so more usually have stripped down and waded barefoot.
Yeah. Sometimes. It is real hard to see broken glass in the stream bed underwater .. and there are ass-munch types who'd deliberately do things like that out there. Also I find that fairly rough bottom and really cold feet don't get along very well. Tendons that will stretch just fine in warm conditions are very stiff, very inflexible when "properly chilled" making foot strains / injuries more likely than I like.
If I know I have to cross a stream or two I carry "camp shoes" of a sort that dry quickly and don't weigh much in the first place. Favorite choice is Merrill "Trail Glove" zero-rise running shoes. They're usually 10-12 ounces for a pair which seems worthwhile overall.
