boots vs plastic boots

Adam Burch wrote:You talking single leathers, I'm assuming. My experience is mostly multi-day trips in the Sierra. Taking care of your feet is an all day affair. Try and knock the snow/ice buildup off the laces/top part of your boot as the day progresses - don't let it buildup and consolidate. Vestibule of the tent is your friend at the end of the day (if you have one). Again, bang out your boots as best you can, brush the laces out and try to clean off the ice as much as possible. I've yet to stick my full boots in my sleeping bag. If conditions are that cold, in my opinion, you should be in double boots anyway. Bring the boots in your tent for sure, if you place them between your body and your tent mates, they'll stay warmer. Good spot for water as well if you aren't insulating it otherwise. They aren't going to be toasty when you put them on in the morning, but you're in the mountains in the winter...also, put your fresh socks against your skin for a bit so they can get nice and warm before you put them on.

Solid advice. If you're in a good 4-season tent, the interior should be warmer than freezing (unless it's just terribly cold and windy). Placing the boots inbetween the sleepers will help keep them warm and dry them out some as the dry mountain air and ventilation should reduce some of the moisture. If they have removable footbeds, take those out and place them in your sleeping bag, and make sure the boots are as wide open as you can make them (loosen the laces and pull the tongue away from the back of the boot). Opening the boot all the way up will make sure that even if they DO freeze, you can get them back on.

Socks - I use three pairs of socks. One pair for hiking only. One pair for in camp only. One pair in the sleeping bag only (also known as the 'sacred sock.')

Hike all day in your hiking socks. When you arrive at camp, put on your camp socks and your bootie system (or camp shoes like crocs, etc). Place your hiking socks inside your jacket near your skin or in contact with your skin. I usually put them over my shoulders under my softshell jacket. The idea being to use your body heat to dry them out. This takes time, so you need to get on it immediately when you stop hiking.

The sacred sock goes on ONLY when you are in your sleeping bag. You need to sleep in dry socks to help keep your feet in good shape. The hiking socks and the camp socks go in the sleeping bag with you, ideally in direct contact with your skin.

If the camp socks are not dried out in the morning, hike during the day with them tucked inside your jacket somewhere they won't fall out, and the movement and heat will dry them out.

I spent 20 days on Denali with this system (and Spantik boots) and had no cold-weather problems or blisters.

I spent 3 months in a NOLS outdoor semester in terrible fall snow conditions (with single leather boots that kept freezing every night) and all the way through to winter in Wyoming with this system.

It will save your feet.

alex59195 wrote:Yea, I figured out I wasn't thinking of the right season. Ill be up there in the early summer months or later.. not winter for sure.

I've been up there in February, May/June and August. I wore my Spantiks in February and May/June and was glad to have them. August they were overkill and I should have worn my La Sportiva Trango Alps. Probably would have been sufficient. The approach hike is freaking balls hot in August. I hiked in Keen sandals until we hit the glacier.

alex59195 wrote:Ill sacrifice weight and discomfort to know ill be warm in cold weather. Shit, I pack my -40 bag if its lowest point is 10 or 20 still. I hate being cold.

I have some experience, but not a whole lot since I'm a flat lander and mountaineering takes vacation time and plane tickets.

I've heard guys talk about peeling layers and it being warm on Rainier or other peaks out west. I've had that happen in the Whitney area one time.

More often it has been my experience that it's been damn cold at 2am wake-up for summit day, and continued throughout the day, and I end up wearing every layer I packed. Shasta froze water in my nalgene this year in mid May.

I'm just saying, even if you do your rainier trip in the summer, it might be really cold up there, it was for my trip. If you hate being cold, this may conflict with mountaineering aspirations.

If you go with a guide company, they will do a gear check and it will be their decision whether they think your boots are warm enough. They will be happy to rent you plastics.

I think your boots should be fine for summer climbs, but I just wanted to provide some info that I've experienced.

Hope it all works out for you. There is nothing better than a hard earned summit IMO.

Imo, you will want both a leather and a plastic boot for different temperatures
and climbing goals. I can't comment on Rainier but in general this is the case.

For overnights in the Northeast, I prefer my plastics. I know I'll get some eye rolls from the people in Alaska, but it does get fairly cold here. Overnights around or well below 0, and daytime highs in the teens aren't uncommon, even if they are less common most years of late.

You can use a single boot in these temps but it's more work and worry.

My system if I prefer to take a single boot in border line temps (low temps of 15F are borderline), I take a light weight dry bag (usually the same one I double bag my down bag into, because it's also not uncommon for it to be 33F and raining the day before an arctic cold front drops the temp 40 degrees) I place the boots and a couple of heated water bottles in the bag at night, I repeat the process in the morning if necessary. Often when I put the boots on they are warm, not just thawed. Downside, they are also very wet. This only works for overnight trips.

I can't think of a single time I've ever wanted plastic boots. There are enough double boot options on the market that make plastics obsolete.

I've climbed most of the southern Cascades in the winter. Timing is very important if you only have single boots. I hate the term "quiver" but a well rounded selection of footwear is important if you're serious about cold weather climbing. If you're planning a multi day trip in consistently freezing weather you should consider a double boot, singles will be very hard to dry out no matter how proactive you are about moisture. Some boots are easier to dry than others and the warm singles you'd want on a big mountain are the worst.