We are going to be hiking in Tasmania soon and I've been told to expect lots of rain and mud. Will trail shoes and gaiters do the job or should I consider buying some boots? I am thinking mainly about whether my shoes will ever dry out or feel comfortable if they are constantly filling up with sludge!

While on a normal trip I usually dont give it too much thought and just walk through it and deal with it. However, on a trip where I know for a fact it is going to be nothing but mud city I do alter my footwear. I wear my old pair of bellville combat boots and my OR Croc gaiters.

With this setup my feet stay dry and I can usually keep most of the mud off of my clothes and out of my boots. So in essence I recommend a taller boot that is tight fitting as to prevent mud from entering. Even if you dont have a tall boot to use, gaiters are a must and the taller the better IMO.

I hiked a part of a recently used logging trail with this setup where the mud was seriously 2ft deep or more in places. And other than the mud all over my boots and gaiters and some on my pants my feet were dry and happy.

this article talks about mud and footwear:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/cold_wet_gear.html
this article talks about being wet and your footwear:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_guide_to_backpacking_in_sustained_rain.html

Edited by annapurna on 08/14/2011 09:51:22 MDT.

4" of mud or 2'? On the 4" side, mid-high boots and gaiters. No experience on the up-to-your-knees-suck-your-boots-off stuff other than jaunts on tidal flats. Good luck there!

I'd wear the same shoes for everything. I might take gaiters, but you can simply clean off the pants at the next water source.

I haven't yet used trail runners in any of New Zealand's most notorious mud spots, but this is one time when I would consider longer gaiters. Other issues are that trail runners may get sucked of your feet more easily than boots. Also in thick deep mud you can't always see well where you are putting your feet, so boots may provide more foot protection than trail runners. So far though I have found trail runners to be fine in moderate mud.

We just came down the mountain this morning in clouds, fog and mud. Yesterday was so much nicer....



So, in a rain forest you have two choices. Lot's of mud wear ExtraTufs, not a lot of mud, wear your hiking shoes, and don't use "waterproof" shoes. I usually just wear shoes.

My wife hiked a lot in Tasmania -- Cradle Mountain -- and she wore shoes. Her comment is the rangers say walk on the trail and get wet. She might bring aqua socks for the worst part

Edited by Umnak on 08/14/2011 16:05:35 MDT.

I do most of my tramping in the Tararuas here in New Zealand (it's the closest mountain range to home), and they are well known for their mud. There are many different types of mud and bogs ranging from Plasticine-like through varying stages of liquidity to thin mud soup to OMG-how-deep-is-that shoe suckers. Virtually every route has some degree of mud involved. Tasmanian mud is somewhat similar.

I've used all sorts of footwear from 4 season leather boots to lighter 3 season fabric boots to trail shoes in these mud ponds and regardless of what footwear you use, you get dirty and wet, or in a word, muddy. What is most important is grip, because the last thing you want to do is to slip and have an involuntary full body mud pack, not at all pleasant! So whatever shoes you use need deep open lugs, and I find that most typical running shoes are just too slippery. I haven't tried fell running shoes from the likes of Walsh or Inov-8 but they look good as an UL option for mud.

Gaiters make a huge difference. Less mud inside the shoe or boot and your socks stay cleaner. Short ankle gaiters for going lightweight, knee length snow gaiters for protection.

My personal UL setup currently is synthetic and leather trim Salomon trail shoes and 400D nylon ankle gaiters. For rougher terrain and more robust use I use Scarpa ZG65 GTX boots and knee length canvas gaiters.

There are many techniques for walking through mud. Some dance around the edges but this causes the mud to spread out further. Others plow straight through, like myself, using rocks and tree roots and clumps of plants to stand on. I find this is the most efficient way through mud.

With experience you will learn to "read" mud and be able to choose the appropriate path and technique. Have fun.

Thanks for all the great responses. I feel more confident about bucking the boot trend (everone else i know) now that I have heard others' experiences. The weather should not be anywhere near freezing unless we get a surprise snow dump in summer so I am happy to stay with my trail shoes and take on some of the suggestions like gaiters and waterproof socks.

@Anna. Thanks for the links. They were really helpful.

@ Barry. I hope I learn to 'read' the mud quickly so I don't lose my shoes or have a mud bath! BTW, NZ is our next planned trans-Tasman walking destination after the Overland track.

I found some photos demonstrating the proper technique and attitude required to tackle mud. These photos were from a tramp I did with my 8 yr old daughter two months ago up to Mt Holdsworth in the Tararuas. It's the most popular trip in the range so the track is to a much higher standard than most tracks/routes in the ranges, but there are still some mud patches.

Barry, brilliant photos! Brings back some memories. I had forgotten how much I loved mud when I was young (only a few years ago, ha ha!). Thanks for the inspiration and proper instruction... I'll make sure I try to enjoy the mud as much as your daughter. I wonder why I started worrying about it?

Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who posted links and suggestions! We had a fabulous time on our Tasmania trip with rain and mud, snow and slush, and a few spots of sunshine thrown in.

For anyone else pondering their foot comfort in wet and cold conditions, the three articles that helped me were:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/cold_wet_gear.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_guide_to_backpacking_in_sustained_rain.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_footwear_systems_for_snow_travel_part_3.html

In the end, I decided to experiment a little.

I spent a day walking in my ‘thinny thin’ socks and mesh trail shoes. I managed to stay dry for a while, stone hopping to avoid puddles and mud patches, but eventually I misjudged a step and then my feet were soaked. I felt quite liberated after that, jumping in puddles (like Barry’s daughter!) and forging through the mud. It was a weird sensation as my footsteps pumped the water out of my shoes. My feet were soaked and never got warm. It became quite uncomfortable by the end of the day.

The track after one hour of rain


Next day, I wore my thin socks under some Rocky Goretex Socks and got some serious hotpots (which I managed and never turned into blisters). I gave up on the Rocky Socks until the morning I woke up to snow falling and decided to give them another go. This time I put some Ininji toe sock liners underneath my regular socks and what a difference it made. Out of 30+ people at the hut for dinner that night, only one other person had dry feet. My husband, with his Goretex boots, had soaking shoes for most of the trip! As long as I walked fast enough my feet stayed warm despite slogging through snow and mud. Another big benefit, though short-lived, is that my mesh shoes did dry out each night.

Happy feet!

Edited by sim1oz on 04/26/2012 06:12:47 MDT.

I tried for a long time to come up with a system that does something to keep my feet dry and warm without mud but just decided it was easier for me to bring an extra pair or two of good wool socks to go with the Chacos and just get muddy. I could always roll up my pant legs if I needed to.