Fossill Hunting Footwear And Clothing?

[capebretonishome]

Hi Guys & Girls,

can someone please give me an idea of what to wear while fossil hunting in the peace river.

What would be good for footwear old sneekers or the watershoes made of neaoprene?

What about clothing just shorts and a t shirt??? what would you suggest??

Any help would be great i am going on april 20 2013 from the wachula area

Thanks for your time and patience

Diane

[DeloiVarden]

Old tennis shoes are better than river shoes as long as they are tight on your feet. They will work a lot better with a shovel anyway. T-shirt and shorts should be just fine, but if you have a long sleeve rash guard, you won't have to put on as much sun screen. Bring a hat!!! Have fun and share pictures of your finds.

[bierk]

I use some neorene boots that zip up on the side. I used to wear old tennis shoes, but something that always happens to me when I wear that type of footwear is that I would get a lot of sand in the shoes and would have to take them off and empty the sand numerous times through a digging day. I also wore swim trunks and a t-shirt. I would suggest to make sure the clothes are not something you care about as the water might discolor the clothing due to the tannin in the water. It won't ruin the clothes, but it it just something to be mindful of.

[RickNC]

Old tennis shoes are better than river shoes as long as they are tight on your feet. They will work a lot better with a shovel anyway. T-shirt and shorts should be just fine, but if you have a long sleeve rash guard, you won't have to put on as much sun screen. Bring a hat!!! Have fun and share pictures of your finds.

I used to wear old shoes/boots but these days I wear what are known as 'kayak shoes.' These sound like what bierk is describing. They fit tight and have a zipper on the side. Very lightweight and let very little sand in. Another problem with old shoes is they get full of sand and if you get your foot stuck the shoe may come off when you pull your leg out.

[DeloiVarden]

I used to wear old shoes/boots but these days I wear what are known as 'kayak shoes.' These sound like what bierk is describing. They fit tight and have a zipper on the side. Very lightweight and let very little sand in. Another problem with old shoes is they get full of sand and if you get your foot stuck the shoe may come off when you pull your leg out.

Scuba boots/shoes, kayak shoes, etc are all good options to if you want to spring for them. The tennis shoes have a thicker bottom and will protect you better from broken glass and other trash, but as was pointed out, they will be wet, smelly and full of sand. Bring an old pair and throw them in the garbage before you fly home . You can get cheaper scuba shoes or kayak shoes, but they tend to be pretty thin on the bottom. One of my friends got a really nasty gash from a shard of glass that went all the way to the bone (and through the swim shoes). Hard sole scuba boots can be had for $50 though and I think most of the cheaper thinner varieties run ~20+. An old pair of tennis shoes that you are ashamed to wear in public, cost $0. Either will work and I honestly use scuba shoes, but then again, I am in the river every week and have certainly got my use out of them. How often do you think you will find yourself in the river?

[RickNC]

Scuba boots/shoes, kayak shoes, etc are all good options to if you want to spring for them. The tennis shoes have a thicker bottom and will protect you better from broken glass and other trash, but as was pointed out, they will be wet, smelly and full of sand. Bring an old pair and throw them in the garbage before you fly home . You can get cheaper scuba shoes or kayak shoes, but they tend to be pretty thin on the bottom. One of my friends got a really nasty gash from a shard of glass that went all the way to the bone (and through the swim shoes). Hard sole scuba boots can be had for $50 though and I think most of the cheaper thinner varieties run ~20+. An old pair of tennis shoes that you are ashamed to wear in public, cost $0. Either will work and I honestly use scuba shoes, but then again, I am in the river every week and have certainly got my use out of them. How often do you think you will find yourself in the river?

Different strokes for different folks I guess. Mine have pretty thick soles and I've never had a problem with anything cutting or piercing them. They don't seem much thinner than old shoes. But the main issue with shoes for me is they let rocks and sand in which I can't stand. We often get muck around here and thick sand and when you try to extract your foot your shoe stays. And they are very light. I got the idea from another member on here and I am very happy with the change. In the summer I find myself in the river often. But then again we snorkel in shallow water which is nothing like what you're doing.

Edited February 23, 2013 by RickNC

[Shellseeker]

Diane,

Deloivarden and Rick have provided great advice. There is broken glass and bridge construction debris in and around Crews Park Peace River. There used to be a glass bottling plant in Wauchula and sometime I think they dump a lot of the broken pieces in the river.

Note the suggestion of a 'rash guard" , available at any internet scuba outlet (I use JoeDiver). Well worth the investment, covers your neck to wrists, is cool, and blocks the sun.

You might also purchase "bicycle" or kayak fingerless gloves.. Saves most of your hands from thse little nicks and cuts... SS

[capebretonishome]

thanks so much for the advice and i will take it to heart,

Again Many thanks

[bear-dog]

I can only coment on the footwear.The footwear most populat on the Peace River scene is tennis shoes.