Lots of posts recommend good rain gear so we got some. Another post alluded to 'good waterproof boots'.
From my perspective there are four types of boots:
There are good leather hiking type boots that may be water resistant
There are good hiking boots that are made of synthetic material and are waterproof but not breathable
There are jungle type boots that anticipate slogging through mud/water and allow the water to 'flow' through -- they provide protection against predators and snakes, etc.
There are full rubber boots like concrete workers wear -- not comfortable for walking a lot but very waterproof
What is the recommendation of the experienced folks who have been there?
* This post was
edited 03/18/08 06:56am by bains *
You should have a pair that is for walking on land but will keep your feet dry and have the ability to handle soft ground with some mud. If you are going to fish off a bank you should have at least hip waders. If you are going to fish out of a boat you should have rubber to the knee boots.
Hook
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In Alaska the full rubber boots are called 'breakup boots'. It's easiest to find them in coastal communities, where fishermen and sailors use them all the time. But in the interior, some tracks become very muddy after the snow melts. We first needed boots like this when we visited friends on a homestead north of Denali as late as August (with a half mile long muddy driveway). Latter the boots were handy when hiking on the coast around Ketchikan and Juneau. Otherwise, comfortable walking/hiking shoes were sufficient.
I normally take to many boots and rain gear to Alaska, this year my wife and I agreed to hold it down a little.
I have a pair of leather work boots that water proof to above the ankles, also a pair of higher dollar sealed and water proof to mid way to the knee. ETC.
It depends on what you are going to do, we walk very little in water so this year forget the big time boots and will only use the leather boots on land and on boats.
Rain hat is important not just the hood on some rain gear also I use the long rain coat.
Hook wrote: You should have a pair that is for walking on land but will keep your feet dry and have the ability to handle soft ground with some mud. If you are going to fish off a bank you should have at least hip waders. If you are going to fish out of a boat you should have rubber to the knee boots.
Hook
Hook is right on here. There is no such thing as "all-purpose" boots - you will need regular hiking boots or street shoes for your regular walking around and rubber boots for when your feet could get wet (fishing, boating, or in muddy rainy conditions). We have three types of boots/shoes...we have short hiking boots for when we are walking in the woods, slip on "visiting shoes" for when we just want to slip on something quick or when we go to someone's house, and good old rubber boots for the wet stuff.
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When I left Alaska, getting close to 6 unfortunate years ago, I had lots of shoes, but only 3 types of boots:
- Stout leather boots that were sno-sealed to oblivion: used these for everything from hiking the Tony Knowles trail to going up flat top to going sheep hunting if that hunt required a long approach; FWIW, these boots were Asolo Denali's and were 20 years old, having been resoled 3 times. Don't think they make them anymore.
- Ankle-fit hip boots for either fishing or hiking in the back country in spring/fall;
- "Plastic" Koflach mountaineering boots for dedicated trips to the mountains.
If I was to live in Southeast, I'd get a pair of knee high rubber boots.
FWIW, my opinion is that (if you're visiting in an RV) you should bring the hip boots and the leather boots. If you need the knee-highs, they can be easily purchased in Alaska.
CRL
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I had a customer who fished the Alaska & northern BC coast. He said that up there they called any Gore-Tex rainwear '15 minute raingear' as that's how long it took to soak through! You have to have the right stuff if you're on that 'wet' coast.
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