Wet feet - boots ok

[Kenny Raeside]

On Tuesday I walked Bynack More and Cairn Gorm in thick mist .
Before setting off I donned my boots, tucked my trousers into my socks then put on my gaiters, lastly my waterproof overtrousers.
Within a mile or two trudging through wet heather and wet grass I could feel my feet getting wet, by the time I was back at the car they were sodden, I assumed my boots must be leaking.
Another couple of days were spent on Meall Chuaich and Beinn Dearg in fine weather before returning home today.
My boots were dry so I stood in a basin of water, flexing my feet as though I was walking to confirm they were leaking, but my boots are fine ( they have a lifetime waterproof guarantee- although not sure what that actually means).
I’m thinking my gaiters must have been getting wet and transferring the water to my socks fhen wetting my feet ?
Are gaiters a no no in wet conditions?
Or gaiters over the waterproof trousers ?

[AyrshireAlps]

Sweating with all that gear on?.

[Kenny Raeside]

Sweating with all that gear on?.

Nah, been much hotter with boots and gaiters on and had dry feet.

[davekeiller]

The idea of gaiters is that they go over your boots and cause the water to run down the outside of the gaiter and onto the lower portion of the boot, rather than running into the boot at the ankle so they should be really good for walking through wet grass and heather.
Gaiters over waterproof trousers wouldn't work because that would funnel water into the inside of the gaiters.

To test if the boots are leaking, fill them up with liquid water and leave them overnight (preferably inside a washing up bowl or similar). If the water is still inside in the morning, they're not leaking!

My guess would be wet from sweat, or else water running into the boots at the ankle.

[denfinella]

My waterproof boots will stay dry while standing in a few inches of water - so fine for crossing burns etc. But long, wet vegetation always gives me wet feet eventually. I don't wear gaiters, so I don't think it's the gaiters which are the problem. I would assume the wet feet are caused by the fabric getting sodden further up, e.g. on the tongue, and then soaking down into the inside of the boot, bypassing the waterproof lining.

[SecondRow]

I had a similar problem. A friend suggested rinsing out the inside of the boots with fresh water, then allowing to dry. The reason being that gortex doesn't like salt and looses it's permeability quickly. Sweat has salt in it, so if the gortex lining in your boots becomes saturated, you are effectively wearing 2 plastic bag on your feet where sweat will pool.

Now every few walks I rinse the inside of my boots with the garden hose on full flow and allow to dry stuffed with newspaper. Never had an issue since.

[Gythral]

wash the goretex liner
use anti-persperant on feet
& gaiters outside everthing

dont wade throught wet grasss/heather

[cruachan06]

Wicking socks saved me from some nasty blisters recently. I did the Kelvin Walkway and had to trawl through some heavily overgrown sections of path and got soaked up to my knees. Thankfully the socks (Under Armour Heatgear Crew) did their job and kept my feet reasonably dry even though my shoes and trousers were soaked.

Yes, I'm too cheap to buy Merino Wool socks!

[Kenny Raeside]

Thanks for the replies.
I think a test with boots , gaiters and a hose is in the offing before I venture into the hills again 🤔
If my gaiters are soaking up water then I’m going to get wet trousers and socks .

[NickyRannoch]

If your boots are saturated and feet sweating the water has nowhere to go. Even the best boots only delay wet feet when traipsing through wet and boggy ground for a whole day. Not to mention water/sweat/steam getting in the big hole in the top

[WalkWithWallace]

This happened to me 2 weeks ago, I didn't have gaiters on and the water from the Heather and grass just soaked through my trousers and socks, eventually wetting out the boots.

[Kenny Raeside]

Turns out my gaiters are as waterproof as a tea bag.
Tried spraying with a hose and within a minute could feel wet trousers underneath.
On checking them I could see the plasticky rubberised coating on the inside was worn off in various places.
Birthday coming up so new ones are on the list 👍

[Booga]

Does water bead off the outside of your boots when they are wet or were your boot uppers wetting out? If the uppers are saturated then sweat is going to have a harder time escaping the boot.