waterproof minimalist shoes?

[Wanda]

hi everyone,



I'm new to this board and started minimalist shod running two weeks ago. I run in the merrell barefoot pace gloves for women and I'm looking for a waterproof minimalist shoe. the merrell embark is a goretex version but it's only for men and since my feet are very slender, I'm afraid I'll "swim" in them.

Do you have any advice which minimalist shoe which is waterproof (I live in Austria with rain and snow so I think the pace glove will get wet very quickly) I can buy as a woman with slender feet?



thanks a lot!

wanda

 

[Nyah]

You can try "water shoes",

You can try "water shoes", "pool shoes", etc, which are terms for really inexpensive, minimally constructed shoes that often have an overabundance of neoprene rubber which makes the upper fairly waterproof. Scuba booties are similar (although often with better features than water shoes). However, are you really sure that "waterproof" is something you want? For the sole, yes, I agree on the importance of that being waterproof but, for the upper, I find that ventilation is a good thing, even when wading/slogging through deep snow.



What you might be overlooking is that wool socks insulate even when wet. They ventilate and keep your feet dry.



A shoe with a rubber upper doesn't ventilate at all. While it keeps water from coming in, it also prevents sweat from getting out. Your foot ends up being very wet with sweat.

So I suggest trying wool socks with your shoes. Or if you want something more minimal, you could try a wool felt slipper with a high back - Apply latex rubber or tool-dip to the bottom if they only have felt there. That's what I'll probably be doing this winter.

 

[Wanda]

hi thanks for your answer!

hi



thanks for your answer! I just don't like to run with wet feet. I'm not entirely convinced by the watershoes, since they are supposed to get wet in water, I can't imagine that they are waterproof when running in snow. Anyone has experiences with that?

Wool ist no option, since I'm vegan.



thanks!

wanda

 

[Nyah]

You're not going to have dry

You're not going to have dry feet while running in waterproof shoes. They'll make your feet wet, regardless of what you're running through. This problem is inherent to neoprene rubber, which is what all water shoes have, as far as I've seen so, if you missed it in my first post, I don't recommend water shoes at all. Your feet will be wet while running in them because the material the uppers are made of is waterproof.

I don't recommend avoiding wool. There are alternatives made of synthetic materials but, they're ecologically unfriendly and they don't have the felting properties that wool has.

 

[Wanda]

I avoid wool for ethical

I avoid wool for ethical reasons. Sheep are bred to be slaughtered and big wool farms use practiques such as "mulesing" on a regular basis which is nothing but torture. I don't think that it is necessary and just to torture animals so I won't buy wool-socks.

I thought about that problem with the water shoes, since neopren suits also let water in....

Mmh.. maybe I'll find a solution. Winter hasn't arrived yet