So I finally had some time to relax a little bit and I'm flipping through the Campmor (www.campmor.com) catalog and I'm looking for some winter hiking gear... wowsa what a selection of gear. Anyways I'm looking for some recommendations for some good boots for winter hiking. Preferably something waterproof, but water resistant with good traction, some toe protection and good ankle support are more important, I can wear waterproof socks if need be.
Also I'm looking for recommendations for good outer shell pants. I have good insulating layers already, but I need something that doesn't absorb rain water or snow and has a good stride to it since some trails have good vertical sections and restrictive pants suck....
Any help is definetly appreciated.
Also I'm looking for recommendations for good outer shell pants. I have good insulating layers already, but I need something that doesn't absorb rain water or snow and has a good stride to it since some trails have good vertical sections and restrictive pants suck....
Any help is definetly appreciated.
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Washington, D.C.
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Thu, November 1, 2007 - 12:06 PMI did well winter backpacking in northern Wisconsin with wool pants over fleece, polypro or silk. I got the army surplus wool pants you can find in the catalogs. Warm and probably as water resistant as you need, and I like that they are quiet. I didn't have money for nicer waterproof pants or snow pants, but the wool worked really well for me.
I was backpacking with people wearing all sorts of footwear. A complaint about Sorels was that the rubber prevents moisture from escaping so it it's cold enough you end up with ice in your toes. I always did ok with polypro liner socks and either wool or fleece socks and my usual hiking boots.
What kind of activity are you anticipating (hiking only or camping too?) and under what conditions? I had more trouble being too hot than too cold if I was being active, down to about 20 degrees (daytime high). And wind-chill sucks harder than regular cold, so the wind layer is essential. -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Thu, November 1, 2007 - 6:44 PMI go what I'm being told is called "extreme day hiking". Dawn to dusk hiking with a return to home or base usually a house or cabin. Normally we carry at least 40 lbs of gear in a LBV or Load Bearing Vest. Most of the gear is for weight training purposes. But also good practice to carry backup gear in case the weather changes.
I had been wearing 50/50 cotton/poly pants over expedition rated fleece. Under Armour winter top and a fleece with a microfibre windbreaker outershell for while i'm on the move and a heavier coat for breaks to heat up meals and help deal with periods when the sun drops behind the mountain or sudden drops in temperature.
The problem as you mentioned had been not staying warm but rather sweating. In -22F weather sweat can be a real problem. Moreso when you stop moving.
I had been wearing a set of Keens "urban hikers" which had moderate toe protection, but no kinda ankle support. That happened once. Then I tried my calf high logging boots equipped with steel toes and heels. Way way way too much support, wound up cramping up and landing my foot in odd positions on slippery snow covered rocks.
So I'm looking for something inbetween maximum protection and good support but also comfort and something that doesnt defeat my hiking socks. I've learned as we push for higher mileage and more extreme trails that proper footwear is the difference between getting outta bed the next day or [practically] falling on my face when i try to stand up.
Anyways thanks for the feedback! -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Fri, November 2, 2007 - 12:01 AMDoctor--
You're absolutely right about footwear making all the difference. You've gone from one extreme to another. I'd recommend you checking out REI or a similar place and finding a good pair of hiking or backpacking boots (even if you can find a style of shoe that's in the Campmor catalog and order there for less, as long as you get to try them out). Get something with as few seams as possible to minimize the moisture going directly through. You probably want an all-leather upper and as few seams as possible. I invested in Vasque Sundowners, which are excellent but spendy. I still have them, and a pair saved my friend from breaking an ankle when he was thrown out of a 22' Boston whaler and hit by the prop a couple times. Good ankle protection to say the least! But depending on your budget the most important thing will be finding the water resistance/breathability and support. Sundowners were the best fitting boots for me; take a look at them at the store or their website (vasque.com) and see what you can come up with when you get to a place you can try them out.
I wouldn't wear the cotton blend pants. It's not wicking the moisture anywhere, although if they've been working for you in the past you're probably ok. Someone else can probably recommend better pants than I did. I like silk underneath for moving around, but if you're in -22 expedition weight fleece probably is good. When I was going out in the cold more I liked silk when I knew I'd be moving a lot, and when the temps were a little more temperate (above 10-15). I switched to polypro and fleece underneath when it got colder than that. Also more wind resistant.
