Trail shoes - wet feet probems?

[whiteburn]

Have started using trail shoes for multi day backpacking trips and are a convert for 3 season use however I was looking for advice on how to avoid foot problems emanating from continually wet feet. The Salomon trail shoes I’m using seem to be well draining and I’m using thin socks but at the end of the day the feet are well macerated (skin like prunes).
I get the shoes off as soon as possible once pitched up and once aired out I’ve been using “Boots Pharmaceuticals Super Absorbent Foot Powder”. This routine seems to do the trick for an overnight trips but at the end of a recent 4 outing the maceration was a lot more noticeable and I’m concerned that beyond this the continued deterioration may lead to other problems.
Only other thing I’ve thought about trying is a smear of Vaseline on the feet in the morning before putting on the shoes but haven’t tried this yet.

Anybody got any tried and tested routines/ remedies to combat this problem?

[david451]

Have started using trail shoes for multi day backpacking trips and are a convert for 3 season use however I was looking for advice on how to avoid foot problems emanating from continually wet feet. The Salomon trail shoes I’m using seem to be well draining and I’m using thin socks but at the end of the day the feet are well macerated (skin like prunes).
I get the shoes off as soon as possible once pitched up and once aired out I’ve been using “Boots Pharmaceuticals Super Absorbent Foot Powder”. This routine seems to do the trick for an overnight trips but at the end of a recent 4 outing the maceration was a lot more noticeable and I’m concerned that beyond this the continued deterioration may lead to other problems.
Only other thing I’ve thought about trying is a smear of Vaseline on the feet in the morning before putting on the shoes but haven’t tried this yet.

Anybody got any tried and tested routines/ remedies to combat this problem?

Trench foot it's called and you need to keep your feet dry otherwise you will get crippled.

Prevention rather than a cure.

[basscadet]

Sealskin socks?

[PhilTurner]

Try a thicker (but not too thick) merino sock to keep your feet warm when wet.

Trench foot is caused when feet are cold, wet and the blood supply is constricted - not something that should worry you unduly in your situation, sloshing around in a never-drying boot full of water is far worse.

I've completed many multi-day backpacking trips throughout Scotland in quick-draining trailshoes and not had any long-term issues. Look at your sock procedure - always have a dry pair sealed in a watertight bag for the evening and night, and put your 'day' socks back on the next morning no matter how tempting the warm and fluffy socks on your feet might be! With three pairs of socks two pairs of day socks can be rotated, with one pair secreted in an appropriate location to dry out. In the evening and throughout the day try and air your feet and perhaps change day socks every few hours if appropriate.

I've used a foot cream such as Gehwol Footcream Extra on long trips - as well as acting a bit like a barrier cream when applied first thing in the morning it also smells great.

[whiteburn]

Phil

Try a thicker (but not too thick) merino sock to keep your feet warm when wet......
. Look at your sock procedure - always have a dry pair sealed in a watertight bag for the evening .......
I've used a foot cream such as Gehwol Footcream Extra on long trips.....

I haven't had any problems with cold feet they've felt warm enough a few minutes after the initial splodge of the day and I've made sure that I have fresh socks for the tent. Have been rinsing out the used socks and after drying as best I can re-using the next day, doesn't seem a lot of sense in carrying lots of dry socks just to get them wet in the first hour or 5 mins!
The weather hasn't been kind enough to air out the feet during the day but I'll bear that in mind.

I've heard of the Gehwol cream but I was under the impression it was a moisturising cream rather than a barrier cream, or does it do both?
Thanks.

[david451]

Phil

Try a thicker (but not too thick) merino sock to keep your feet warm when wet......
. Look at your sock procedure - always have a dry pair sealed in a watertight bag for the evening .......
I've used a foot cream such as Gehwol Footcream Extra on long trips.....

I haven't had any problems with cold feet they've felt warm enough a few minutes after the initial splodge of the day and I've made sure that I have fresh socks for the tent. Have been rinsing out the used socks and after drying as best I can re-using the next day, doesn't seem a lot of sense in carrying lots of dry socks just to get them wet in the first hour or 5 mins!
The weather hasn't been kind enough to air out the feet during the day but I'll bear that in mind.

I've heard of the Gehwol cream but I was under the impression it was a moisturising cream rather than a barrier cream, or does it do both?
Thanks.

Your feet probably don't feel cold but probably are if you were to grab them. Ever waded about in cold water for a bit, the initial dip is horrible but after a minute or two you dont feel the cold, until you get out then they feel toast, but when felt with your hands they are like ice blocks.

You need to be careful with these re-used socks as they can infect your feet so easy, particularly if you cant wash and dry them properly. The constant water will soften your skin as you have seen and then injury and infection.

