Are Camp Shoes Necessary?

[bigcranky]

If you're wearing light and comfortable trail shoes, there is no real need for camp shoes. But I still like bringing them on longer hikes. In cooler weather I bring my old Waldies (like Crocs, but they were all the rage in '03 on the trail. Now that I think about it, they are 10 years old and still going strong.) In the summer I like just cheapo flip flops.

[Miner]

Given that you will start the trail in worse shape then your body will be after several weeks on the trail, you might want to start without them and if you feel the need latter, add them in when you are stronger and won't mind the weight as much.

That said, I've never seen a reason for them. I wear lightweight trail runner shoes. At fords, I take the socks and insoles out and hike across the ford in my shoes and put them back in once I'm on the other side. The shoes dry faster with less things in them to aborb water. In camp, I tie the laces really loose so I can slip my feet into and out of them easily and never found them tiring to wear in camp.

[Carry-On]

I wore trail runners, Brooks Cascadias, and I tried a couple different camp shoes. At first I tried a minimalist barefoot shoe, but they didn't stay on my feet, so not helpful for walking around town. Then I bought some "water" shoes at Walmart and they stunk and weren't great for water, because they wouldn't dry. I kept them until Maine, though. I found a pair of crocs at a hostel just in time for all the river crossings in Maine and I loved those crocs, but they were heavier than some other crocs I saw. I did try fording in my shoes and they stayed too wet for my feet. Several hostels make you remove your wet, muddy, stinky hiking boots/shoes so camp shoes can be helpful then, and just for a break for your feet to air out. I finished the last few weeks of my 2012 thruhike in new waterproof shoes due to the snow from hurricane Sandy. I got rid of those crocs at the same time because my feet had been freezing in them. I regretted giving up the crocs, especially due to the fact that my new waterproof shoes gave me blisters after 1900 miles of no blisters and I had no way to air out my feet or give the blisters a break. Almost every thruhiker I met had a pair of camp shoes of some sort.

[prain4u]

I have done three different things when hiking--each method had both pros and cons:

1) No camp shoes at all. Pros: No weight and no space taken up in my pack. No cost. Cons: Risk of injury to feet while fording or wading--unless I chose to get my hiking shoes wet. Choices in camp or on the trail were use my hiking shoes or go barefoot.

2) Flip-flops. Pros: Comfortable. Great for airing our feet and letting them dry. Lets hiking shoes air out. Good for use in a shower. Lighter than some options. Cons: Adds some weight and takes up some space in pack. Better than nothing when wading/fording--but sometimes hard to keep on feet an walk safely in certain water conditions.

3) Water shoes / Water socks. Pros: Good for wading/fording. Comfortable. Closer to a "real" shoe and can be used as a semi-backup pair of footwear for hiking. Cons: Heaviest of the three options. Not as good for airing out feet and letting feet dry. Not as good as flip flops for shower shoes.

I once developed a group of very bad blisters which quickly became very painful open sores (my only trip where this happened). My water shoes did not rub in the same spots as my hiking shoes. Thus, I put on my water shoes and I slowly and carefully hiked in them for the last two days of that hiking trip. Glad I had the water shoes with me.

[Mike2012]

No.

Ref: 2012 thru hike

[4Bears]

Needed?? Not really, but can be handy. I don't like the way flip flops cut between my toes, so I like to use a pair of slides only slightly heavier than flip flops but lighter than crocs, good in the shower as well.

[Mike2012]

Better to make that .36 oz of Oklahomas finest

[pbr]

Foam Ladies Beach Wear Sandals (bright blue) from walmart! They weigh absolutely nothing and have toe protection for those wonderful rocks. I saw 3 ladies with them on last years hike.

Good luck finding them anymore though, and especially in your size- I took the last XXL pair

[leaftye]

Need? No. But flip-flops can be nice, if you want to air your poor feet out each afternoon. They're light and cheap and easily replaced. But I guess it all depends on what you're wearing when walking (i.e., boots vs. shoes), and if the weight of any additional footwear is tolerable to you. I hike in well-ventilated running shoes, and so they can double their duties as camp shoes, though they suck when it comes time to go bowling.

