My crewmates have all gone and invested in these types of boots:
And I have these:
Granted, these cheap rubber boots have crossed a very cold ocean and survived years of San Francisco Bay sailing. You just wear good socks with them. Problem is I really don't have good socks. Tillerman has good socks. But I don't.
So, do I go out and get some "technical" socks and voluntarily give up any self respect that I have? Or do I wear wool work socks that will keep my feet warm and maybe wick moisture away? Do I give in to the peer pressure of these fancy boots everyone has or do I trust in the fact that I've stayed warm in the exact kind of weather we're expecting for the first few days? After those first few days, it's tropical city baby, and I'm wearing my converse.
This is agonizing. I have three options:
- $350 on boots
- $20-30 bucks per pair of "technical socks"
- wear what I got for free
9 comments:
Use the West Marine boots. Buy the good socks. I got some decent ones at REI for $20.
I think I'm with you...I only need them for 2-3 days and then i get to use them on the bay for all my real cold weather sailing.
I swore by the very same pair of "old friends" until I realized the soles had lost their grip. I hated having to retire them (they're now garden boots), but then that's your first line of defense between you and the drink. I ended up buying the "fancy" ones thinking they and I would be around much longer to share the tales. They grip like glue, they breath (your boat mates will thank you) and boy are they comfortable. I may even be able to pass them down one day to say a foot-loose Packcupper.
What Lonnie said. Those boots will keep you as dry as the high-priced tread.
To stay warm:
Good
Better
Best
KISS
Technical socks for sure! You can always wear them on land, and cut back on your terrestrial sock budget to further support the purchase.
I'm sorry I must not be a real sailor, I wear booties or sandles when I go sailing. You can always be different go barefoot, just try not to stub a toe.
it's gonna be a bit cold for barefoot or sandals. High boots are very comfortable with foulies. You dinghy people have different needs I think. Neoprene boots for 3 straight days and my feet would be shriveled like a raisin.
I just got a pair of nice merino wool and some synthetic crap high socks. If they're comfortable I'll get another pair. I got some similar to o-docker's better suggestion. The exact ones he referenced were only available in women's sizes.
I have the advantage of having such small feet that I wear children's sizes, which are a lot less expensive than the adults'. The disadvantage is that the manufacturers assume that children will outgrow things quickly, so they aren't built to last.
The best wet-condition boots I ever had were some obscenely optimistically yellow boots from Land's End. I matched those with some excellent wool/synthetic blend socks that I got from a local sporting-goods store that specialized in supplies for hunters. (Think of duck hunters, sitting still in a blind in a swamp in a rain/sleet storm in late November.)
I'm right up there with Lonnie -- go for the best socks that you can get. If they wick well, your feet won't get soggy, and you will be much happier.
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