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dig_scott
Jan 14, 2006, 11:34 PM
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I'm heading to south america (argentina) to do some peaks via the standard routes. I now have Montrail Ice 9 leather boots. To avoid having to buy plastics i'm thinking of wearing VBS to keep my boots dry. The boots aren't big enough to wear large socks so I will need to just wear a midweight wool sock with VBSs.
I've never tried any on and am just woundering if they will fold under my feet and give me blisters.
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graniteavenger
Jan 15, 2006, 12:55 AM
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A friend of mine used to spray his feet with anti persperant to limit the sweating in the VB's. Doubt you'd want to carry it on a longer trip, but its a thought. He swore by it, but he was a really sweatty bloke :shock: .
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jimdavis
Jan 15, 2006, 4:02 AM
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I just used some fleece lined, neoprene VB socks for a few days without problems. I used a thin liner sock inside of them, as neoprene insulates pretty well...and I used them in Sorels, not plastics...but the socks were really big on me (think 2 sizes+) and I didn't have a single issue.
Cheers,
Jim
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anykineclimb
Jan 15, 2006, 5:00 AM
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Get some plastic baggies from the grocery market (produce section)
they're a "little" cheaper than VB's and can actually last quite a while.
Oh and the antipersperant thing does work. The soles of your feet is the most concentrated are os sweet glands anywhere on the body. Spray on daily a week or so before a trip and it should last a while. You could try a roll on during the trip, but I've never tried that.
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jimdavis
Jan 15, 2006, 7:48 AM
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Subway sandwich bags are the best, if your gonna dirtbag it....or so I hear.
Cheers,
Jim
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toml
Jan 23, 2006, 8:34 PM
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Also, if you carry a little bit of duct tape with you, blisters won't be a problem. Athletic tape also works well but tends to fall off faster.
Roll a couple feet of duct tape onto a golf pencil (i.e. a stick about as wide as the tape). If you start getting blisters or hot spots, throw a slab of duct tape at the affected area - and if you're smart, the same area on the other foot. The blisters come from the friction of sock against skin, so you can obliterate blisters entirely.
Hopefully, you'll have thin liner socks for comfort*, then the VB socks, then a thick(er) sock outside, so you'll still have plenty of layers absorbing friction. (The duct tape, unlike athletic tape, is quite slick, so the inner sock will slide around more without the friction against your skin, but unless your whole foot is covered in tape, you'll be fine.)
*because sticking your foot directly into a plastic bag for days on end feels nasty from the get-go.
And to your original question, the elasticity of the outer sock SHOULD hold the VB sock reasonably tightly, so even if it does bunch up in one area, it should stay constant. Nobody I know has VB socks that actually 'fit'.
Any plastic bag that fits your foot and is durable enough to survive a few days will work. As mentioned, sandwich bags and supermarket sacks are a lot cheaper - and they're so cheap and light, you can easily bring a few spares just in case.
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rocknut1
Jan 23, 2006, 9:09 PM
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Skip the vapor barrier socks, I am going down to climb Aconcagua and Mercedario from Feb 2 to 28.
I use the anti-perspirant method.
Go to any Walgreens its called Certain Dry anti-perspirant.
I also use it in the summer on my hands for rock climbing, it works great.
It has 12% Aluminum Chloride 3-4 times what regular deodorant has.
Its a liquid in a roll on container.
Roll it on your hands and rub it on your feet, that way your hands and feet sweat less.
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thatnameisalreadychosen
Jan 23, 2006, 10:32 PM
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Registered: Nov 24, 2005
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BEWARE - Montrail Ice 9 Crampons have been recalled!!!!:
from www.montrail.com:
ICE 9 & Khumbu Crampons:
RECALLED in February 2005. Please stop using these crampons and call 1-800-826-1598 for further instructions
as for your question:
if your feet have the possibility of being IN snow (as opposed to on top of snow) you really should opt for plastic boots
vb socks are great and everyone's suggestions seem good enough as the idea is that your body will stop sweating when your skin reaches a certian wetness/humidity which is what happens when you trap the sweat against your feet
my feet sweat more than my armpits, especially when im stressin' so i use vbs like this:
1. cover clean & dry feet with antipersirant cream (arrid extra dry) b/c i dont like sprays for many reasons and let them dry (if you start this a couple weeks before your trip the chemicals in the antipersirant do a better job of reducing sweat)
2. i put a really thin liner sock on
3. then the vb socks (or bags or whatever)
4. then put a warm wool sock over the vbs
you really need to take the boots and wet socks off at the end of the day, dry your feet and put some dry socks on or you will wind up with trench foot
i have a pair of montrail olympus which are great for hiking (like the ice 9 they were sold as an integrated system to work with the ice 9 crampons) - i just got back from a weekend at ouray ice climbing with them and i have to tell you that i think they suck for anything but hiking - when i returned the crampons for the recall, they said that they wouldnt return the boots because the boots would work with any other step in crampon.
Well, i bought a pair of G14s (which are killer) but the way the boot was set up on the bottom, the sole kept releasing the spring which kept releasing the crampon
happy climbing!!
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