C-Forum

This is to all the c1ers out there who creek. What do you wear on your feet? I am finding rodeo socks are not all that on uneven terrain. Unlike kayakers who have more room for their shoes I need to find something comfortable, with good grip and still fits under me. Im open for suggestions.

There was similat thread just recently:

http://www.cboats.net/cforum/viewtopic.php?t=7964100

I just got a new pair and they are all I wanted finally... Not too soft sole not too big/stiff, zipper entry and grippy enough.

http://belugaworld.com/?p=produits.item&pid=168&pg=1

Having looked about for footwear for paddling for a while as my normal wetsuit boots are getting thin and painful to walk in (they have done well so no complaints) I'm heading towards these http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/gear/granite.html , good close fit round the foot, nothing to catch, and a good stiff sole for trotting about the river bank, tread could be a little thicker but hey ho.

the tread of the Palm booties looks the same as a pair of booties I recently bought from MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop).
I found the soles to be as slippery as sh*t.
My recommendation would be the Brooks booties.
Hope this helps.

...The Palm are not Slippery at all. I like them and think they're the best available for long. I even keep a pair of it as spare in case the stop production one day. But they last well...

edit:
Sorry, I have this ones:
http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/gear/gradient.html

Florian

I use the NRS attack shoes and have been very pleased with them. Narrow enough footbed to be perfect for C1ing and OCing and the sole grips really well, with just enough flex. Great shoe.

bushpaddler wrote:...The Palm are not Slippery at all. I like them and think they're the best available for long. I even keep a pair of it as spare in case the stop production one day. But they last well...

edit:
Sorry, I have this ones:
http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/gear/gradient.html

Florian

Do you find that they dig into the back of your ankle around the tendon being a high cut when your kneeling?

Problems with foot wear? Walk on your hands!

No, seriously, if you skip scouting and stay in the boat, you won't have traction problems.

With size 15 feet, I can't wear anything in my lowest c-1s except rodeo socks. But I do add a layer of neoprene to the sole that I have selected for its somewhat improved traction. And I add a layer of neoprene to the top of the rodeo socks to pad the top of my foot as it rests on the bottom of the boat.

I currently wear rodeo sock. With class V drops I deffinately want to scout them. Unfortunatly many of the souting missions and portages are class v+. I nearly fell last week 15 feet into sink hole trying to portage. The other problem is the saddle in my creek boat is only 5 inches high which doesn't leave much room for my feet. Thanks for all the suggestions and keep them coming.

dude, clip a pare of hiking shoes into the c1

Sickboyuk wrote:

bushpaddler wrote:...The Palm are not Slippery at all. I like them and think they're the best available for long. I even keep a pair of it as spare in case the stop production one day. But they last well...

edit:
Sorry, I have this ones:
http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/gear/gradient.html

Florian

Do you find that they dig into the back of your ankle around the tendon being a high cut when your kneeling?

Yes, I ruled them out as a serious proposition for use in C1 during "carpet surfing", because I can't flex my feet enough to get into my boats with them on (Long legs + big shoe size = need to get ones feet totally flat)

TonyB wrote:dude, clip a pare of hiking shoes into the c1

OP was asking about shoes for creeking, not slalom workouts on class II.

IMO you need to be WEARING (decent) shoes when creeking.

...Having to put on a pair of shoes everytime you need to scout or set safety? that's a sure way to get yourself un-invited.

But mostly it's a safety thing. There have been a few times I've had to jump out of my boat and quickly run upstream to rope a bud out of a hole. You'd prolly get hurt doing that barefoot.

Then there's the classic scene where you swim and loose your boat... with the shoes clipped inside of it

yeah well that is the problem isn't?

Bare foot...

Larry Horne wrote:

TonyB wrote:dude, clip a pare of hiking shoes into the c1

But mostly it's a safety thing. There have been a few times I've had to jump out of my boat and quickly run upstream to rope a bud out of a hole. You'd prolly get hurt doing that barefoot.

For me, jumping out quickly requires a very flexible sole, not the stiffer one that's better suited for rock-jumping. There is no ideal footwear unless you've a high seat with lots of room around it. None of my boats are like that, since I use a low seat, and the tops of my feet are flat on the bottom of the hull.

So, I use homemade socks or Akona booties, which have a flexible sole with a good rib pattern. I'm just slower over the rocks, but I don't scout much anyway.