home know that all was well despite the weather reports they were seeing could only have been done with the InReach. Charlene was born in Coalville, UT and grew up in Morgan, UT. I think Cheaseandbeans mentioned the NRS boundary water bootsI know several guys that like those, I have not tried them yet, my only concern with them is how much protection/support the sole has.maybe C&B can speak to that? Good traction on underwater rocks, protective and very easy to clean mud off the bottoms. Keeping your feet healthy is the important thing. Hope they rule. All around breathability system for your feet. That underwater granite can be very sharp, plus you never know if someone lost a lure where you are swimming. I ended up purchasing a ProFly (rainfly) to use with an ENO hammock I got as a gift but had never used. The ankle high boots are more secure on my foot than a shoe/sandal, especially in boot-sucking mud. Charlene learned skills there that she has been applying to her husband for years, not to mention building a knowledge base about kids travelling in the wilderness. Curious what everybody prefers for their shoes of choice for canoeing and portaging. Most everyone who has paddled and camped in the Boundary Waters has an opinion about the best footwear for a canoe trip. Of course, everyone has their own idea of what footwear should be on their BWCA gear list. Advanced technical fabrics solutions for increased protection and comfort in work-related applications. You will be getting in and out of your canoe while still on the lake, You will then needto carry your gear across the BWCA portage to load your canoe while in the next lake. If you are bringing children along this might be the time to invest in some good boots for them. We support this high volume of visitors Plan appropriately so that everyone has a good time by including proper footwear on your Boundary Waters packing list. Don't have an account yet? I have done the old tennis shoes that I don't care about getting wet, and dry somewhat quickly after a day of paddling and portaging. I know folks that have been guiding rafting trips in Brewers for a few years and the shoes are going strong. I take 3 pair of medium weight smartwool socks and one pair never gets wet. Some people are completely against portaging in sandals and it is true you can get cuts and scrapes on your feet but Id rather have that then wet feet. But good company and being comfortable made it memorable for the right reasons. I'm a lover of Astral footwear (love them all, so I won't specify) for both wetfooting, and just wearing around town for no particularly outdoorsy reason. She has spent many years instructing and leading youth groups and has been instrumental in the development of a number of youth programs for both elementary kids and teenagers. We had one gal break an ankle doing just that. Still stuck on 3 eyelet Bean boots, one pair for daytime and another pair after camp is set up. I really would like these. I usually paddle a Kevlar canoe and you need to wet foot; this means loading and unloading the canoe while it is floating completely. Your feet will get wet. Learn more, We use cookies to enhance your experience, for analytics, and to support 3rd party content and advertising providers. After my first misstep and the plunge of my right foot into water, I realized I might have a chance. About 1 minute of clammy wet feeling boots each morning, then they warm up, and I don't notice it anymore. I've had merrel, they glue their shoes together and you'll know exactly where that glue joint is once it fails in 6 months. I rotate the other two pair. Canoe/Portage shoes These are the main shoes I wear when canoeing and portaging. I always wet foot, so waterproof boots really make no sense for me. I'm gonna be trying these on at Copia soon. Paired with either some Wigwam wool blend or Darn Tough socks and I am good to go. No compromise. When I was invited to go on a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on short notice, I immediately said yes. I didnt have a lot of time to pack, but in the end, between the three canoe-campers we had everything we needed and just a bit more for margin of error. Ive had a DeLorme InReach for years now, and have taken it on every backcountry trip Ive been on since I purchased it. Are you traveling a lot of distance each day through less traveled areas or base camping with shorter day trips? I have tried a couple of different Chota models and did not care for the fit. It also keeps you from damaging the canoe when you are placing it back in the water at the end of your portage. She has been very active in the Scouting program, most recently as a Den Leader and Cubmaster. I wear boots now. However, portaging in them is another story. In the Glades I do. I use OTB Abyss boots. That timewhile the least taxing physicallycould have been the worst of the trip. Forgot your password? They should be light enough to swim in if you somehow capsize the canoe. As for actual footware, these can range from an old pair of sneakers (which I personally prefer), high tech water shoes, or boots. The latest on GORE-TEX products, events, and experiences. I wore Keen H2O's for some time and raved about them, then my feet started getting sore. Copyright 2022 W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH. Ecology matters. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). That ended up being a good thingthe weather wasnt quite as accommodating as it could have been. We had told the group not to do it she did it on the very first portage and that was the end of the trip for everyone. To keep everyone happy, remember to think about your feet when doing your Boundary Waters trip planning. Expert paddler and guide Rob Kesselring recommends which shoes and boots are best for canoeing, portaging and paddling. I might supplement the ankle support a bit with some nylon ankle braces. The weather was far wetter than we planned for. Coupon Code: RAPIDSHIP20. They are cross between closed toe sandal, tennis shoe and draining hiking boot. Sign up. Gear Guide Tips: What shoes should you wear canoeing? I wear them all day with a pair of merino wool socks, and change into dry sandals at camp. this great site and online community alive by contributing your financial support. I use insulated Bean Boots in the shoulder seasons. The verdict is still out. Debating neoprene socks, probably going to. Whether youre out for a day trip or heading to the Boundary Waters for a week, the right footwear will make the trip go more smoothly, the wrong shoes could make you miserable. That's all you need to know. These are my favorites: I still use my 10" high LL Bean Maine shoes, with the vibram soles (which they don't do anymore). Some first-timers try to be dry-footers. For additional relevant details, I can review the. I go to great pains to keep these dry. These are just our ownrecommendations, and our reasons why we feel that way. Have worn them previously tripped and the canoe landed on top of me. I wore my high top hiking boots with wool socks. I like a waterproof shoe around camp and have an ankle high pair that have rubber half way up. They are ankle high, drain out the bottom, and secure tightly with laces. Yes it is a little extra work but I am rarely in a hurry in the BWCA. They can wear them during the day. visitors a day during peak season. Another good question we hear a lot is What should we bring for our feet? in to consider them for portaging. Some people prefer to wear a pair of sandals or running shoes with a pair of wool socks. Depends on what you like. Footies are worthless no protection at all. They are also pretty good on the portages for stability.
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