footwear in camp

What is the best footwear for being in camp? Summertime in the high country, possibility of wet grass, chilly nights. Must be very lightweight.

I use the same New Balance 809s that I hike in. When I change into my sleeping outfit I loosen the laces, take out the insole to help them dry and tie them loose enough that they can be used as slippers.

I am really sorry that you are walking all day in shoes that are not comfortable enough to wear around camp.

I see people carry Crocs and Crocs clones.

“What is the best footwear for being in camp? Summertime in the high country, possibility of wet grass, chilly nights. Must be very lightweight.”

Welcome aboard Bill. Hope to hear back from you. It’s always nice to hear how gear works out.

If you want to check some past info on camp shoes, do a search; put “camp shoes” in quotes, go back 3 years. You should see several replies.

For me I just loosen my Teva Terra Fi2 sandals at camp and, ahhh, I’m in paradise. It is 0oz extra weight. For chilly nights (30-45)F, I’ll just put on 2 socks. I always hike with at least one pair--- like a thin coolmax sock. It helps prevents blisters, keeps the underside of my foot dry, kills ticks (socks are doused with permethrin), and prevents scratches.

For wet grass, the socks get wet but they dry out.

Good luck on camp footwear!

-Barry

The Crocs are lightweight and for summertime they are great. With the extra weight of a backpack and hiking all day I wear mid height hiking boots all seasons. I find I can run up and down creeks and trails in the crocs. If they get destroyed, Oh well, no great loss. I hated them when I first got a pair thinking that they were not going to be sturdy or comfortable. For foam shoes they stand up pretty good and are very comfortable. I wear a size 10.5 boot but the size 10 crocs were to large. The size 9 fits great.

I use crocs around camp. They are light, easy to slip into, and don't absorb any water. That's important for me because I hike in the midwest with high humidity.

My hiking shoes are comfortable but I don't want them to get wet with the morning dew. So I set my crocs just under my hammock and when I wake up (or when I answer nature's call at night) I just slip into the crocs.

I use these..

http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901

Super light, less than 2oz a pair. Having them allows my feet and shoes to dry out at night, so I'm not constantly wearing wet shoes... it's so worth it to get out of the wet shoes when in camp and just let the feet relax for a while.

They're pretty durable too, despite appearances (which, admitedly, are hideously ugly)... I had a single pair last for 3 months on the PCT, using them in camp every night and for river crossings.

I wear light shoes to hike in. I carry Croc knock offs that I got at Target for 9.00. They are just the same as the 29-39 dollar Crocs. I would wear my hiking shoes around camp, but there are times when it has been raining all day and I want to get out of the wet shoes. If it is raining while in camp I have my Walmart umbrella bags to put over my socks before the Crocs go on. I like dry feet in camp, but am tough as nails otherwise. Some folks say that Crocs are better but I think they are just trying to justify the fact that they spent so much to get a name brand. If their one pair will outlast the 3 or 4 pairs I could get for the same money then something is wrong, but it has not happened yet to my knowledge.

I agree with *food* - most of the time I use my hiking shoes. They are as light as crocks, and much better for uneven ground - hiking to the spring or other excursions away from camp. They are not as easy to slip on in the bleary midnight hours when nature calls, but even then, they are more secure than crocks when just slipped on and not tied. But on some hikes I use crocks just because they feel good at the end of the day. Mostly not, though. All in all, it is simply lighter and generally safer to use my hiking shoes.

Part of my issue with alternative camp shoes such as water or shower slippers is they don't come in my size and they are not as comfortable and sometimes not as light as crocks.

Call me crazy but I just wear the same old shoes I hiked in all day. Sometimes they're soaking wet from stream crossings but a person can get used to just about anything. However, I do ensure that I always have a dry and relatively clean pair of socks to sleep in at night.