I really like the shell I got from Campmor. It's not heavy but one of my favorite features are the pit zips. VERY handy for wintertime when you need the windbreaker aspect but you're hot underneath. I thought it was a novel idea until I got warm in the wintertime and unzipped those babies. My coat doesn't add much weight/warmth - Gore-Tex for rain and the windbreaking. My layers underneath keep me warm. I got it a million years ago and it has a giant patch on the arm but I like it a lot.
Hope this helps. I got a little off-topic with the non-shoe equipment but maybe you'll find something else useful.
Your hiking sounds like a killer. I hope you do it comfortably, safely, and have a great time! -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Fri, November 2, 2007 - 7:41 AMThanx for the recommendation of Vasque Sundowners, I'll check them out next time I'm in the REI. I'm really open to suggestions, I've done a fair amount of trail blazing/maintenance and forest fire fighting. The way I wear my gear and my choices of materials closely echo stuff that I've worn in the past. Gear intended for a vastly different temperature and vapor concentrations and in some cases fire resistance.
Largely uniform gear, wearing wicking gear underneath of non-wicking gear has led to moisture retention problems for me. So I'm definetly open to suggestions. I like the idea of silk, although I'm not sure where I'm going to find pants like that. The other problem for me is that I have some moderate to large sized muscles and I find that allot of things are cut for folks I'll call slender. This creates movement problems for me, which is to say on flat land the pants will feel fine and look well enough, but on an incline or in a spot where I need to stretch or pump things can tighten up substantially (with the pants not me, I've destroyed more than one pair of pants this way).
I'll keep your recommendations in mind as I'm shopping for gear. I have both a REI and a Hudson Trail Outfitters not far from my house. I'm trying to cut back on my REI habit a little bit. I find their prices are a little higher unless you can find stuff during one of their sales. I guess it makes up for the dividend they pay at the end of the year.
I have gradually been getting more and more into the new technology of outdoors gear. I've been going camping and hiking ever since I was old enough to be a cub scout and allot of the knowledge I have is from people I'll call old-timers. People who "froo-frooed" fancy yuppie gear in favour of the way things had been done forever. So allot of my gear is/was old traditional gear. Hardly lightweight and not exactly comfortable especially after a couple hours. I thought it'd be a cold day in a dark deep cave before I'd pay $25 for a single set of socks, now I'll happily pay that knowing that I can leave the moleskin in the first aid kit.
Their is no shortage of gear out their, it's just a matter of finding the right combinations of gear to match that days temperature and conditions. I've already spent a small fortune getting up to speed but I really appreciate other folks opinions over those salespeople. Even those at REI or Hudson Trail as friendly as they are they have a job to do.
The hiking is good fun, you learn allot about yourself and pacing and knowing your limitations. The body stress is good for you, but you also learn to be conscious of your safety. Often times you are out of radio range, cellular range and anything short of signal mirror or flare, assuming someone is looking for you. Their is no easy rescue, liberating but sometimes foolish considering the conditions we go out in sometimes. -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Fri, November 2, 2007 - 8:53 AMSilk thermal underwear are actually fairly easy to find these days, at least via mail order. I highly recommend Cabela's, either catalog or website: www.cabelas.com. My dad's been buying from them for years. They tend to cater to hunters and those who work outdoors in lousy conditions, and they carry pretty large sizes. My sweetie swears by them, and he's huge (3XL tall) so the 'slenderness' problem shouldn't be an issue.
Cabela's also has a few retail outlets, in somewhat out of the way areas (I see you are in DC, the nearest one to you is Wheeling, WV). We are very excited that they are opening one in Reno NV in a couple weeks, though. :)
As far as REI goes, I'm a member, and I shop there alot, but they are almost never the best value. It may be evil of me, but I sometimes go try stuff on there and then buy it cheaper online, so you may want to do the same. -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Fri, November 2, 2007 - 11:01 AMI don't think it's evil. I think they know it. My opinion is that's what the membership helps pay for. For higher-end things where the price is essentially the same wherever you go, I find that the dividend offsets the cost.
