All around walking shoes for max 78F in Netherlands & Austria

Les, personally I would not worry about getting waterproof shoes. Good comfortable shoes with tread (no slick smooth leather soles) and good socks are what you need. If you are worried you could always coat your shoes with a moisture barrier. Most of my socks are merino wool blend and work well. Amsterdam can be windy so we didn't take umbrellas. Our apt. had them though so we carried when going on a tour during the rain. The wind prevented us from using them so they were dead weight.

Thanks Nancy. Would not have considered the wind issue. In that weather link above it does show average winds higher then where we live in California.

What a great forum.

Les, I would suggest you spray your shoes with Scotchgard, you can get it at most grocery stores. I spray our shoes and jeans/pants with it twice (two coats) before we go to Europe or trips in the US. You can use it on upholstery as well, it's a great product and keeps the rain off your clothes. Have fun!

Becky, I think this is a good idea for my mesh type running shoes. Thanks.

For others reading this, I think this is the product for shoes: Amazon, Scotchguard for products like boots/shoes

We have traveled in May/June and September/October and had many cool, rainy days. Quite a few years ago I got a great price on a pair of Mephisto waterproof shoes. They aren't the most attractive shoes but they are extremely comfortable and I can wear them day after day with dry feet. I wear Smartwool or Tilley socks (I no longer see that style available) and they are always dry the next morning if I wash them in the evening. I've never experienced blisters which can happen with damp socks rubbing on shoes so this is a winning combination for me. I admit that I baby my feet and hate squishy wet socks and shoes--it all depends on your personal comfort level.

I take a raincoat with a hood so I have my hands free and don't have to mess with an umbrella. It is much more convenient when going into museums, etc.

Ahnu waterproof hiking shoes. I love these. They are my travel shoes every time. You can find them at REI

Thanks for the shoe ideas. I've got the best shoes for my feet as we are all often a bit different down that way. :)

The main debate I'm having with myself is waterproof shoes or not. All the store people I've talked to at REI and elsewhere have confirmed that waterproof shoes are going to be warmer. In September that could be a problem.

So it seems for me the best is to take the Saucony running shoes (option #1, see shoe link) above with Darn Tough socks and spray them with something like Scotchguard. I have some sets of running shoes around that I've can test out and even wet down before firming this plan up.

I figure I could also go around with an extra pair of socks should the weather forecast indicate rains.

Hi Les, I live in Amsterdam and I can try to give you my two cents. If you are spending most of your time in the cities you probably dont need to be overly worried about wet feet. That said, it can rain a lot! September can be gorgeous weather or rainy, or both - you really never know. But unless you go walking in the countryside or get caught in a torrential downpour you shouldnt have too many worries with dripping wet feet.

I do love my Ahnu waterproof hiking boots and find them not too warm unless the weather is downright hot. In that case any boots would probably feel very warm. :) I usually dont wear them in the city though, really only for nature walks and hikes.

You may want an umbrella but my tip would then be to buy a cheapo one there and leave it behind for someone else. Many hotels and lodgings also have umbrellas for you to borrow. As another poster mentioned the rain can bring winds which render an umbrella rather useless and you'll see lots of broken umbrellas on the ground! haha. I have several umbrellas but rarely carry one anymore. As the Dutch say "you are not made of sugar" and can get a little wet, just wait out the big downpours they usually pass quickly. You can get an app for your phone called Buienradar which shows the storm movements in real time allowing you to dash between the raindrops!

Amsterdammers love discussing the weather, can you tell? ;)

Have a fun trip! If you'd like other NL tips just let me know!

Rosa, thanks. I'm tending towards my Oboz with the Darn Tough socks I bought through REI. I'm a little hesitant to apply the Scotch Guard I bought to my Oboz but might do that trick. The Oboz will look very casual but we don't go to fancy restaurants anyway. We'll also be in Austria which should have cooler temperatures so the Oboz will work out there too I think.

I got some very nice Eddie Bauer Guide Pro pants that are suppose to be rain resistant. Very nice fit and I'd recommend them to guys. Much better then my older REI pants.

We won't bring umbrellas and probably won't need them.