View Full Version : Boots or Trail shoes? or both
Dogginfox
10-24-2005, 10:43
Im planning on thru hiking starting mid march or early april, i cant seem to decide between wearing trail shoes and later switching to boots or just booting it the whole time. any input would be appreciated.
thanks.
Footslogger
10-24-2005, 10:46
I used both during my thru in 2003. With that experience behind me I would probably go with just trail shoes next time. I started out in boots, believing that they would be warmer and provide better support, which they did. When I got to Damascus I switched to trail shoes and immediately felt the difference (benefits) in terms of weight. Surprizingly, my ankles didn't suffer the way I thought they would.
My trail shoes were pretty shot by the time I hit the rocks in PA and I went back to boots for a while but ultimately returned to a trail shoe.
'Slogger
the goat
10-24-2005, 10:56
i used boots in '01, shoes in '03. shoes are definitely quicker but my ankles got punished in PA w/ the shoes. (i carry a heavy pack though).
I used boots on my '98 AT hike and shoes on my '03 PCT attempt. I had foot problems both times, but the foot troubles I had on the PCT forced me off. I'm pretty convinced if I'd had boots I wouldn't have had such a hard time.
But, that's my body. Everyone is different, and knowing your personal level is important. If you have foot troubles, boots are a good way to go. If you have knee troubles, shoes would be better. If you have both, well... um... find a really lightweight boot.
There's really no correct answer for this, since everyone is different, but my personal experience had made me make the switch back to boots. In either case though, less weight will make your hike easier, so if you decide to go with boots, research and find lightweight boots that fit well.
the goat
10-24-2005, 11:32
I used boots on my '98 AT hike and shoes on my '03 PCT attempt. I had foot problems both times, but the foot troubles I had on the PCT forced me off. I'm pretty convinced if I'd had boots I wouldn't have had such a hard time.
what kinda foot troubles forced you off?
what kinda foot troubles forced you off?
Not entirely sure, since I never went to the doc to have it checked out, but here are the symptoms I had...
One day why ankle seemed a little stiff, so I stretched it in the morning and at every rest break. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, just a little sore. Not uncommon since I was thru-hiking. The next morning I wake up, chat with friends, sit up, am fine, and then try to stand. I find out quickly I can't put any weight on my ankle, at all, as I go toppling over and fall back onto the ground. I stretch, no use, and I can't really stretch or move my ankle much anyway. My ankle hurt whenever I put any weight on it, even pushing on it with my pinkie finger, on the inside right below the ankle bone. Also, my calf had a hell of a knot, probably from walking funny. I took an absurd amount of ibuprofin and managed to hop down the 4 miles to the nearest road where I hitched to a hostel. I stayed there a couple days, jumped to another hostel where I stayed a couple more days, and then stayed with family for a little over a week. The ankle sloooooowly got better, and I was able to get back on the trail. It was fine for a while, but started to act up again, and eventually I couldn't hike without taking absurd amounts of ibuprofin constantly. That's when I decided to call it off.
Sooo, my guess is tendon damage. Didn't feel like a broken bone (I've done that before, and that was pretty obvious), and it didn't feel like a pulled muscle, so that's my guess. I could be totally wrong, but I'll never know since I never saw the doc. Ah well. I remain a man of mystery.
the goat
10-24-2005, 13:57
Not entirely sure, since I never went to the doc to have it checked out, but here are the symptoms I had...
One day why ankle seemed a little stiff, so I stretched it in the morning and at every rest break. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it, just a little sore. Not uncommon since I was thru-hiking. The next morning I wake up, chat with friends, sit up, am fine, and then try to stand. I find out quickly I can't put any weight on my ankle, at all, as I go toppling over and fall back onto the ground. I stretch, no use, and I can't really stretch or move my ankle much anyway. My ankle hurt whenever I put any weight on it, even pushing on it with my pinkie finger, on the inside right below the ankle bone. Also, my calf had a hell of a knot, probably from walking funny. I took an absurd amount of ibuprofin and managed to hop down the 4 miles to the nearest road where I hitched to a hostel. I stayed there a couple days, jumped to another hostel where I stayed a couple more days, and then stayed with family for a little over a week. The ankle sloooooowly got better, and I was able to get back on the trail. It was fine for a while, but started to act up again, and eventually I couldn't hike without taking absurd amounts of ibuprofin constantly. That's when I decided to call it off.
Sooo, my guess is tendon damage. Didn't feel like a broken bone (I've done that before, and that was pretty obvious), and it didn't feel like a pulled muscle, so that's my guess. I could be totally wrong, but I'll never know since I never saw the doc. Ah well. I remain a man of mystery.
yeah that sucks dude. in '03 i was sobo'n with this dude & he had very similar symptoms. me and a couple others emptied his pack and carried all his $hit for him, up the south side of mt. greylock. rob bird picked us up at the summit & took him to the hospital & found out he had a hair line fracture in the bone. he took a 2 week breather at the bird cage. thank god for rob, or he'd have been f'd.
Dogginfox
10-24-2005, 15:35
Also for anyone who used shoes, were they low cut or mid cut?
ARambler
10-24-2005, 17:03
... decide between wearing trail shoes and later switching to boots or just booting it the whole time. any input would be appreciated.