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Thu, November 1, 2007 - 3:30 PMI need the same info. My 13 year old daughter is going on a week long school trip to Yosemite in February. Staying in cabins, but hiking in any kind of weather. -
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Fri, November 2, 2007 - 2:37 PMChris, with your daughter in Yosemite it won't be as cold as it will be wet. I remember going to the Sierras and freezing my *ss off because I wasn't dressed properly, although in reality it wasn't that cold. She'll want good boots that won't absorb water and wicking socks. I really love polypro under wool socks but she'll probably have a lot more fun with polypro/fleece. I imagine that at 13 it's more about how it looks than how it functions.
If you don't want to invest in premium boots, you can probably find some adequate ones at Big 5 and seam seal them. I'm picturing a kid with growing feet for whom you don't want to spend *hundreds* on boots. Try to avoid the ones with the nylon where water will seep right in. I have a pair of light hikers like that, wore them during a rain through some grass, and was miserable in spite of the fact it was actually not really cold.
Since you're from the Bay Area she likely has a little cold-weather stuff, and if she's staying active outside for the most part she'll probably be fine with whatever you already have. I'd add long undies (I like my silk and she might too since it's not bulky under other clothes), make sure she has a good coat and hat, heavier fleece/wool sweater, and maybe mittens. I prefer mittens to gloves since they're warmer. I made my fleece mittens; they're ugly but my favorite thing for cold weather and snowball fights ;-)
I'd also recommend you talk to her about appropriate clothing so she makes sure to keep her cute jeans for dinnertime around the fire rather than the day hike. Again the issue is more with the kids playing in the snow and wicking the moisture rather than the cold itself. Depending on the type of trip she's going on (i.e. if the hiking won't be hard-core but more like nature walks etc), jeans might be ok if she remembers her long undies. The microfiber pants they have now are cute, comfy and warm in the cold. Not sure how fashionable they are.
I'm not big on fashion myself but I've been a kid surrounded by kids wearing cute stuff, and I've made wrong decisions because my stuff didn't look good enough, so while it shouldn't much matter how it looks, she'll be choosing her outfits for a week and needs to either understand about form vs. function or be willing to wear the functional stuff because she lkes it.
Sorry, I don't meant to rant about the fashion piece like your daughter is some kind of diva. Just trying to help you keep her safe and healthy so she has a great time. Yosemite is beautiful during the winter. I'm jealous!
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Sat, November 3, 2007 - 4:52 AMI fell in love with my Merrells in 1991.
I started the trip without them, only to have my World Walkers give out early in the trip.
Hasty dash back to civilization, quick consultation with the factory and an overnight delivery caused me to be amazed and grateful that they fit.
I had no luxury of a break-in period, so I filled them with water and wore them until they dried out - even slept in them while I was waiting for them to dry. After that, it was thorough coats of Sno-Seal to waterproof them, then back to the back country to resume my trip.
After more than ten years of good service, I finally had to replace them. REI didn't have that model in stock and couldn't even order them, even though they carried that line.
I found out that they weren't made in South Burlington, Vermont, any more.
I had to go to Track and Trail's web site.
In order to get the right size, I ordered both size 13 and size 14, with the intent of returning the ones that didn't fit. I'm glad I did, but it was a $550 charge against the credit card (roughly half was later refunded when the extra pair was received back).
Made in Italy, they are a hand-crafted Alpine boot. The size is partially adjustable by changing the insoles.
If I wasn't able to get the Merrells, I'd have gone with the Vasque Sundowners.
I don't know if they even make them any more.
My Merrells never see street use now, they are reserved solely (ok, that's a bad pun) for hiking.
If it's wet or snowy, I add gaiters.
Your mileage may vary.
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Re: Winter hiking boot recommendations
Sat, November 3, 2007 - 4:54 AMOh, one other possibility...
It used to be that you could get custom made if you ordered them through Whites, in Spokane, Washington.
I don't know if they are still around.
