Yan 

What is everyone using to keep their feet dry during tours?

mev

It depends...

For most tours and many locations; rain is an infrequent event so I just let me feet get wet.

When I left Prudhoe Bay, I brought shoe covers - in part because I was coming through potential cold/wet and needed to keep my feet ok.

My Trek 520 periodically has fenders. One of them I left hanging on a "road construction next 40km" sign in Russia. The problem is the fenders didn't have much clearance and when going on gravel/mud roads the fenders get jammed with mud. I had similar problem on the Dempster Highway.

I have also used plastic bags on my feet.

djb

One advantage with shoe covers is that grit and muck can really get all over your shoes, even with fenders if riding on dirt.
Being an inherent pragmatic, shoe covers mean less work.

ThermionicScott 

Enclosing my feet too well, for too long, leads to athlete's foot and I hate it. I go the other way and err on the side of ventilation, so my feet may get wet, but then they'll have a good chance of drying as soon as conditions allow.

staehpj1

Shoes with lots of mesh and (synthetic fiber) socks that don't hold much water, dry fast, and don't feel too soppy when wet. I hesitated to vote since I didn't consider that nothing.

I have used shoe covers when it was cold around home, but never on tour.

indyfabz

For those considering grocery bags, keep in mind that more and more states and municipalities are banning single use plastic shopping bags. And many businesses have stopped using them. Last September I toured from northern Vermont to Philly. No plastic grocery bags in VT, MA or the areas of NY I was in. I didn’t need any in NJ, but the state has since banned them. However, you can still get plastic produce bags. I would usually snag a couple at larger stores to use for trash in camp.

Tourist in MSN

Above ones I think are Gore Windstopper. Which shoe cover I use depends on which shoes I use, the covers shown above do not fit over my Keen cycling sandal shoes, I use some others (I think Showers pass but not sure) with my Keens. I do not have a photo of those.

In other words, make sure your covers fit your shoes before you go on a tour.

For near-freezing temperatures, I use some made from wetsuit material.

epnnf

When you ride a bicycle, youre gonna get wet. IME, weather doesnt matter, neither does what youre wearing.

indyfabz

I’ll keep that in mind the next time I might have to descend from 8,000’ in cold rain, sleet and snow. Perhaps I’ll leave the foul weather gear at home.

veganbikes

You gotta have fenders. In terms of foot protection, these days I have waterproof socks but if I was on tour and expecting a lot of rain I would probably bike in something that dried quickly or was well ventilated but might still have the waterproof socks especially for cooler weather. I do have shoe covers and do use them sometimes but more in winter or cooler temps because my feet sweat and don't want to get any foot issues,

njkayaker

Are you trying to keep your feet dry or warm?

Water is going to get in somehow (including by running down your leg) given enough time.

GhostRider62

Generally, sealskinz "waterproof" socks with goretex rain trousers with sufficient length to keep rain from running down legs into shoes. Wet and cold like Scotland or Nz? Add fenders and clean room booties inside the shoes. I also use the booties in skanky showers.

79pmooney

Racing tip - make sure your shoes have holes in the forward portion of the sole. First race: 105 miles in pouring rain. (Rain started 10pm the night before and never stopped. We joked about what makes of tires tasted best. Finish was in the center of town. Park across the street - every bush hid several racers emptying bladders. I never thought about my feet - until I heard the woes of racers who's shoes lacked the drainage holes.

greatbasin

I hadn't thought about it.

Daily Precipitation in 2022. The precipitation in February and April was snow.


I didn't think about it last year either. It rained once in October.



Daily Precipitation in 2021

indyfabz

About what?

stardognine

I don't usually worry too much about wet feet, within reason. Wool socks are mandatory, and that's usually enough. But for winter riding, going through the mountains, good Gore-Tex boots are just what you need. Last winter, I tried a pair of those military ones, that are tan, and have a full Gore-Tex insert, like a sewn-in sock, and I was amazed at how warm my feet stayed.

Those boots were actually made for desert use, but work great in the snow too. 👍 They take a little getting used to, lol, but after I made myself use them for a couple days, I'm a firm believer. 😎

Tourist in MSN

Most of my shoes will drain though the cleat hardware that is in the shoe. But I do have one pair of shoes that are like you cited, the shoes do not drain well.

You will know if your shoes drain after you step in a puddle and water from the puddle flowed upward through the shoe sole into your socks.

Tourist in MSN

I think your example is the exception, not the norm.

This is more often what I see.



But, you are right, there are some locations where it may be quite dry. On the second half of my Pacific Coast trip, I put my raingear in the bottom of a pannier and left it there.

staehpj1

I have not had too much rain on my tours. Yes it rained and rained hard at times, but not all that many days in total. Also very little snow, I typically have way more issues with brutal heat and forest fire smoke. I try to plan times and routes that avoid it but it follows me. It seems that newspaper headlines are about record heat wherever I go.

GhostRider62

I seal off the drain holes in my cycling shoes.

Touring in heavy rain, your feet are going to get moist even with fenders.

Wool with a vapor barrier is what is needed, whether plastic bags, goretex, or my approach (clean room booties). That is my preference.....warm and moist over cold and wet.

indyfabz

I would have been in the pink in mid-June of 2020 had COVID not caused Delta to so drastically alter my flight schedule that it made the trip impracticable. The summit of the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway (a little to the right of "Montana"), which is the 8,000' elevation I mention above, had up to two feet of snow in places and was impassible.

The road cam shot is from a few miles south of one place I had planned to stay in Idaho before heading up high on a dirt climb.

djb

So Yan, what are your experiences?
Do you have experiences?
Are you more leaning towards getting an opinion through people's answers?

To me, it really depends on the situation, but obviously if my bike has fenders, then they are there, and really, rain booties come in many shapes and sizes, but even mine which are more on the looser side, still fold down very flat and don't take up much space, so I just bring them if rain expected over the day if commuting, over a few days if a short trip, or on any longer trip.

​​​​​​If it doesn't bother you with wet and maybe crud and grit covered shoes, hell just go without, it's up to you.
And don't forget, it takes just 10 seconds to take them off if it stops raining and all dries out, so getting hot feet has never been a problem for me, I just take them off, easy peasy.

raybo

I've tried various shoe covers and waterproof socks. Either they were very hard to put on and take off or wore out quickly when I walked on them. I came up with an idea using a slit water bottle and a nylon gaiter that works well enough. My rain pants go over the gaiters and keep my socks dry.

I detest riding in wet shoes. I don't ride in the rain around my local area. Only when I am on tour.

stardognine

Jimi Hendrix did, and that's alright, man. 😋😁

Sorry, it's just that your question made me have to try to think about what you meant, exactly. 🤔😉

stardognine

You must be on the left coast here? I think we've had quite enough of these 100°F days now. 😵