Seeking Recommended Boot Fitter in PA

[UofDoboe]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good & knowledgeable outfitter for fitting shoes in PA. I'm in the State College area. The s̶t̶o̶c̶k̶b̶o̶y̶s̶ salespeople in the footwear dept of our local outfitter don't seem to know much more about footwear than how to tell what's in stock. They've been completely unhelpful in guiding purchases in the past.

I've been backpacking for years and have always had substantial foot pain at the end of every day, though often recoup significantly overnight. I'd always assumed that everyone experiences this - I'm learning that that's not the case. While I've been gravitating more and more towards minimal footwear on my own over the years, I've never taken a very systematic look at my feet and their biomechanics. I think that's in order now.

I'm looking for someone who can analyze my arches, watch my stride, provide guidance on the proper selection of boot & insole. Willing to travel several hours within reason to reach someone good. While I can go to a running store, someone who understands backpacking (and even thru hiking) would be more ideal.

[The Kisco Kid]

Go to a running store or better yet a podiatrist. The most comfortable hiking shoes are trail runners by far. You probably need to drop some pack weight if your feet are bothering you that much and/or ditch the heavy leather clunkers.

[UofDoboe]

Base weight's 18 lbs right now, and that's for winter gear. Some room for improvement, but I'm not in terrible shape. Currently in Merrell Chameleon 5's (http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Mens-Chameleon-Waterproof-Hiking/dp/B00D7CHG9Q) at 1.2 lbs, so also not in awful shape. Weight's obviously a never-ending battle, but I feel like in this case it's more a case of being smarter about the type of footwear.

[ki0eh]

Appalachian Outdoors in State College has some knowledgeable folks, and some less: Dave Gantz there has a good number of miles on his legs, and might be worth asking for specifically. Looking at trailrunners http://www.insidetrackpa.com/ was recommended to me, my first pair bought at their Harrisburg location hasn't gone wrong for me yet. In Wellsboro http://www.wildasaphoutfitters.com/ is owned by a thru hiker although she isn't much around on weekends. While I have not been there some recommend http://www.trailhouse.com/ in Frederick, MD.

[UofDoboe]

Thanks, ki0eh. That's exactly what I was after. At the ATC flip-flop kickoff this weekend, the outfitter in Delaware Water Gap was also recommended. Anyone know if they have the sort of foot expertise I'm looking for?

[ki0eh]

I have not been to the outfitter at DWG. I have heard of (but not tried myself) http://www.theoutfitteratharpersferry.com/ as a place where shoes are often re-bought.