I used to just wear the same shoes I hike in. But when I got a hammock I decided I needed something I could slip in and out of, or kick off as I climbed in, and leave out under the hammock. So I have been using the crocs-clones lately and they are working for me, quite comfy, and easy on easy off.

Trailrunner - I guess I could deal with it and it would take 9 ounces out of my pack to leave the crocs at home.
But how do you handle it when its raining, 2 am, you gotta get up and out of the shelter for some reason, and you have your dry socks on. Shoes are wet from the stream? I would put my umbrella bags over my dry socks, put the crocs on, do whatever I needed to, then take the umbrella bags and crocs off and get back in my sleeping bag. I do this 4 season.

I might just learn something here.

My favorite are homemade ones:

*Seal Skinz or neoprene socks--one size up from normal

*Silicone caulking

* 1/2 teaspoon of Garnet sand


Smear a thin layer of silicone on bottom of socks. Sprinkle the sand onto the silicone and rub into the caulking--wear a pair of disposable gloves for this. Allow silicone to dry 1-2 days.

When in camp, remove the insoles from your boots--Superfeet Green work the best. Place insoles into your coated "socks" and they now become camp shoes. Sized properly and worn with socks, these are very comfortable, L/W (about 2oz each) and give pretty good traction. I wear mine in the sleeping bag--extra warmth and allows you to get up and about quickly. I've even used them for stream crossings to keep my regular boots dry.

Well, I encountered almost that exact situation on the High Sierra Trail last month where I met rain/wet grass/stream crossings for four consecutive days. My shoes were never completely dry.

When I had to answer the call of my bladder in the middle of the night I took off my dry socks, donned my wet/cold shoes, did my duty and then reversed the process back at my tent. This was during temps in the low 40's, not terribly cold. My bare feet actually warmed up the shoes quickly. If needed I wiped my feet with a dry bandana before putting the socks back on. Actually by the third night it didn't matter because everything was wet after 3 days of rain and I had no dry sock reserve. Of course temps in the 20's would have been a different story......

Yep, the whole process was a PITA but I have a very strong aversion to carrying an extra pair of shoes which serve only one purpose (they make a lousy pillow), which even if very light are bulky and usually are kinda dirty. But that's just me.

In the summer of '06 I spent 7 consecutive days on the JMT with wet feet due to high streams after a very stormy Sierra winter so my HST experience was relatively easy. I think adapting to mild discomfort is easier than most people think. My main problem on the JMT was horrible blisters after 10+ wet hours on the trail every day but I have learned to deal with that problem by experience and the excellent book called Fixing Your Feet. Blisters were a non issue on the HST.

i actually do the same thing as trailrunner. I typically hammock, and often have wet runners or boots as my only footwear. When getting out of the hammock at night to go, I typically have my butt pad on the ground where I'll step out. I take off my sleeping socks, and get out of the hammock barefoot standing on the blue foam pad (which I leave there all night). depending on the terrain I'll either walk barefoot to go do my business, or I'll retrieve my shoes (usually hung on my hammock lines to avoid marauding salt crazy porcupines and marmots) put them on barefoot, and go ahead.

I really don't find it that much of a PITA at all.

The only time I'll consider taking crocs or another shoe is if there is lot of beach camping.
the wading in pebbles/sand and beach loafing takes a toll on bare feed and I don't want to just use my trailrunners. I regretted not having a pair of crocs on west coast trail - other than that I never have felt the need for a second pair of footwear for 3 season. In winter
I carry some primaloft booties in adittion to my stomping around boots.

Betzw, BarryP's advice on previous posts changed my life. I don't carry anything extra.

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I bring $10.00 Croc knockoffs. Slip on/off super easy for getting out of the tent at night, and they also make great shoes to cross creeks in.

I, likewise, Paul_C, and I wear them to cross streams where I have to wade, too.

Yes, Croc knockoffs from walmart, cheap, light and if you loose one no great loss.
Make sure and try them on. Don't go by tag size. I wear a size 10.5 but the size 9 is fits.