The mud changes, and this is a fact if you have ever stepped into mud. You think you have stepped on solid ground close to a riverbank, marsh, or coastal flat, only to sink halfway down without knowing it. It changes and the tide is one of the greatest causes that makes it change.

As a hunter or trekker who spends time in the wetlands, estuaries, or shoreline land, knowledge of how tides influence mud would save you the frustrations, ruined boots, and even a life-threatening experience. We will simplify the causes in this blog to help you to stay safe.

What Tides Actually Do to the Ground

It is not only about water moving up and down. They regulate the amount of water held within the soil. The tide causes water to flow into the low grounds. That water leaks into the ground and fills the soil. When the tide recedes, not all of the water is drained off. What is left turns solid earth into mush.

That is why what seemed to be solid in the morning may be like quicksand a couple of hours later. To hunters who wait in blinds or walk across coastal flats, this constant change means the terrain is never the same at two different times in a day.

Why Mud Becomes Deeper and Stickier

Not all mud acts in the same manner, but tides worsen the situation in three ways.

To begin with, incoming water breaks down the structure of the soil. It separates the particles, which formerly held the ground in one solid piece. Second, trapped water reduces friction between soil particles. The ground does not smear out as you step on it, but flows along and yields. Third, fine sediments are usually deposited when the tide recedes. These sediments produce a suction effect when you step on them, and which is why pulling your foot out of tidal mud feels like fighting gravity itself.

It is that heavy suction that eats away regular boots, and every step is a tiring one.

Why Hunters Feel It First

Hunters are known to move slowly and quietly over wet ground. You may be following water-fowl, placing decoys, or brushing along the edges of the marsh in the early morning. Tidal mud not only holds you back, it also makes noise when you try to get yourself free from it. It may even cause you to fall when the ground suddenly gives way.

Worse still, when exposed to wet suction and grit over and over again, the soles of the normal boots get worn out. The mud pulls. The material is weakened by the water. With time, however, your boots do not last.

Why Trekkers Should Care Too

If you enjoy trekking along the coast, in the delta of a river, or in muddy lakeside paths, the surface under your feet is constantly changing by waves of the tide and the ebb and flow of the water.

What appears to be a short-cut across a level area may become a leg-weakening trap. Each step sinks deeper. Each pull drains more energy. When your shoes are not designed for it you have wet weighty shoes, which weigh twice their usual weight.

Tidal mud is not only uncomfortable but also exhausting on long walks. They are able to make a fun excursion a nightmare.

How to Walk Smarter on Tidal Mud

You cannot stop the tide. But you can change how you deal with the mud it leaves behind. The key is surface area. The greater the distribution of your weight the less you sink. Consider the snowshoes with deep snow. Mud is based on the same principle.

Ordinary boots put a lot of weight in a small space. That stress drives you into the loose soil. The farther out you are the more you balance the load and remain above the mud rather than being in it.

This is where Mudder Boots fit in. This is the real difference with Mudder Boots. The Mudder Boots are also designed to be used in unstable grounds such as tidal mud. They go over your normal boots or waders and they expand as you step down, and your surface area increases significantly. That additional support will see you stay on top of wet ground rather than sink.

It is also designed in such a way that it minimizes the suction upon lifting your foot. That is less work, less beating to your legs, and much less treading on your real pair of boots.

To hunters, this is getting around the marsh quietly and effectively without struggling with each stride. To trekkers it is walking through muddy paths without getting hot and destroying your footwear. And since they help keep your regular boots dry and free of abrasion, they will last longer, which is the life of gear you already invested in.

Mud Changes With the Tide. Your Gear Should Too.

Tidal mud is unpredictable. One hour is firm. Next, it is a trap. Learning about the influence of tides on the ground will enable you to think smarter, move more safely, and have a more pleasant time outside.

However, knowledge is not always sufficient. With the right equipment, it is either struggling through each step or walking with confidence.

Mudder Boots are not a mere accessory, should your hunting fields or favourite trails involve muddy, tidal, or waterlogged areas. They are a sensible answer to a problem that is generated through the tides daily.

So when does mud change? The best thing to do is change how you walk on it.