Lightening the load on my feet

[Cedar1974]

I am currently in the market for a new pair of hiking shoes. I was wondering what you all would suggest as far as a light but durable shoe for the long haul.


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[garlic08]

New Balances makes fairly light weight trail running shoes in varying widths. But some say the box they come in is more comfortable.

This question took me about 2000 miles of somewhat painful hiking on the PCT and four pairs of shoes to finally figure out my solution. Good luck finding a pair that works for you.

[Connie]

We might petition Inov8 to bring back their 330 mesh model.

There is my best favorite. The mesh gets wet, but quickly dries, unless of course you are in an Appalachian Trail monsoon" that reportedly does happen.

I like Avia, when they "accidently" have a likely trail shoe.

i had Salomon's, once, I liked. What is with all the bright colors?

I heard New Balance is for pronation. Is that true?

I had to break down the New Balance I had, to feel I had balance for the trail.

[CalebJ]

My impression of the minimalist shoes is that the mesh wears out fairly quickly and the tread pattern is too shallow for long miles. You'll go through several pair in the course of a through hike. I probably had 250-300 miles on my Merrell Trail Gloves when it was time to switch to the next pair.

After the Trail Gloves I started using Montrail Rockridge's. Very comfortable, but the cushioning and tread both seem to be done for after a few hundred miles of hiking and trail running.

Next stop is the Brooks Cascadia 8. I'll have feedback on those after another few months. The reviews I've seen indicate that they're good for quite a few miles, but they're definitely not minimalist.

[rafe]

Forget about "long haul." Most trail runners these days are good for five hundred miles, tops. It's not like the days of hand-made leather boots that lasted a lifetime. That day is long gone.

[lonehiker]

Problem with shoes is once you find a model you like, they are discontinued. So I usually just buy whatever I can get at STP the cheapest. I am ambivalent as to if they are trail runners or plain running shoes. They are generally good for about 750 miles or so.

[CalebJ]

Problem with shoes is once you find a model you like, they are discontinued. So I usually just buy whatever I can get at STP the cheapest

That's one of the big reasons I tried out the Cascadia's this time. The series was started about ten years ago and is now in its ninth iteration. Hopefully that's a good indicator that it will continue to be developed for years to come.

[Another Kevin]

It's so much a question of what works with YOUR feet.

They leave something to be desired in durability (400-500 miles), but at the moment New Balance 610's with green Superfeet insoles work for my feet. Your feet are probably different.

[Cedar1974]

Well, I have orthopedic insoles built specially for my feet, and they work great, but my current boots (which I had to switch to when my Sketchers started falling apart) are so heavy they are putting more stress on my ankles. I am former military, so a nice mid calf boot works well like the Magnum, but finding something like that without a steel toe and that after hiking 15+miles a day makes ti feel like your leg is going to fall off, is a problem. I like the idea of the mid calf boot because you don't have to worry about snakes as much and the added protection when bushwacking is a nice added touch, but finding something like that in light weight is a bit difficult. I've been getting some other good advice in the footwear section of the forum as well for what to look for in a shoe, so if I find something that works for me i'll let you know.

[freightliner]

If you like the magnums which I like you might like the Zamberlan men's 230 sh crosser plus GTX RR hiking boot. Being somebody from the military you might appreciate something that's made out of Kevlar. I have 800 miles on the AT with mine and there still going strong I wear them every day. I would throw in a pair of green super feet to help with ankle and knee pain. I also wear a thick wool sock and hike about 20 miles a day and never had a blister.

[Coffee]

Next stop is the Brooks Cascadia 8. I'll have feedback on those after another few months. The reviews I've seen indicate that they're good for quite a few miles, but they're definitely not minimalist.

I started the Colorado Trail with a new pair of Cascadia 8s and they appear to still have a couple hundred miles of use left. For the PCT, I'm planning to start with a fresh pair of Cascadias which I'm hoping should last the 700 miles prior to entering the Sierras. At that point, I'll have a decision to make regarding whether to go with a new pair of Cascadias or opt for my heavy Asolo boots which have better traction for snow conditions.

[Linesman]

I found my pair of cascadias lasted almost exactly from campo to kennedy meadows. Pretty much the day after leaving KM, the worn out insoles started giving me blisters.

[CalebJ]

I found my pair of cascadias lasted almost exactly from campo to kennedy meadows. Pretty much the day after leaving KM, the worn out insoles started giving me blisters.

That's about 700 miles?

[rickycodie]

New Balances makes fairly light weight trail running shoes in varying widths. But some say the box they come in is more comfortable.

This question took me about 2000 miles of somewhat painful hiking on the PCT and four pairs of shoes to finally figure out my solution. Good luck finding a pair that works for you.

I love my new Balance trail runners although I don't know what model they are.

[Linesman]

That's about 700 miles?

Actually come to think of it, I picked them up at the scissors crossing at mile 75. I still think that a pair should last from the start to KM, mile 700. I finally got mine replaced at red's meadow around mile 900!

[One Half]

I have been wearing Vibram five Fingers for the last 3 years or so, all day every day, including all activities - hiking/running/etc. The style I like is getting harder to find in the stores and it concerns me that they may stop making them so I went and bought a pair of minimalist running shoes (I actually had to buy socks first). I asked the sales person how many miles they should last and he said about 300 miles. I tried on a pair of trail runners (don't remember the brand) but I can't imagine those lasting much more than that. Keep in mind that an average pair of running shoes last about 400-500 miles and minimalist ones aren't just lighter, they have less support material and will wear out faster. If you are wearing a minimalist trail shoe with weight on your back, and hiking many miles day after day, they will likely break down much faster than if you were wearing them 5 miles a day with occasional days off.

All that being said, what type of ultra light trail shoes are people loving lately? I need to get a pair this spring.

[Connie]

I have been looking long and hard at the current hiking shoes available.

Salomon Synapse and Salomon XA Comp look good, to me.

[wormer]

I just got a new pair of Salomon Speed Cross 3 that are very light. The soles look like they will have super grip, but I'm not sure if the cleats will wear down over time and they won't be durable? ($75.00 Amazon)

[Another Kevin]

It's so much a question of what works with YOUR feet.

They leave something to be desired in durability (400-500 miles), but at the moment New Balance 610's with green Superfeet insoles work for my feet. Your feet are probably different.

Ny previous post is too old to edit (or something), but I belatedly realized that I made a typo. That's New Balance 810, not 610. The current model appears to be MT810v3. They're nice and light (9.8 oz, says the catalog, mine are a couple oz more because I'm a largish guy with largish feets).

[Just Bill]

I couldn't find it, but Meriadoc had a thread this past fall about trail running style boots- they were an UL military style mid calf.

Personally-ALTRA. Lone peak for traction, Olympus for cush, Torin for easy trails.
I also like the Merrell Bare Access shoes for minimalist footwear but don't backpack in them much.