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  1. #21
    Registered User joshuasdad's Avatar
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    Almost ready to replace my second pair of trail runners, getting 400-500 miles per pair as a section hiker. Cost is an issue for them, but with poles, I find them to be much better than boots, most of the time.

    Trail runners do not protect those bones that project from your ankles if your foot goes between two rocks. Had a scar on my left ankle for about a year from one incident. Hit my right ankle pretty hard in Mahoosuc Notch two weeks ago, but it is mostly healed now.

    Since you have hiking experience, I think you should at least try trail runners. It is wonderful going mostly blister/foot-pain free. But in Northern NH/Southern Maine, trail runners are a questionable choice. I'm getting by, barely.

  2. #22
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    I don't want to hijack the thread but I've been thinking of downsizing from my full size boots. Would you guys recommend going to a mid first? I do like having some ankle support. Are there any recommendations from you guys on favorite mids and trail runners?

  3. #23

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    A mid wont give you ankle support.
    For that matter, neither do your full size boots.

  4. #24
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    Not true. Maybe in some theoretical sense but I never twist my ankles in my boots but I do I my trailrunners.

    On a similar note reading trail journals I noticed references to ankle twisting from people in trailrunners. One reference described half a dozen twists in one day.



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  5. #25

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    I have a weak ankle from previous sprains. I can definitely feel the much greater ankle support in my mids versus my trail runners. Boots are even more supportive for my ankle, and don't feel heavy or make me more tired at the end of the day --- but I seem to catch the toe of the boot on rocks and stumble a LOT more than with mids, so I guess lighter footwear does indeed make a difference even if its hard to feel it when walking around.

  6. #26
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    I love my lightweight Moab Ventilator shoes and wish I'd switched to them or something like them years ago. When they get wet during a stream crossing, no big deal; they dry quickly, unlike old-school boots. With these I don't need camp shoes. I'll probably never wear heavyweight boots again, but I now carry a much lighter pack than I used to. Those who still carry heavy loads might need boots.
    Whatever you buy, I highly recommend sizing them in person (best is late in the day after you've done some walking because feet swell during the day) and not buying a new brand online without trying them. I always wore a size 12, but with the Moabs I needed a 13 for the first time ever. The sales clerk at REI claimed that manufacturers' shoe sizes are arbitrary and meaningless - I always thought a certain size meant it was X centimeters or inches, but he claimed that there's no universal standard and that a size is whatever that particular maker says it is. Can that really be true?

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuckyMan View Post
    I love my lightweight Moab Ventilator shoes and wish I'd switched to them or something like them years ago. When they get wet during a stream crossing, no big deal; they dry quickly, unlike old-school boots. With these I don't need camp shoes. I'll probably never wear heavyweight boots again, but I now carry a much lighter pack than I used to. Those who still carry heavy loads might need boots.
    Whatever you buy, I highly recommend sizing them in person (best is late in the day after you've done some walking because feet swell during the day) and not buying a new brand online without trying them. I always wore a size 12, but with the Moabs I needed a 13 for the first time ever. The sales clerk at REI claimed that manufacturers' shoe sizes are arbitrary and meaningless - I always thought a certain size meant it was X centimeters or inches, but he claimed that there's no universal standard and that a size is whatever that particular maker says it is. Can that really be true?
    I would agree with the shoe sizing issue completely. I normally wear 11 1/2 for running shoes (Nike and Brooks Adrenaline GTS) and to account for swelling I went with a 12 for my trail runners (Brooks Cascadia). Well, it wasn't really enough. My big toes took a beating and although I had no blisters for about a week after my JMT hike, they seemed weirdly numb. Only now two weeks after finishing do they seem back to normal. I probably need 12 1/2 or 13 trail runners.
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  8. #28
    GSMNP 900 Miler rmitchell's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by middle to middle View Post
    I read the book by the girls who hiked barefoot. They did ok.
    Curiously, they carried a pair of trail runners.

  9. #29
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    My experience, as a section hiker who averages about 12 miles per day, that equates to 25,000 - 30,000 steps. I found hiking boots WAY too heavy, also, they do not really provide ankle support. Ski boots do, not hiking boots.

    What has helped me when hiking / training in between section hikes is hiking on the SIDES of hills (with a 35lb pack), not just going straight up and down, that has done more to strengthen my ankles than anything else.

    No doubt, they do wear out faster. We live most / all of our lives in low top shoes, that is what our feet and bodies are used to.

