I'm planning a trip to the Minnesota Boundary Waters (BWCAW) in October. Some canoeing and some hiking. I'm thinking Gore-Tex hiking boots may not be able to keep my feet sufficiently dry. Would rubber or neoprene knee boots be a good choice for getting in and out of the canoe and portaging? How about simple 5-buckle overshoes, so I can wear a comfortable pair of boots underneath, and take the 5-buckles off when conditions are dry? What is everybody's input?

Classic mid weight to heavy weight leather or Gore-tex hikers depending on portage lengths and pack weight. You want waterproof boots and and pair of light weight sandels for camp, like reefs or something no-frill. With todays boots, depending on what your doing, you could go with a light boot/shoe but I'd still go waterproof. There is no need for an Alaskan knee boot.

The average temps for the beginning of October are a high of 55F and a low of 35F.

Portages will not be very long or very many, as far as carrying heavy loads. Hiking will likely be day trips or short hikes away from the shoreline. Loads will be a light day pack. At those temps, I probably won't need much insulation value in whatever I wear on my feet.

Not sure what an "Alaskan" boot is, but I was thinking something similar to a "Muck" brand boot. The downfall would obviously be lack of breathability and support, but the upside would be staying dry in the water and mud.





The advantage of 5-buckle overshoes would be that I could wear comfortable, supportive shoes/boots underneath, and still have 15 inches of waterproof-ness.

PLUS +

Maybe I'm nuts. Nobody sees a need to be waterproof above the ankle?

You're over thinking this plus if you're in water up to your knees your doing something wrong If I were headed up there I would wear my Merrell Moab Mid Gore-Tex XCR Hiking Boots. Light weight, waterproof (pretty much) and sturdy enough for hiking and light backpacking. Plus they are cheap.

Tonka wrote:if you're in water up to your knees your doing something wrong

Like hiking off-trail and landing a canoe at places other than established portages and campsites? Exactly.

Coming from a canyoneering background rather than a canoeing background, if I am going to be in and out of water all day long, regardless of the height of the water, I wear my S-10 Canyoneering boots with Sealskin waterblocker socks.

The soles on the boots are designed to grip wet and slick surfaces. Of course, no sole works on slime coated rocks.

To soften out the hiking on hard ground, I used a cheap sport-gel insert in each boot.

If I did not have canyoneering boots, I would wear my summer adventure racing shoes, which are designed to dry fast, and my Sealskin waterblocker socks. However, I would not take my gortex adventure racing shoes because they take a long time to dry out.