Has anyone tried wearing neoprene water socks with Keen sandals or other water/hiking shoes?

I am leaving june 9 and just wonder if this would help with the cold water or maybe im over reacting and it wont be that cold...but then again, there is still ice on the lakes.

I wonder how they will wear with the sandals or if the sandals would be to tight/loose or slippery with them.

I dont want to spend $20-$40 then find out they wont work, come to find out later others have tried it and already knew it.

I really dont want to go back to my boots but that is my alternative.

thanks

June water is cold.

Used water socks once. Found them warm but slimy, they ended up giving me blisters. Once my skin got wet it softened and chafed, caused the blisters. I tried putting a pair of liner socks under them and some mole skin. It helped. I have also tried liner socks with smart wool. It looked funny, but seemed to work better, but it had cold issues with the wind. Never tried all three. Now I just wear boots portaging and watershoes once in camp.
Not sure it helped. Maybe I was just using them wrong.

I don't like that combination. Your feet stay maximally wet all day, prune up, and are therefore more vulnerable blisters etc. while portaging. The liner socks do help if you decide to go that route.

For wetfooting, I like liner socks, wool socks, ATB Odhin boots. For cold weather, I like the Chota Hippies with ATB Odhin boots to avoid wet feet. Warm and dry is a good combo.

i think yould be better off with merino wool socks. ill be in chota trekkers and those socks a week from this friday, may 18th.

Yeah, i was thinking the water socks probably wouldnt end up working, just wanted your thoughts. Maybe this year i take the boots and use them one day one and then go from there the rest of the week. I just dont like to carry them all week if im not going to use them.

I just dont see the water warming much by June 8th even if they get alot of warm weather up there.

I got tired of changing into boots before and after portages, so a couple of years ago, I decided to wear neoprene socks with Keen water shoes, not sandals. The shoes are comfortable in the canoe, but have enough support for the portages. My feet got wet, stayed wet, and that was annoying, but it made portages easier and less of a hassle since I didn't have to dig into my bag for boots. The neoprene socks also protected my feet against abrasions. I don't like my feet staying wet until making camp, but I don't have to lug heavy boots and mess with them. I'm wearing the neoprene again this year. (My feet sunburn through the holes in my water shoes, so the neoprene prevents that without having to slather sun screen all over my feet.)

Terry

I wear neoprene socks under my Solomon Technoamphibians water shoes around camp if it is raining. They are my second pair of shoes for light duty, but I can also portage in them if necessary. Mostly I wear the Chota Trekkers with the neoprene bootie knee-highs when its cold, just wool socks when it warm. Your feet may be wet, but they can still breath. When it's really warm or I have little portaging, I just wear the Technos with wool socks all day.

I usually use neoprene or wool socks underneath my water shoes. Depending on the weather and how much I am planning on getting wet, I sometimes use liner socks underneath. It does not leave that much room for my feet, but reduces the amount of blisters. I use them for both portaging and walking in the water. Then when I get to camp I put on dry socks and tennis shoes.

Water shoes: http://alpinesports-santafe.com/images_products/pl/1550_612_pl.jpg

I tried just using thick wool socks with my OTB Abyss boots in May, 2011 (the water was warmer than it will be this May, obviously) and my feet were colder than I would have liked--not miserable but cold enough to be annoying.

Last May I used NRS Boundary Socks with a thin Smartwool liner sock in my OTB Abyss boots and that combination worked very well. Of course, I bring a separate pair of dry shoes to change into at camp. The only negative for me is that the Boundary Socks are a little bulky and they bunch slightly in the toe area but overall I was pleased with this setup and am planning to use it again this year.

I used sealskinz waterproof socks inside of a pair of keens water shoes(type with big toe cap, heavy sole and mesh sides), the other day in a snowmelt fed creek. The water always feels really cold when you 1st get in that way but is fine after awhile. I had a bit of a problem getting my socked feet inside the sandals since I like them tight so river mud/sand doesnt suck them off and I wear them in the summer without socks normally. Though I was thinking when I head up N I will proly try a thin pair of liner socks to reduce abrasion on portages.

Can you elaborate on the Chota combination Trekkers and breathable sock or hippies? I have an older pair of quicklace mukluks, but they are heavy and really aren't that great on the portages. I will need to get a pair of something for my son. I am heading in June 5 and was thinking about bringing them because of the weather / water temp. I will bring my Merrel Moabs for around camp. They are comfortable, lightweight, and waterproof. Later in the summer I usually wear my Keen Newport sandals.

MarshallPrime:

I tried neoprene socks with a light pair of wool socks underneath in May five years ago in Wabakimi. I had very cold feet! As soon as I took off the neoprene and changed to a light pair of wool underneath a heavy pair of wool boot socks, my feet were warm, even in cold temperatures. My water shoes might have been too snug with the neoprene, but I have never gone back to the neoprene! I always wear this combination on the trail and change to dry socks and shoes at the end of the day in camp.

In cold water last october I wore chota hippies, with a light merino wool sock inside, and my nb abyss II boots. was generally impressed with the set up. My heels got a little sore one day after a lot of portaging but didnt blister, because I changed socks inside the hippies. But this is a better cold weather and water set up. In june, unless the temps are cold, 45 or less, I would probably just wear my draining boots, a liner sock and a thicker pair of merino wool socks. This should keep your feet from rubbing in the boot and should be warm enough if the air temps are reasonable even if the water is cold.

I had several 30 degree days with high winds on my october trip and was happy to keep my feet out of the cold water with this set up.