Agreed. I like having flip flops or slides to walk around in when I'm airing out my feet, shoes and socks during breaks. Even after a couple months on the trail, my feet are still too sensitive to walk on the course rocks littering the trail around here. Plus flip flops keeps my feet cleaner.

They're VERY nice to have on nero or zero days. Blistered feet will really appreciate the extra ventilation. They're nice for showering at hostels and public showers too.

If the weight is a concern, replace the straps with fabric straps or cords, and then plug them into form fitting holes in your foam pack or pack.

[daddytwosticks]

Some folks (me included) have made ultra-light flip flops from shoe insoles and thin cord. Only use them in warmer weather on short hikes.

[leaftye]

Some folks (me included) have made ultra-light flip flops from shoe insoles and thin cord. Only use them in warmer weather on short hikes.

I kind of went the other way. I made flip flops from a foam pad. The flip flops are small enough to fit into my shoes and make them extra cushy. I put them under my pad for extra insulation. I haven't gone so far as to have them fit into cutouts in my pad. If I went that far, it'd only be to minimize bulk.

[mtnkngxt]

Nope, don't mess with them.

[Don H]

Reasons for carrying Crocs:
1. Nice to air out the feet and they feel great after hiking all day
2. Crossing streams
3. Wearing in public showers to avoid athlete's foot.
4. Back up for hiking shoes (yes people have hiked the entire AT in Crocs)

[Turk6177]

I started a week long hike without them, and will never leave them at home again. I really wanted to just strip my shoes off at the end of the day and let my feet breathe. I did the same at lunch, drying my socks a bit and letting my feet breathe. When you are in camp, you walk around a lot getting water, cooking, visiting, etc. The last think I wanted to do was put on shoes to do those little chores. IMHO, they are worth the weight.

[Lyle]

Necessary? No.

Desirable? I think so, so I carry something light (Crock knock-offs from Dollar General)

Back when we wore heavy leather boots, they were more "necessary". Today with light weight hiking shoes, many folks are happy without them. They are still comfy and convenient to have around camp, plus gives an emergency option if your shoes suffer a catastrophic failure - not likely, but has happened.

[wornoutboots]

I've hiked with & without them. Personally when I haven't had them I really regretted it! I hike a lot of 15+ mile days & my dogs are really barking when I pull up at camp. Nothing like letting them properly air out & recoup while your at camp. I carry wannbe crocs

[poopsy]

It looks like everyone has an opinion and some go for it and others don't.

The best piece of advice I ever got for the end of a day and you don't want to carry extra footwear, is TAKE OUT YOUR INSOLES! I don't know why it feels better but it does. Maybe it gives your feet more room, maybe it lets your feet restructure themselves a bit, I don't know. But it really does work.

[rusty bumper]

No camp shoes for me....I just loosen the laces on my lightweight hiking shoes when I get to camp. For stream/river fording, I just plow on through with my shoes and socks on my feet. They usually dry out pretty quickly and even if they don't, walking in wet shoes and socks is no big deal.

[VTATHiker]

Do you need them? No. I didn't use them at all going sobo this year. Had I heard about garlic08's technique back in August, I might have tried that out. I felt very comfortable fording streams barefoot - especially since I had trek poles. If it was already a wet/rainy day then I just forded with shoes on. I hiked in trail runners that were comfortable - comfortable enough that I didn't feel the need to take them off in camp.

I like Miner's suggestion - start your hike without and then decide after you get your legs under you. I thought about getting a pair of sandals while on the trail a few times, but every time I held them in my hands in a store I couldn't think of enough times when I needed them to justify the purchase and the weight.

[colorado_rob]

The best piece of advice I ever got for the end of a day and you don't want to carry extra footwear, is TAKE OUT YOUR INSOLES! I don't know why it feels better but it does. Maybe it gives your feet more room, maybe it lets your feet restructure themselves a bit, I don't know. But it really does work.

Yep, this works great for me as well. Take out the insoles, and remove your socks... my hikers then feel like slippers to me. I cross creeks this way too (w/o insoles and socks), because the shoes dry faster that way. I used to carry a 10oz pair of Crocs, then I figured out they were basically dead weight.