Hope this is backwards. I have seen/heard of trail shoes or even sandles in snow, but I can't endorse it. Maybe with Gortex sox (like Sealskin).
After the snow, trailshoes are great. I've estimated they give me 2 extra miles a day for the same effort. This is typical Whiteblaze BS but feels about right.
For me, I have to get my pack weight below about 40 lb to avoid foot soreness. Also, I stub my toes enough that I must use trail runners and not road runners.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-24-2005, 17:28
I used to hike in trailrunners and would recommend them for all but the roughest parts of the AT - like PA. I now have ortho issues and have to wear boots - I was wearing Montrail Traverse and the weight was killing me. I recently found some boots that are only 19 ozs and am loving them. (Hi-Tec Sierra V-Lite Fastpack)
Nightwalker
10-26-2005, 12:09
Im planning on thru hiking starting mid march or early april, i cant seem to decide between wearing trail shoes and later switching to boots or just booting it the whole time. any input would be appreciated.
thanks.
Someone apparently started with both last spring. I got a free, nearly new set of Lowa boots that were left behind at the Low Gap shelter.
I've enjoyed them a great deal, even though I rarely hike in boots. They're really comfy to wear around town. Maybe I'll hike in them this winter. It'd be a shame to waste 'em!
I just love being hiker trash sometimes. Bob Yuppy would've turned up his nose and called a ranger or sumpin'.
:D
i have Asolo TPS 535's that i plan on starting with in mid march for my NOBO thru attempt.....also carrying Keen H2's for my water/camp shoe.....
i plan on switching out of my Asolo's once i get past The Smokies or later north of Mt. Rogers, depending on the conditions and how my feet feel. Im hoping to get plenty of hiking in with my Keens and may consider mailing my boots home till i get near the Whites if all goes well....i have extremely flat feet and im pigeon toed in my left foot....i have a severe case of feet anxiety for this trip.
Superfeet do me well, i wear them every other day while im home and at work.
Oh, my lighter boot that will replace the Asolo is the Montrail Stratos XCR.
I used to hike in trailrunners and would recommend them for all but the roughest parts of the AT - like PA. I now have ortho issues and have to wear boots - ...
I've heard this so much in recent years, I have to wonder if there's a connection between using trailrunners, and permanant damage to more hiker's feet. Back in the 90's when most people were using boots you didn't hear this as much. Not that you didn't hear it at all though, so some people are just screwed no matter what they wear. Also, the internet wasn't as strong back then, so there just wasn't as much access to hiker feedback (feetback?) as there is now, so it may not be a fair comparison... maybe it's the same amount of people with feet troubles, but we just hear about it more often now.
Dunno the answers, but it's fun to think about.
I'll have to check out those boots! 19 oz is pretty sweet.
Footslogger
10-26-2005, 13:06
[QUOTE=Ender]I've heard this so much in recent years, I have to wonder if there's a connection between using trailrunners, and permanant damage to more hiker's feet.
=============================================
That's a thought provoking question ...
Would be interesting to correlate types of footwear used on the AT and the indicence of foot problems. I myself switched from boots to trail shoes in Damascus and really enjoyed the lighter weight and flexibility but I wonder now if I paid a price in terms of wear/tear on my feet. After my hike I had quite a bit of numbness in the forefoot on both sides. Even now, over 2 years from completing my thru I have a dulled sensation in the tips of my toes.
Either way ...I'm probably still going to stick with trail shoes as long as my ankles allow. But the point you make about the 90's when more/most hikers exclusively wore boots does make me wonder.
'Slogger
The Solemates
10-26-2005, 13:15
it seems that the consensus is that once a boot wearer reluctantly decides to switch to trail shoes, he finds that the ankle issue is no big deal and that he much more enjoys a lighter weight shoe. im no exception to this observation, although I typically wear a boot if snow is involved.
seems to me that the main reason to wear shoes instead of boots is that boots won't dry easily but shoes usually dry overnight. i wear running shoes, very light and basically made out of webbing. my ankles don't hurt because they have become strong through hiking in running shoes.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-26-2005, 14:58
I've heard this so much in recent years, I have to wonder if there's a connection between using trailrunners, and permanant damage to more hiker's feet.
My ortho issues are from a head-on collusion last year. The question is an interesting one however - I'm betting it is a contributing factor when people try to hike in runners while carrying loads that could require more support than the runners can provide.
Nightwalker
10-26-2005, 22:24
For me, I have to get my pack weight below about 40 lb to avoid foot soreness. Also, I stub my toes enough that I must use trail runners and not road runners.
Take this from someone who has.
Work hard at it. Get that pack down another ten pounds. You'll thank yourself every day that you hike with it. I hiked for years thinking that a heavyish pack was no big deal. My definition of heavy kept on changing, however, as I got that pack a little lighter, a little at a time. Now I'm down to slightly less than 30 lbs with a late fall pack, 4 days food, 1 liter of water, and my Lekis. Some of that was money-helped, but most of it was "do I really need this? Did I use this last time? Can I make this do two things?"
I realize that this isn't what this thread's about, so I won't go on, but go to the trouble. You'll thank yourself for it.
BTW, plenty of people here would call my pack heavy. I'm still working on it though.
:)