Gene's slogging through the Florida rough reminded me of a mangrove hammock photo outing I was part of several years back. Being the last one of my group to cross a canal by way of a large old tree trunk, I was half way across when it snapped. I went straight to the bottom, about ten feet down, where my shoes got stuck in the silt. I kept my head, and after the longest minute of my life managed to free myself from my shoes and swim to the surface. Tore up my feet pretty good making it back to the car. Anybody have any experience with making emergency footwear? Regards, Keys

Interesting problem. I have had to reattach soles which cames off in mid trip before. Duct tape worked fine for that.

If I had to make something from scratch, I think I would take the pockets off my backpack, stuff them with padding (grass, extra T-shirt, whatever), and tie or duct tape them to my feet - or something basically similar.

If I were beachcombing on the USA Channel Islands (where I worked for the past sixteen years or so) I would find some polypro rope - very common item on the beach - and try and weave up a pair of sandals, like the ones I have often excavated in archeological digs. That would take a little bit of time.

Often when I backpack, I carry a light pair of Aquasox for stream crossings. If I lost my shoes, I would be able to walk for a fairly good distance in those.

Of course, real men could go barefoot... This is a real alternative, but you have to prep before hand.

Well done hikerdon!
Sitting here looking at my backpack, it has two side pockets that could be cut off and made into quite durable foot cover. Regards, Keys

This is a great topic. Foot problems can easily isolate a person in the wilderness.

I take many groups of teens on hikes throughout the year. Many of these kids are poor kids from the inner city and this is their first time in the wilderness. Believe it or not here in Brazil kids will show up for a day long hike over rough trails in flip-flops. They know better now, I won't let them go if they don't have at least sneakers on.

On every trip the sole rips off of someone's shoe. The first time this happened I was unprepared and ended up "sewing" the sole back together with fibers from some old rope we found tangled in a creek. On that occasion I used my leatherman to poke holes and drag the threads through the rubber sole. I now always have duct tape and a heavy needle and thread along to fix shoes.

I carry a pair of light sandals in my pack for use around camp and when wading or crossing streams. I never walk in water barefoot (only at the beach), that is just asking for trouble. If I had to they could be used as a back-up for my boots. Mac

What could I do with my psk for footwear?

The wire-saw could be used to form foot sized planks from a small log. The Xacto blade could drill out holes for paracord to turn this into a flip-flop type sandal. With a pair of holes at the front between big toe and next and a pair of holes at the side of the heal you could even fashion something that would adequately grip the heel. Not sure I would have enough paracord for that though. A little of work on my pants would liberate enough extra strips of cord to finish the sandal straps. The wooden soles would not be too great for traction but would provide real good protection from ground debris. If I were walking over pebbles, nettles, prikly-pear or blackberry or like areas I would want the sole protection.

Something similar to this sandal wouldn't be too hard to fashion. If I wanted something with a bit more flexibility I would try to find an old tire or get a large piece of leather or rubber. An old tire with decent tread would be optimal.

This line of thought is really got me intrigued. I may try to fashion a pair of these just for the exercise. This might be considered essential primitive / urban survival skill.

Shoe Goo has always been part of my repair kits.

http://www.bootrepair.com/goo.htm

It is great for gluing back on a sole or filling in a hole or worn spot. It is a good adhesive which will stick to any thing and a good filler material which is very resistant to abrasion. It is not only good for shoes/boots but I have used it for all kinds of things were a glob of sealant, water proofer, filler or adhesive would do the trick. Kinda like liquid duct tape.

miniMe,
You have some good ideas. I had searched the forum for threads on this topic, but couldn't find anything. I think I'll try some footwear construction just for fun myself. Regards, Keys

Hey. Just a thought: Flip Flops don't weigh a lot and take up very little space in a backpack. Their main drawback is that they "flop" around as you walk. All the wear and tear on your feet occurs as they rub. If you duct taped the flip flop to your foot, or alternately, made a shoe out of the flip flop and duct tape, you could have a cheap, light weight emergency back up. Slippers and sole inserts would work well, too.
I have wanted to make my own pair of shoes for a while, now. I wanted a slipper with a slightly thicker, but still soft, sole.

I had thought about flipflops too, and I guess a pair wouldn't add too much weight to a pack. I would have paid twenty bucks for some that day. I have to admit I was not very prepared for the possibilities, given the elements we were in. I had figured we would never be too far from the cars. Turns out we were the most distance away and the furthest from the trail when my accident happened. While flipflops are not exactly the perfect gear for the rough, they would make a good sole to start out with to build something up. Many thanks, Keys

Both these resources cover longer term solutions to improvised foot wear but you might find them interesting.WWW.hollotop.com/sandals.htm covers tire sandals and the book " Clothing Made in the Wilderness" by Michael S. Ager covers a wide assortment of self made footwear. It's and old book,1981, and the only source that still carries it is Dixie Gun Works. Hope that helps. Little Bear

That link doesn't work. I think the correct link is this. Very interesting. Thanks

Thanks, yes that's the right link. If you can get it in England Mike's book is very good and extensive even though its only 71 pages. Its pretty rare thou since I read it in 1981 i've only heard it mentioned once and that was by Aboman in his book.

Pete, thanks for the link. I like the design for those sandals.

I've had 2 significant footwear problems.

Once, during a pre-survival mode of life, I was hiking on a BSA outing. The sole on my boot came loose from the toe to the front of the heel. I was only a mile or two from the car, but the terrain was rough for my tender feet. Fortunately, another Boy Scout was better prepared than I. He had a roll of tape. Not duct tape, but it still made an effective expedient repair. Back at home Shoe Goo made for a durable repair. Now I'm a devoted believer of carrying my own duct tape.

A few years ago I was hunting over an irrigated farm field. Some of my birds dropped about 20-30 feet into the flooded field. I quickly learned that the water was about 3" over the tops of my boots. Next I discovered that my boots sunk deep into the thick, gooey, soil which strongly held my boots down. I had traversed about 10' of the muck and my boots were stuck. Eventually I was able to pull one foot out of the mire, but not the boot. After several more minutes of exertion, I was able to lift the foot while keeping the boot on. Naturally putting my weight on the one foot as I twisted my body to free the foot pushed the second foot deeper into the muck. And of course none of my hunting party was in sight. After about ½ hour I worked my way back to dry land.

In that episode, I learned several lessons: I check carefully for water depth, how deeply I tend to sink into it, and how tenaciously it holds onto my boots. I also leave my shotgun at my shooting position & carry a pole with a hook on it to pick up the birds with less wading into the mire. It also doubles as a walking stick to aid in balancing when the mud holds my boots too strongly. Come to think of it, a pool cleaning net on a long telescoping pole would work even better.

John