The idea of being out walking (disaster or no disaster) with my ears plugged with music gives me the heebie-jeebies! Why would anyone want to do that?

Flying so high, with your head in the sky...

Sue

Look again at the photo I posted. Those are not holes in the side, they are just designs in the leather and yes they are 100% waterproof.

2lbs 1oz is light for a pair of boots. When you mentioned earlier you had heavy boots, the thought came to mind of boots in the upper 3 to 4 lb range.

Everyone has different ideas what they consider the most appropriate kit and footwear. However in all reality, when and if the time comes, the best kit and footwear may possibly be what you have with you on that day and it may not always be what you want it to be, but it should help you to get home safely...and in reality, thats all that matters.

So your boots are cheap and weigh only slightly more than 2 pounds (which is quite light). 'Nam boots or something similar?

There are probably much better boots for your purpose. When you walk any significant distance, your foot gear is your single most important piece of equipment (well, actually, your two most important pieces of equipment). I used to put big money into my hiking and climbing boots and shoes. Today, very comfortable and functional foot wear is available at relatively cheap prices, although they are not as durable as the items available years ago.

My outdoor experience has convinced me that the three items on which I will spend whatever is necessary to obtain appropriate gear are boots, backpack and bag (sleeping). Just about everything else can be improvised or worked around. Put care and thought into obtaining good items for your feet.

By the way, I am not at all convinced that high top shoes necessarily prevent sprains and other injuries when hiking. High tops definitely are worth it in a work environment as protection agains various dings and blunt trauma. Anyone know of any studies?

Here are some pictures of damage from the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually quake in 2001. Some of them show the debris, and at least one of the triggered mud slides from the quake. If Seattle gets hit with the big one, a person probably would want some sort of safety boot to get out of the downtown debris field.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/photogallery/quake/photo18.html

+1. Absolutely correct.

x3! Footwear is the one thing I will spend whatever it takes to be comfortable. If there's one lesson I've learned in life, there is nothing more miserable than having to walk around in an ill-fitting pair of shoes.



While I agree lighter is better when it comes to footwear, I'm similar to you in that I've never been comfortable in low top shoes due to weak ankles. Maybe it's psychological, but when it comes to something as personal as boots, it doesn't matter what the science is as long as you feel good in them. I've somewhat compromised on getting a lightweight mid top all leather dayhiking boot. The added feeling of stability (real or imagined) is worth the trade off in weight.

Another reason I don't like low cut trail runners is the constant irritation from having debris getting into the shoe. I do have gaiters that would probably solve the problem, but by the time you add the weight and trouble of the gaiters I may as well have worn a taller shoe to begin with.

When it comes to water crossings, I've found there's no difference between low vs. high. What are the chances of crossing water that is exactly between 3"-4" deep. In those situation either your feet are gonna get wet or they aren't. If crossing water is inevitable, I'd rather have a fast draining (non-goretex) shoe than a waterproof one.

Also, if you're going to get Superfeet or any other type of insoles, just know that those need to be broken in just like boots. The first time you use insoles it'll probably feel like something's wrong, but the pain goes away after about a week.

Hey great job man. I'm not going to jump on the shoe deal but want to impress the lesson you learned regarding water and reaching it. This is something that probably a couple dozen of us realized when you wrote it and should have mentioned before hand.

First, for two hours even in the rain, you did not drink nearly enough and in a SHTF situation your adrenaline will be much higher. You mentioned only drinking 16oz. Got to do better. Whether that be by moving Nalgene bottles around or using a hydration reservoir.

I also clip my bottles to the pack, as I have lost them on the trail. On a couple of my packs its pretty easy to reach and unclip with the pack on my back. On a few others I dummy cord the bottle with a couple feet of 550 cord so even if it falls out it drags behind to I figure it out.

Rather than use a water bladder system I just attach a Smartube to some Tatonka Stainless Steel water bottles held in side pockets of my day pack. Sigg Neoprene Covers for the bottles help with the friction holding them in the side pockets reasonably securely. The stainless internal steel walls of the bottle also help with the sterilisation of the water when giving the water a blast with a Steripen.

http://www.bluedesert.co.il/

Yeah, I definitely need to drink more water. As I am sure most of you know. In a strenuous situation, if you wait until you are thirsty to drink, it is too late. Between a smaller pack and being overweight, I can't really reach the water bottles that are located in the side pockets of my pack. This is where the small 16oz bottle at my waist is working well for me.

What I need to do is develop a rhythm to my water intake. Back in my youth when I did a lot bicycling, I set up a countdown timer on my watch. It was set to go off every 20 min. That would be my reminder to take a drink of water. After I had done that long enough, I found I had developed a rhythm to it and didn't need the alarm any longer.

If I work on developing a rhythm like that now (and keep it practiced), then I won't need something like the alarm if my GHB really comes into play. Having an alarm go off would not be good for keeping a low profile.

Other methods, like counting steps, can also be used to aid in drinking enough water, but in the past I have found that mentally counting steps reduces my situational awareness. (often the counting became fairly automatic, but, when that happens, I found I often keep right on counting long past my target number.)

While the hydration pack would be a better solution, the pack I have now is what I have already spent the money on. As stated previously, there really isn't room for an add-on bladder in the pack now. In the future I may replace the pack and would get hydration then, but funds are limited and this is the pack I have now.

Filling the 16oz from the 32os bottles periodically will work pretty well for now. Besides, when the 16oz bottle is empty, that is a good sign that I should stop and take a break anyway. Stopping to fill the 16oz from the 32oz will make that happen automatically.



I fully agree on securing the water bottles. There was bottled water in a side pocket of my work backpack. One day it fell out somewhere between work and home and I never realized it until the next day. Can't take any chances on something like that in an emergency situation. For this pack, I used small utility carabiners to clip the Nalgene bottles to a pack tightener strap. The waist pack comes with the standard elastic bungee holder.

The idea of using paracord to secure the bottle is a great one. Especially if it is on several feet of it. That insures that not only is it not lost if it falls out, but you can't accidentally leave it behind and you can't forget to secure it either. I'm beginning to think of paracord as the survivalist's duct tape. The uses are virtually infinite. Thanks for the suggestion.