Shoe Advice

[disnerd18]

Hi!
First, I would like to apologize for the long winded post, but, I wanted to get some input on shoes. I am planning a trip to Disneyland early in 2022, and obviously, it rains in southern California; so, in my neurotic mind, my fear is that I will be walking around the park and it will start raining and I will either be caught in the rain or stuck outside in a line and my shoes and thus socks will get wet. I currently own a pair of Skecher's Escape Plan, which are water repellent and have worked well on the last trip I took, however, I have been told it would be prudent to have at least two pairs of shoes, as I plan to be at the parks a few extra days. I know that Ultraboosts are very popular shoes and often recommended, but of course, I don't think they are very rain friendly, thus my predicament. Does anyone have any advice on shoes that are not only comfortable for full days at the park, but are also waterproof or water repellent? I would prefer shoes/sneakers over sandals. Also, have any of you tried products like Crep Protect or other water repellent sprays on shoes that have that knit type fabric like many Nike and Adidas shoes seem to use?

TLDR: I am looking for water repellent or water proof shoes that would also be comfortable for long days in the parks, OR for super comfy shoes that I could spray water repellent sprays on that would work well.

Thank you in advance

 

[MillauFr]

 

[Matrixleos]

Disney themed Crocs, which are waterproof. You're Welcome!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It doesn’t really rain much here. I would consider comfort over how water resistant the shoes are. It randomly rained on us last Thursday (so weird and not in the forecast at all). I just wore my regular tennis shoes and I was fine. Rain was over in less than an hour. I never changed my shoes or socks.

 

[Katiebird]

It doesn’t rain a lot in SoCal, but it can rain, especially in January/February. I don’t have any shoe specific advice, but I would focus on comfortable shoes and then if there is significant rain in the forecast, maybe bring a pair of cheap rain boots that you can stow in a locker if it doesn’t actually rain.

I’ve gone on one of those rare full-day rain days, and we had ponchos but didn’t think about shoes, and we were completely soaked through from the knees down. We still had a blast, but it was cold (and squishy)!! The next time I wore rain boots (put tennis shoes in the locker), and of course that day it only rained a little, but it was so much more comfortable. Rain in Jan/feb is usually not a surprise, so check the forecast a day ahead and you’ll probably be ok.

 

[StormyCA]

I wear flip flops regardless of the weather so I can't help you much on types of shoes. But IMO the best thing to do if you're really concerned is to bring an extra pair of shoes/sox and put them in a locker. I have what I call my 'locker bag' (contact lens supplies, first aid, jacket, etc, etc) and always rent a locker and include an extra pair of 'flops' in case of a blow out or, if I'm wearing my favs, they get soaked as they have 'memory foam' cushioning on the bottom. I really HATE soggy shoes of any kind, including flops.

But PP are right, in many trips to DL in February & April, we've only got rained on a handful of times. And even then it wasn't torrential down pours. California ain't Florida.

 

[BrianL]

I will say, that while it doesn't rain that much in Anaheim, I was there on a rainy day, and there were a lot of issues with drainage and such, even inside! I know, those Southern Californians don't deal with it, but the waterproof shows are a good idea. We also rode Splash that day and got soaked to our socks as tons of water entered the boat. We did not have a change of shoes, and that night in the hotel room the shoes were vile! We ran to the CVS to get some sneaker spray, but having the backups would be good too.

 

[Matrixleos]

We also bring clean pair of socks, stored in a ziploc bag to always keep them dry. We also bring a pair of flip flops for everyone, that we store in a locker at the parks. That way when it rains or after we're done riding a water ride, we can dry out our shoes a bit and put on a fresh pair of socks.

That makes a world of difference!

 

[Epicnemesis]

I wouldn’t gameplan around rain here at the sacrifice of other comforts. I’ve been living here most of my life and I can’t remember a time where the rain was severe enough to actually get my feet wet, and that included rainy days at the parks. It’s easily avoided without special shoes. Wear your most comfortable walking shoes and you will be good to go.*

Unless you choose to go on rapids in CA or splash in DL. Then maybe footwear considerations are warranted, although you are better off just bringing grocery bags for your shoes for those rides if you are OCD about wet feet.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

We went in March 2019 and planned for rain. I went with my normal shoes and bought waterproof covers. They are lightweight so it doesn't really add to the weight of the shoe, and very easy to slip on and off. Combine that with some water proof spraying and i think you could handle any kind of precipitation

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Like @FeistyDisneyMom mentioned, I bought waterproof shoe covers for a December trip two years ago when it was supposed to rain heavily for several days in a row. They were fairly cheap (about $15 a pair) and I'll see if I can post a link to something similar. I still have the four pairs I bought for my family unopened in a closet, because as we got closer and closer to the forecast to the days of our trip, the several days of heavy, heavy rain kept changing to sunnier weather. By the time we actually went, not a drop of rain fell for our entire trip. So I definitely agree with previous posters that you should concentrate more on comfortable shoes for walking than waterproof shoes.

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/ARUNNERS-Cov...avel/dp/B07L2NNFM4?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

[SgtTibbs]

Two alternatives for you:
First - Waterproof socks. I have taken a shower wearing these and my feet stayed dry. You can literately walk through a river no problem.
Second - Foot goo. Cover your feet with this goo and you can get them wet no problem.

I've used both of these to good measure.

 

[Katiebird]

Adding that the issue on our rainy day wasn't the rain itself falling, it was that it was a steady rain most of day, so there was a lot of water on the ground that became impossible to avoid. Galaxy's Edge especially was a big puddle.

Again though that doesn’t happen often - but if you're only here a few days, you can’t really avoid it IF it happens! All of us who live here just don’t go anywhere on those days if we can help it, because they are so rare.

Keep in mind that rain forecasts for SoCal are only accurate starting at around 24-48 hours ahead of time, and even then usually fizzle out.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Keep in mind that rain forecasts for SoCal are only accurate starting at around 24-48 hours ahead of time, and even then usually fizzle out.

I agree with this 100%! I think the weather in California is so steady and boring that the weather folks hope for and exaggerate any potential deviation until it becomes totally apparent that the weather event is just not going to happen.

 

[China Expat]

With the forecast model of our drought, I don;t expect it to rain more than twice a year in the coming years!

 

[Timandalicia]

Disney themed Crocs, which are waterproof. You're Welcome!

You’re welcome? How about no thank you.

 

[Matrixleos]

You’re welcome? How about no thank you.

What do you have against Mickey??? Plus it's a collector's item!!!

 

[Timandalicia]

What do you have against Mickey??? Plus it's a collector's item!!!

I love Mickey… so I don’t want to see him plastered on unattractive footwear.

And I think anything stops becoming collectible after it’s stuck to your bare feet for 12 hours.

I’m just kidding. A lot of people swear by crocs. I’m just being one of those croc hater people. All in jest though.

 

[Matrixleos]

I’m just kidding. A lot of people swear by crocs. I’m just being one of those croc hater people. All in jest though.

In case you couldn't tell by the smiley faces I put at the end of both my posts.

My comments about the Mickey Crocs were made tongue and cheek.....unless you're a fan of Croc tans? LOL

 

[sjmac42]

I swear by my Oboz hiking shoes for theme parks. Lightweight, breathable and waterproof I can wear these all day and never have any issues. They have served me well through dozens of visits to theme parks in all sorts of weather from wet and cold to humid to hot and dry.
I have a pair of Merrells as a backup but only carry a spare pair of socks to the parks as part of my backpack.