Rain + temperatures and shoes - first half September

That chart shows an average daily high temperature of 70 on Sept. 9. I would not be worried about cool weather. The average daily low temperature is in the middle of the night. Last time that I visited Vienna was in October and I used light layers.

Thanks Laura. I hope that applies to Salzburg and Hallstatt too. The Salzburg chart shoes similar average September temperatures.

On the other hand, we have run into the minimum temperature conditions on at least one trip to the UK and one trip to France. Those were in May. Weather is a roll of the dice sometimes. :)

We were in Salzburg, St. Wolfgang, Melk & Vienna in September 2015. I'm addicted to Keen Sandals and wore a pair of black Rose Keen Sandals for that entire Germany/Austria trip. We ran into a little rain in Germany and an hour in Vienna, but the sandals don't matter if they get a little wet. The sole of them worked well for hiking around St. Wolfgang. I brought a pair of fancy flats to wear with slacks, but my toe was bugging me a little, so I never wore those. My husband brought a pair of Keen shoes, and he was fine with those for everywhere we went.

I brought my Columbia lightweight rain coat, and it was sufficient for all of the weather we experienced and to wear in the evening. Looking at our photos, my husband was wearing a collared golf shirt to nice T during the day with no coat. September is usually very nice in Austria from our experiences.

A couple of points...

Statistically, September is the driest month of the year in western and central Europe, although that doesn't preclude some rain.

A personal anecdote, or long series of anecdotes. While living for four years in Germany, I took a long walk or hike several times a week, in all types of weather. In thousands of hours on the trails, my shoes got soaked through to the feet exactly twice. Once, when I had to jump into a canal to rescue my dog, and another time when I got hit by a sudden drenching storm near the summit of the Alpsitze above Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

My point? Don't overthink the shoes issue. Just go with whatever shoes you normally wear and you'll be fine.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I might add that this is important to me as we tend to walk 6 miles per day on average while on vacations in Europe. In the my late 60's so feet need careful attention. :)

If I do decide to rely only on my running type shoes, I can always take around an extra pair of socks in my day pack should the day look like there might be rain. I'm going to look for some shoes that are light rain shedding but not too warm i.e. not goretex type. This is the time of year to find such shoes I think as here in California the weather changes to totally dry from June through September.

There was a pair of Rockports that looked good but not in my size. Keen's don't seem to work on my feet but I'll check them out too.

Les , I know you said no gore tex , but look at this - Merrell # J877577W I have used this shoe for six years , in all weather , my feet never get overheated ( even six weeks of 90's in Spain this past fall ) , they are waterproof and breathe wonderfully well . They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn . give them a look - http://www.onlineshoes.com/mens-merrell-moab-gore-tex-beluga-p_id120664

By the way , I wear these and bring no other footwear in my bag .

Steven, it turns out I have a pair of Merrill with the goretex like stuff that I really like a lot and use for hiking in the Sierras. Just worried they will be a bit warm if the weather is nice. But your suggestion got me to looking at the REI Merrills and I see this Merrill Moab Ventilator here: link to Merrell light use shoes

Furthermore, your post was right on time as I was just heading out to an REI store. Must be a sign from the shoe gods. :)

Running shoes tend to be very breathable, with breathable working both ways. While venting moisture out is great for keeping feet dry, rain drops penetrating in is not so great. If you want the comfort of running type shoes, try trail running shoes, especially waterproof/resistant trail running models. The benefit of the trail running models in addition to water resistance are better traction and support.

For winter travel I use low cut waterproof membrane light hikers. They are sturdier than trail running shoes with better traction soles at the expense of being heavier than runners. The low cut hikers are stiff enough to take shoe crampons for icy sidewalks but those are not needed for late summer.

And hiking in light wool socks keep feet dryer than cotton.

Edgar thanks. I'll be going in late summer and so my Merrill waterproof shoes might be a bit warm. Those trail shoes might do.

I just ordered the REI Moab Ventilator which happens to be on sale (see link in my last post). If those don't seem to work out, I'll check those other trail shoes you linked to.

I guess the key is to get a comfortable water resistant pair of shoes that breath well for ventilation. This is as opposed to waterproof (which are warmer) or light web'd shoes (running shoes which let water in easily).

Les,

I am a fan of Nikwax waterproofing products for both water resistant and "water proof" products (boots, gloves etc). I am a consumer of Nikwax with no economic interest in the company.

Nikwax improves and/or extends the water repelling finish of fabric and leather products. For Nikwax product selection: http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/productselector/waterproofing.php

Why you need Nikwax Waterproofers:

A material is water-repellent when water beads up on its surface.

Breathable waterproof items always come pre-treated with a Durable
Water Repellent (DWR) coating that prevents the absorption of water
into the material. Through use DWR wears away and that is when Nikwax
Waterproofers are needed to replenish DWR.

Additionally, Nikwax Waterproofers improve the water repellency of
fabrics, such as fleece and cotton, which often come with no factory
applied DWR.

Breathability depends upon water-repellency:

Water repellency is important for many reasons. It reduces water
absorption into the surface of clothing, footwear and equipment, and
protects against cooling and weight gain.

This is especially important for breathable waterproof garments;
without water-repellency they can lose up to 70% of their
breathability in damp or wet conditions. The same will apply to
breathable waterproof footwear if the outer fabric or leather becomes
saturated.

Therefore, the Durable Water Repellency (DWR) on the outer fabric of
your waterproof items must be maintained to ensure breathability and
comfort. It will eventually wear off and need to be renewed with
Nikwax Waterproofers.

I have a lightweight pair of hiking shoes I got at REI that are water proof. I got them last year before going to St. Petersburg in September because I had read that it rained a lot; last year I didn't hardly wear them as weather was great, but on our trip this year I wore them a lot in Petersburg, Moscow and in Paris when it rained. I find that my other shoes don't dry well and get stinky if they get soaked; having this pair of waterproof shoes really was great. It is also nice to have good hiking shoes when hiking; we don't do a lot of it but having secure footing is important when we do. I was wearing sandals when I slipped on well worn medieval stairs in a ruin in Roquebrune Cap Martin this fall; if I had been wearing the hiking shoes I probably would not have slipped, broken my elbow and spent a few days in the hospital for surgery.

I have used Merrell Moab Ventilators for several trips on hikes and in the city. I washed cow manure off them in a mountain stream in Switzerland. The shoes dried overnight. I was thinking about trying Keens next year given what I have read about them. My back doctor recommends I change shoes about every six months. I am overweight and work standing on a concrete floor every day. He says that the soles of the shoes will lose their support over time.

I received a pair of Moab Ventilator shoes. They look great but they are pretty sporty (high contrast between light grey webing and stiffer materials) and don't really go with my REI travel pants (charcoal grey). I wore those pants in Italy for a month and they are very practical.

So now I ordered another pair of similar Merrill shoes shown here: Merrill Capra sport low hiking shoes . These might do the trick: (1) versatile enough to pass in city use (like Amsterdam or Vienna), (2) shed rain pretty much, and (3) can still be comfortable in summer weather that is too cool for sandals. As I mentioned before, I think my Merrill waterproof hiking shoes will not work in warm summer conditions on city streets.

All of these considerations are quite a matter of personal preferences and physical needs. Just mentioning these details in case it helps others to define their needs.