  10. #30

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    Everyone is talking about trail runners vs. boots....where do "approach" shoes fit in? I used a pair of La Sportiva's for the approach to Aconcagua and loved them. Not sure of the mileage I would get out of them butt they definitely made for happy feet for a few days in and out. Plan on using the same for the AT but curious about differences if any from trail runners?

  11. #31

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    I liked hiking in my trail runners, but the bottom of my feet killed me from rocks and uneven ground. And I can't stand anything around my ankles. A great middle-of-the-road shoe for me has been the Patagonia Drifter. The fit of a sturdy trail runner, but a thick Vasque sole that gives the bottom support of a boot. Much less weight, and a very roomy toe box so my feet don't feel pinched.
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  12. #32
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    I have a cut nerve in my leg, with the obvious neuropathy. I need a stiff sole. Wish someone made a trial runner with a solid carbon fiber sole, like my bicycle shoes.

  13. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by psyenz View Post
    Everyone is talking about trail runners vs. boots....where do "approach" shoes fit in? I used a pair of La Sportiva's for the approach to Aconcagua and loved them. Not sure of the mileage I would get out of them butt they definitely made for happy feet for a few days in and out. Plan on using the same for the AT but curious about differences if any from trail runners?
    i use la sportiva ultra raptors with green superfeet

  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Demeter View Post
    I liked hiking in my trail runners, but the bottom of my feet killed me from rocks and uneven ground. And I can't stand anything around my ankles. A great middle-of-the-road shoe for me has been the Patagonia Drifter. The fit of a sturdy trail runner, but a thick Vasque sole that gives the bottom support of a boot. Much less weight, and a very roomy toe box so my feet don't feel pinched.
    When selecting a trail runner to walk on rocks, A good test is to hold the shoe by the heel with one hand, and the toe with the other, and twist in opposite directions.

    The more the shoe resists twisting, the easier it will be walking over rough terrain.

  15. #35
    Registered User 1234's Avatar
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    Do y'all have any advice for me regarding footwear? Yes prior to committing to a long distance hike wear your new foot ware in a creek, puddle or mud hole, get them soggy wet and NOW the most important part, walk them dry. This is something you will be doing over and over. See if your foot ware works. On the boot trail shoe issue I think most boots now are simply

  16. #36
    Registered User 1234's Avatar
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    I must have hit the enter?? most boots now are simply trail runners with some leather vs nylon. I real boot is a shoe that has a sown on sole that can be replaced. If the boot has a glued on sole it "to me" is just a fancy sneaker.

  17. #37

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    I used Salomon XA Pros for my thru hike. However, if I ever hike PA again, I will use something with a stiffer sole.

  18. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by RN-PCT2015 View Post
    I used heavy Asolo boots for many years for relatively short trips before switching to trail runners (Cascadia 7) this year for my John Muir Trail hike. The obvious benefit is the reduced weight and there is a huge difference moving from heavy boots to trail runners. I did not get blisters in my boots and did not get any in the runners so I'm neutral on that point. Overall, I was happy to have trail runners on probably 90% of the JMT. The 10% where I would have preferred boots was during walks on extremely uneven terrain mostly above treeline and, most significantly, at the Mt. Whitney summit area where most of the rocks had a light layer of ice the morning I reached the summit. That was the only time I felt like the runners were a safety issue.

    I run marathons so my feet are generally well conditioned and I did not have problems with ankle support but I can see how that might be an issue for some. One other disadvantage, which I considered minor in light of the benefits, is that runners allow much more dirt to get through to my socks and then to my feet. My feet were filthy with dirt and dust after each day of hiking which would not be true with my boots. Most days that was easily remedied with a soak in a creek or lake.
    I wear Asolo's also. While doing a section hike on the BMT I got two blisters and tore an Achilles. A couple months later we decided to do a day hike in the Sipsey Wilderness. I decided to wear my regular NB Tennis shoes for comfort. We ended up going off-trail for about 5 miles. Never had I wished so badly that I would have worn my Asolo's!! I'm still game to try and actual pair of "trail" hiking/running shoe but for now, I'll continue wearing my boots

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1234 View Post
    I must have hit the enter?? most boots now are simply trail runners with some leather vs nylon. I real boot is a shoe that has a sown on sole that can be replaced. If the boot has a glued on sole it "to me" is just a fancy sneaker.



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  20. #40
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    I hurt my ankle in high end leather boots. I switched to trail runners and haven't looked back.

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