Originally Posted by
ggreaves
So the footwear will be wet and your feet will be drenched with sweat (assuming you're actually moving around). Sounds like the worst of both worlds. vapor barrier layer socks are for very limited use in deep cold where you can't afford to get your boot insulation wet with perspiration. It's even questionable they're needed at all in those extreme circumstances with the proper choice of socks, boot insulation and boot shell breathability but that's a whole other conversation. The bottom line is that if you're moving around and getting your feet sweaty your only chance to get rid of that moisture is to have a sock that doesn't retain moisture and a shoe or boot that breathes and lets that vapor escape. Like I said before... If you walk for 1/2 hour after stepping in a river with mesh shoes in the dry, your footwear will be pretty much dry. Goretex will keep the shoe or boot soaked inside for days unless you can run a hair dryer in them for an extended period. Waterproof / breathable doesn't exist. Ask all the manufacturers of rain wear why they put pit zips in their products.