A three season footwear line-up for birders: left to right, Teva-style sandals, light hikers with Gore-tex, and knee-high rubber boots.
Birding involves walking, hiking, sometimes wading, and occasionally even running (hopefully toward a good bird and not away from something!), all over terrain varying from pavement to rocky trails. What you put on your feet can have a dramatic impact on your birding, especially if the impact turns out to be bad. What footgear you decide on is a personal choice, but following is the spring through fall selection I’ve arrived at. Winter brings its own set of challenges when it comes to footgear, and will be the subject of another column.
Lightweight low-top hiker with Gore-tex liner: This is the birder’s go-to shoe. More like a sneaker than a hiking boot, yet adequate for nearly any day hike, light hikers with Gore-tex keep your feet comfortable, dry, cool, and with the right sock, even warm down to about freezing temperatures.
Without the Gore-tex, a breathable, waterproof membrane, this type of shoe is a waste of time, because one stroll across a damp lawn and your feet will be uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Eventually, Gore-tex loses its water-retardant properties, but with quality footgear, the Gore-tex goes south around the time the soles have worn out and the uppers have holes - in other words, when it’s time for a new pair.
I’ve owned light hikers made by ECCO, The North Face, Merrill, and Cabela’s, and all have worked out well. And when I say well, I mean I’ve worn them everyday for multi-week tours to Colorado, California, Costa Rica, and Kenya, among other destinations. Put them on for the plane ride, take them off at night and when you get home. They make a fine casual shoe for all-around wear.
Make sure you get a pair that fits well. One important test is to try stopping short, or walk down a steep incline - your toes should not hit the front of the shoe during these activities. If they do, bump up half a size and try again.
The birders’ go-to shoe: a light hiker with a Gore-tex lining. Other features to look for include a rubber toe, which repels water and wears better, and lacing down close to the toes, which allows for a more comfortable fit.
“Wellies” or knee-high rubber boots: For truly damp conditions, like after a heavy rain or when you know you will be fording small creeks or in marsh and muck, knee-high rubber boots are ideal. They impart, in fact, a sense of go-anywhere freedom, and can get you back to where the Wood Ducks and Prothonotary Warblers nest.
Another major bonus to knee-high rubber boots is that they are great in tick and chigger country. Just tuck your pant legs into the boots, and spray the area around the boot top with repellent containing DEET, or, in infested areas, carefully apply a product containing the insecticide permethrin (to clothing only, not on your person).
I’ve owned knee-highs made by Wellington and LaCrosse, and actually found the less expensive LaCrosse models to work perfectly well.
Teva-style Sandals: Let’s start with where Tevas are not appropriate: don’t consider them for any tropical destination, nor deserts, nor for serious mountain hiking. They don’t offer the support for the latter, nor the protection from the hazards of the former. Tropical forests are rife with things that bite, and most of them are poisonous. As far as deserts, well, on my first visit to the Sonoran desert outside of Tuscon, a local put it this way: “Everything in the desert sticks, stings or bites.” I find them excellent for boating, but some pelagic birding tour companies (Shearwater Journeys on the west coast comes to mind) deem them inappropriate.
The truth is, open-toe sandals are not appropriate for anyplace you are not quite familiar with, nor for anyplace where a foot injury could create a serious problem, thus ruling this footwear out for trips far from home, like birding tours for example.
After all that precautionary talk, I now must confess I always wear Tevas unless there is a reason not to. When it’s cold and dry, I will wear them with socks (they are not a good option for cold and wet). Otherwise, Tevas are cool - I’m speaking in temperature terms here - and comfortable. If you have to cross a stream, you can. The only downside is you wind up with some funky tan lines on your feet after a while.
I’ve only owned sandals made by the company Teva, though there are other manufacturers. If you choose a design that contains leather, you rule out using them in water, so stick to the nylon and rubber models.
Happy feet make for happier birding, so choose your footgear wisely.