Do I need to pack water resistant pants and hiking boots ?

[POF1234]

We are doing one excursion that involves a zodiac and also a hike in the rainforest.  DH acquired some Eddie Bauer Waterproof trail pants and thinks I should do the same.  

 

For regular rain, I have 2 good rain jackets ( one fleece lined, one just a shell ) that reach to my knees.  

 

Then we will be hiking in the rainforest, as well as going on some small hikes in Denali.  Do you typically back boots or just use good sneakers ? 

 

Thanks

[cft8]

I'm packing at least one pair of water-resistant, quick dry hiking pants. For me, there is nothing more uncomfortable than wet jeans, and so for our whale watching excursion where it's possible I'll get splashed, I want the quick-dry pants so I won't be miserable for the rest of the day. 

[kathyball]

I always take a pair of boots, I have rain pants but have only ever had to wear them twice on 5 trips

[elrohir44]

I always do.  Being wet and not being able to do anything about it is not fun, especially if it's cold.

[POF1234]

Great ideas. Thanks

[sherryf]

If you already have water-resistant, quick-dry hiking pants, bring them, but don't go out and spend a bunch of money on them if you will never use them again.  "Rain pants" are overkill and not necessary.  I live in the Seattle area and have been to Alaska 11 times, and I do not even own "rain pants."  I do own hiking pants and bring them, but before I had them, I just wore jeans.  In all of my trips to Alaska, some with quite a bit of rain, I have never gotten so wet that it ruined my day.  Then again, maybe after living in Seattle for 25+ year, it just doesn't faze me as much as some people.

 

You don't need to bring two rain jackets.  Bring the shell and layer.

 

Unless you are doing *serious* hiking, you don't need boots.  Most people can get by with sneakers.  I do bring low-cut hiking shoes, which are just a little sturdier than sneakers, if I am going to hike.  If the "rainforest hike" you plan to do is the tour in Ketchikan, you won't need more than sneakers for that.  It's like a casual stroll in a park.  Boots are bulky and heavy, so don't waste the luggage space if you don't really need them.

[POF1234]

Thanks so much for your insight. 

 

I have hiking boots, but decided to buy a pair of the hiking sneakers - since they will be lighter to pack than my boots.  I had a serious foot injury this year and these give me a backup to my orthopedic sneakers. 

 

 Our Ketchikan excursion is a combined  zodiac tour and a hike.  We are also going to Denali and Talkeetan and plan to do some easy hiking there.  

 

I ended up buying a pretty reasonably priced pair of hiking pants that are water resistant - I usually wear shorts when i hike around here ( Boston area), but thinking about starting to snowshoe this winter so these should work well for that. 

 

 

Thanks again, 

 

 

 

[smplybcause]

If your shoes aren't at least water resistant I would get the stuff to spray them with. While I brought water friendly pants in case it rained, the shoes were helpful. My feet would have gotten wet and cold way before my jeans in a light rain in little wind. My sneakers were waterproof hiking type. Walked through puddles no problem and my feet were nice and warm after walking around Juneau in the rain. Wool socks were amazing too, but I went in May and if my feet get cold I'm utterly miserable and freezing so I made sure to keep them warm!

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[POF1234]

Thanks - yes - the hiking sneakers are waterproof, not too clunky and podiatrist approved!  I am bringing my wool socks and usually tuck an extra pair into my bag.  

 

I hate to be cold and wet too - especially the feet.  

[sherryf]

14 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

Wool socks were amazing too, but I went in May and if my feet get cold I'm utterly miserable and freezing so I made sure to keep them warm!

I'm the opposite - I hate hot feet!  I have always gone to Alaska in July or August, so although it's Alaska, it's still summer.  I have only felt the need for wool socks on cold glacier-sailing days.  The rest of the time, it's just too warm.  I do have some alpaca-wool socks, which seem to breathe better and not feel as hot, so I usually take those.  

[Melinda Brasher]

I always take hiking boots, but I do a lot of hiking.  Good sneakers with good tread would usually be okay if you don't want to take hiking boots, but they won't be quite as good in rain/mud/sketchy trails.  I don't take waterproof pants, but I definitely wear my quick-drying hiking pants.  I would never, ever recommend jeans (not that you suggested it--just backing up another poster).  

[SoBaycruiser]

We are currently in Fairbanks and it has been raining pretty constantly for two days.  I have previously used rain pants for a zodiac excursion but did not bring them for this trip.  If you are just walking around with an umbrella, then just spraying ScotchGuard waterproofing on the lower half of your jeans and your athletic shoes works fine.  We do have a waterproof windbreaker for those moments that the the umbrella comes down.  ScotchGuard now has a heavy duty waterproofing especially for shoes.  It worked well.  We walked around for an hour out in the rain this morning and came back dry.

[sherryf]

I hate umbrellas!  They are useless on a windy ship, and annoying in crowded ports.  A good rain jacket with a hood is much more useful.  I like to wear a ball cap under my hood, which keeps the rain off my glasses and prevents the hood from drooping down too low.  Here in Seattle, we like to say that umbrellas are only for tourists.  I don't think I even own one.