It's this never drying out that's the problem for you, if it was the occasional soaking during the day followed by a drying period as you walked it would be fine, clean dry socks the next day for at least a little while etc, but your feet are wet all day, and I'm sure some of the stuff you are walking through must be full of horrible stuff that your feet are getting exposed to all the day once it gets in.

[SouthernUplandKing]

Best way to dry socks over night is to stick them inside your jacket next to your skin while you sleep at night, give them a good wringing out first and try and dry them as much as possible before hand. The heat your body radiates inside your bag will dry them out, uncomfortable at first but you get used to it after a few minutes !

Wear the extra dry pair in the evening and to sleep and then walk in them the next day and the one's you have dried out over night will be in a waterproof bag ready to wear at camp that night after you have dried and warmed your feet.

Repeat the process.

[whiteburn]

3 days, +70km, lot's of bog trotting! No problems with the manky feet!

Things that worked:
Gave the feet a good airing at lunch stops, put the socks over the end of the walking poles to dry out.
At camp rubbed in a little Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream to the feet before nice dry socks. Dried the used socks out as well as possible before re-use.

Not so good:
My wool/ merino trekking socks seem to be taking a bashing, starting to get a bit like felt in places after only been used with the trail shoes for 9 days. Have ordered some X-socks 'Expedition Trekking' (merino / nylon mix) to see if they will withstand the wear and tear better.

Definitely moving across the ground quicker with trail shoes than boots, probably +0.5 km/hr, and it feels really good to deliberately splodge through a ford or burn when the feet are hot!

[basscadet]

Aye, I'm definately been warming to the trail shoes thing.. I have 3 pairs of boots, but have been favouring the pair that arent actually waterproof any more recently, I think because they are the grippiest pair, and my orthotics fit best inside. I don't really get why your feet have to be dry all the time.. Warm all the time yes, but why dry? (apart from the unsightly wrinklyness at the end of the day ) If I'm backpacking, I usually have my crocs with me for the evening, for wading rivers, and sections of tarmac or good track too (they weigh <50g) and have noticed I can walk much faster in them than the boots, so maybe trail shoes are on the shopping list.

[whiteburn]

Aye, I'm definately been warming to the trail shoes thing..

I'm definitely a convert and the boots have been consigned to the back of the cupboard awaiting snow.

I’ve found it frustrating finding knowledge/ experience of using trail shoes for multiday backpacking in Scotland despite there being a lot of people out there doing just that, the TGO Challenge blogs probably the most informative it just takes a lot of time finding the ‘nuggets’.
Anyway for what it’s worth I’ll summarise what I’ve gleaned as the prevailing wisdom on the subject:
Don’t bother with Gore-Tex lined shoes, your feet are going to get wet sometime and the Gore-Tex holds the water in and slows down the shoe drying out.
Choose a shoe with mesh sides to let any water out quickly (this does mean your feet will get wet in a shallow puddle!).
Socks, myriad of opinions on the best make, a merino wool/ synthetic fibre sock seems to be favourite. Socks need to be thick enough to keep feet warm, not too thick that they hold water and be quick drying.
Use gaiters to stop mud, grit and stones getting into the shoes, Gore-Tex/ eVent ankle gaiters or the Inov-8 fabric ones a seem popular choice.
Get the shoes and socks off as much as possible during the day to give the feet an airing.
Pamper the feet at night: powders/ creams (the Gehwol Footcream Extra seems a popular choice) and dry socks.

[Slogger]

My thoughts on this for what it's worth.
Ive been using Trail shoes for a while now during multi day high mileage backpacking trips and never had a problem with wet feet even on days of non stop heavy rain.
I wear Goretex lined shoes usually North Face Hedgehogs although i have Nike and Salomon too.
Basically the Goretex keeps the water out so long as none is allowed to get in over the top. I break camp very early morning when there tends to be lots of dew about so I start walking wearing Berghaus Extreme Goretex Gaitors. These give a very good seal against the shoes, even wading through streams water has never through into the shoes. As the day dries out I remove the gaitors.
So there it is good Goretex shoes and close fitting Gaitors work for me every time.
Dave.

[whiteburn]

Tried out the X-socks 'Expedition Trekking' (merino / nylon mix) over a 5 day trip, walked around 90km, got wet feet on all days, sometimes for up to 2 hrs cross country bog trotting.
The X-socks performed better that my old merino/ wool trekking socks; plenty warm enough and they definitely hold less water and consequently they dry out a lot faster.
Took a ½ hr break each day, aired the feet and dried out the socks, this kept the feet in good shape.