Another great footwear option for a wet, dirty environment are Birkenstock’s Super Birki Clogs. When you just have to step outside for a quick chore these are easy to step into and slip out of. No need to touch them with your hands and no need for a boot jack. No straps to move or unbuckle. Just step up, tap the rear with your other toe and they slide right off. They’re made of rubber with removable, cloth-covered cork footbed insoles much like the material in more tradition Birkenstocks. They conform well to your feet and are quite comfortable. If the clogs get dirty you can take the footbeds out and hose the Birkis down, inside and out, and then just let them drip dry or towel them off if you’re in a hurry.
Since they are rubber they do not breathe well and your feet may become hot and sweaty if you wear them for a long period of time. I have two pairs – one stock from the factory for wet weather and another that I melted vent holes in the toe area with a soldering iron for warmer, drier weather. As I write this entry I am in the middle of a Humboldt County downpour, which is what I expected, so I’ve left my modified pair in Arizona. As soon as I am back down there I will take and post a picture of that simple, effective modification. With the two pairs in rotation they last for about 5 years of my almost daily use. I usually end up replacing the cork footbed once during that period.
Whether I’m sleeping in the camper shell, the tent or an actual house I always have one or the other pair at the foot of my bed for easy middle-of-the-night or early morning needs.