River crossing technics?
 

Hi,

I am wondering about river crossing. Some can be quite deep. I will be crossing lots of rivers in Mongolia I think so I have a couple of questions here:

As the weather can be quite cold, what is the best approach to boots / shoes when crossing a deep river?

Do you remove your riding boots or keep them on and keep wet feet for several days (it takes days to dry waterproof MC boots in the inside!)?


Or do you carry light walking boots / trainers that you use for that (another bit of crap to carry then!) ? Or do you use Waterproof socks (if that works)? Or the old trick of plastic bags inside the boots?

I am sure there are many answers but curious to know what you guys are/ have been doing?

I use a solid pair of Tevas for showers/beaches and the odd water crossing. I always walk it before to feel what is under foot and make the decision. But then water is seldom a problem for little froggies! :lol2: :tongue3:
A safety line line is wise in case of a problem.

as an avid hunter, I cover a lot of miles in a day. When I come to a creek, I slip on my wiggies. they are small and light.
Leg/Footwear

when we had to drive through real deep flowing rivers, I only wore my underwear, a T-shirt and my boots. i don't believe in trainers, because you really need sturdy boots when you have to walk/ride your bike through a river and won't know what you'll encounter. After that, the plastic bag-trick helps ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK3VjC967XM @ 2:40 minutes will show that ;-)

If it is easy enough that you'll feel safe with running shoes or anything, you might as well just drive through... but that's just my two cents!

If the terrain is not too rough or rocky and without deep trenches ... you may be able to ride across with your legs held UP (not on pegs) I've crossed hundreds of deep rivers and streams on my dirt bike when competing in Enduro. But that is riding a DIRT BIKE ... not a travel bike. It's OK if river bed is not rocky or really uneven and if current to slow. Fast current is tricky and can end in disaster. A line is a good idea for fast water ... or ... a boat! :thumbup1:

Have you seen Colebatch's extreme Sibirsky report with videos of all this? They were learning too on this ... I think changing to other shoes or boots is a good idea, just be careful! Boots and socks can take all day to dry ... or much longer.

On some Enduro events if you're feet got wet ... they would later FREEZE in the mountains ... if that happens, your day is done. I always tried to stay dry riding Winter Enduros.

In Mongolia it might be worse! Dunno? :rain:
But Colebatch and crew had more problems with HEAT than cold. It was Summer and Russia had a deadly heat wave, broke every record. So maybe being wet is not so bad? :palm:

Just remember:
If you fall over ... make SURE TO SHUT OFF MOTOR before you bail off the bike.

Good luck, have fun!
PS: Unless you follow Colebatch's same route I don't think you have too many bad water crossings, no? Just endless, boring Russian dirt road, then some tiny aldea with no fuel or food and no one but drunk, groping Russian guys all over you.
:thumbdown:

Hi Maria, not done anything as adventurous as you're planning to do but I've been through few deep streams when trail riding.
The waterproof socks work as long as the water doesn't go over the top of them - then water will find a way to get in. They're not good at keeping my toes warm either so I wear a thin pair of merino socks underneath which have kept my tootsies warm even when wet :)

Thanks guys , interesting tips. Keep it coming! :thumbup1:

We are planning to go "minimalist" in term of luggage this time. So outside of my MC boots, off the bike I am only planning very flat thin light walking shoes that I got for few pounds at Decathlon. I am reluctant to use those for the river crossing as I would be concerned about injy with sharp stones....

I guess we will have to "bite the bullet" and get water inside the boots. It seems from some videos that Water Colebatch posted (in other threads) that this is what many people do.

And try to get a fire going at camp to dry them. Or maybe pick light non waterproof motorcycle boots....Easier to dry them.... I hate having wet boots! I had many miserable days with leaking boots in south america. :(

Cheers,

Get some SealSkinz waterproof socks. They're around 30 GBP and are both waterproof and unbelievably, breathable as well! Wouldn't leave home without them, fantastic bit of kit!

When river crossing on trail rides, I used to wear Goretex ex-army fuel salopettes (but any waterproofs will do) with pieces of inner tube cut to make wide elastic bands around the bottom of the legs. This successfully keeps the water out and the trousers cling to your legs as the water gets deeper.

Any pictures? Must have been quite a sight :D I will check those fisherman / military thingies online....

I will also investigate water shoes. For various reasons I have to wear closed shoes ( not sandals) and I need sturdy thick sole (otherwise cramps!)
So I cannot use the light canoeing shoes that I had in Brazil for kayaking... Too thin to walk around for long.... And as I can only have one pair of "off the bike" shoes.... But After Bertrand suggestion it seems Tevo makes water shoes that look like trainers! They could fit my requirements.... ( I suffer a lot with my feet :( )


All good suggestions guys! Thanks again! :thumbup1:

Attachment 11270

Just keep going...

Tightly fastened Goretex boots seem fine

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river crossing
 

I never had problem crossing deep river but I will never recommend to do it with small shoes or in short ( accident can happen and then getting wet will be the last of your worries) when I was in Russia /Mongolia I had a cheap pair of hunting boot that I use for some of the crossing , my regular boots take way to long to dry so that was a cheap and light alternative for me . I carry a small air dryer with me to dry my own regula boots or other stuff . Water is cold in some part of the world but for few bucks you can buy hunting plastic boot light and safe while crossing river ( they also make a good gift to local at the end of your trip.

Waterproof (ish) boots with a few wraps of duct/gaffer/insulation tape around the bottom of your trousers should keep out the worst of the water.

When you think you've had enough of being wet, take off your boots and use your wet socks to mop them out. Then, a fresh, dry pair of socks and you shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

When drying boots, it's good to have something that will wick the water out to the air. I have a couple of rips of towel maybe 20" x 10" that I poke down inside my boots right to the toe and leave the rest hanging outside the boot.

If in doubt, walk a crossing first. Take a fixed point on the far bank so you make sure you can follow the route you walked. As mentioned, be ready with the kill switch if you go over. Nine times out of ten, if you turn off before you go under, the bike will be fine.

For very deep water, walk the bike across (engine off), one of you each side of the bike.

If you have had a dunking, get the bike to level ground. DO NOT TRY TO START IT !!!

Pop the spark-plug out and put it somewhere dry and safe. Take the lid off the airbox and get any water out. If your air-filter is soaked, do what you can to dry it (the foam ones wring and shake out quite nicely)

Stick the bike in gear and the two of you get either side of the front wheel, each with a hand under the end of the fork leg and the other on the bars; your ickle XRs should be easy to stand up vertical. Work the kickstart a few times. If you're very lucky, all will be fine (you killed the engine nice and quick and no water has got in) normally though, you'll splosh and splurt some water out of both ends. Re-fit the air-filter and plug (fresh ones if you've got them) and see if the bike will start.

It will be a bit smokey / steamy for a while. Check the oil after a few miles to check if it's got any water in (it'll emulsify to a spunky consistency if it has) A little bit of water will boil away but an early oil-change would be prudent.

Some may say this is a little bit of overkill, you could gently operate the kickstart to see if the engine has water in it (it will lock solid if it has) then just try to start it. I would err on the safe side though if I was in the middle of nowhere. I have helped recover a KTM 400 from 6ft deep water and we had it running again in less than an hour.

Use all your safety-gear and don't use clothes that will trap the air inside.

Next time I will do it like this: Jamie's Aqua Bike | MythBusters - YouTube

how not to cross a river