Shoes on the fly

[Woodturner]

The last time I did a months long hike, all leather boots that could be resoled were the norm. Now that I have been converted to hiking or running shoes that are going to wear out or fall apart long before the hike ends, a new problem arises. What is the best way to get new footwear while on the trail?
Logic would say to buy three or four pairs ahead of time, break them in, and have them shipped to a mail drop as needed. That can be prohibitively expensive when other gear is being bought at the same time. It is for me anyway.
Choice #two, is hitching to a town away from the trail with a sporting goods store large enough to have a selection of decent shoes. This seems risky to me, (possibly poor selection) and could turn out to be overly time consuming.
The final method, the one I lean toward, is to carry the information you need (style, size, and phone number) and just call REI or your outfitter of choice and have the new shoes shipped to a mail drop. The only drawback I find with this, is the possibility that the model is discontinued or out of stock and you have to substitute sight unseen and hope the sizing is right.
How have some of you handled it?

[Gambit McCrae]

If your only hiking for a month, one pair should be fine. IF you see that they are wearing out in say 2 weeks, you can order another pair off line and get the shipped up trail from you 3-4 days out. (depending on shipping), and just pick them up as you walk past the address, via hostel, PO, store..anywhere willing to hold them.

Second option is if an outfitter is nearby AND carries your size, in a comfortable shoe.

I would suggest investing about 125-150 in shoes. These will last longer (apx 500 miles), maybe 250-300 in New England.

Check out my sig for a poll on how long shoes should last on the AT

[4shot]

I am one who prefers boots over trail runners. Wore out 4 pairs on my hike. I weighed all the factors, like you, and decided to go with purchase along the way. The last thing I wanted was to have to wait somewhere for a package to arrive. Or have a boot fail unexpectedly before a mail drop.The downside is you have to buy what you can get, not what you want or prefer. And I had to hike for 2-3 days to the next town (Kent,CT iirc) with my sole held on with duct tape due to unexpected and premature failure. If it had been wet, I would have had a mess as I am prone to blisters when the feet get wet. That brand of boot (won't mention the name although it is well known) only lasted about 300 miles before disintegrating...their target audience is the North Face fleece jacket crowd apparently. Most of the time you will have advance notice of wear and go by enough outfitters along the way to be able to pick up footwear easily enough.

also, some will say that your foot may change in size during the hike but that didn't happen to me.

[rafe]

Modern trail runners don't need breaking in. At least that's been my experience. I'm fortunate, I guess, in that my feet are perfectly happy in off-the-shelf New Balance whatevers.

I've ditched boots in the middle of a 600 mile hike. It was a non-event. Should have done it sooner.

[Woodturner]

If your only hiking for a month, one pair should be fine. IF you see that they are wearing out in say 2 weeks, you can order another pair off line and get the shipped up trail from you 3-4 days out. (depending on shipping), and just pick them up as you walk past the address, via hostel, PO, store..anywhere willing to hold them.

Second option is if an outfitter is nearby AND carries your size, in a comfortable shoe.

I would suggest investing about 125-150 in shoes. These will last longer (apx 500 miles), maybe 250-300 in New England.

Check out my sig for a poll on how long shoes should last on the AT

I'm planning on 3 1//2 to 4 months, Rockfish Gap to Katahdin
Currently my brand/style of choice is the Merrell Moab. I pretty well wore out one pair with maybe two hundred miles of road and very easy trail walking (no pack, easy dirt, as opposed to rocks, state park trails) last summer. They are still useable, but the sole and uppers have separated near the toes. If I can make it out of PA with the first (new) pair I will consider my self lucky. I'm hoping I will be able to stretch it out for new ones at Delaware Water Gap and Gorham for a total of three pairs counting the ones I start with. I have already done maybe two thirds of this hike between the two points so I have some idea of what to expect in the way of terrain. Rocks in PA, water in ME.

[squeezebox]

Can a person glue back a loose sole?? I'm thinking contact cement.
I was kinda surprised that my Lowa Renagade boots are only 1 lb. heavier than my trail runners. Because of a foot problem I need a stiff soled shoe.

[4shot]

I'm planning on 3 1//2 to 4 months, Rockfish Gap to Katahdin
Currently my brand/style of choice is the Merrell Moab. I pretty well wore out one pair with maybe two hundred miles of road and very easy trail walking (no pack, easy dirt, as opposed to rocks, state park trails) last summer. They are still useable, but the sole and uppers have separated near the toes. If I can make it out of PA with the first (new) pair I will consider my self lucky. I'm hoping I will be able to stretch it out for new ones at Delaware Water Gap and Gorham for a total of three pairs counting the ones I start with. I have already done maybe two thirds of this hike between the two points so I have some idea of what to expect in the way of terrain. Rocks in PA, water in ME.

the brand that you prefer is exactly the one that I had the worst experience with in terms of durability. I would look elsewhere. In terms of durability and comfort/fit, Asolo works best for me. But the shoe or boot has to fit you first and foremost. Which means you need to try them on. Merrells are comfortable to wear, just don't hold up very well under long trip,AT backpacking conditions (imo).

[burger]

Just order from Zappos while you're on the trail. They have a huge selection, and you can get things shipped to the next trail town you'll be in (or 2 towns up the trail if you want to go with slightly cheaper shipping). If you get 2-day shipping and order early in the day, the order should ship the same day. A few times I ordered a pair of shoes as soon as I got to town, took a zero, and picked up my new shoes as I was leaving. Between my wife and me, we've probably ordered 15 different pairs of shoes from Zappos on the trail, and I've never missed a package or even had one be late.

I'd strongly recommend against buying your shoes ahead of time or trying to find shoes in an outfitter on the trail. You never know what people will have in stores, and even if they have your model, they may not have your size in stock. If you buy all your shoes ahead of time and your feet expand or the shoes don't work out for some reason, you're stuck with a bunch of useless shoes.

I don't know about Merrill's, but most shoe models are discontinued/changed over the winter, not in summer. Even if your shoes got discontinued, you could probably find the old model at a discount from one of the many overstock/outlet retailers online.

(By the way, this thread has some weird advice. Did no one read the OP's post?)

[Moosling]

The last time I did a months long hike, all leather boots that could be resoled were the norm. Now that I have been converted to hiking or running shoes that are going to wear out or fall apart long before the hike ends, a new problem arises. What is the best way to get new footwear while on the trail?
Logic would say to buy three or four pairs ahead of time, break them in, and have them shipped to a mail drop as needed. That can be prohibitively expensive when other gear is being bought at the same time. It is for me anyway.
Choice #two, is hitching to a town away from the trail with a sporting goods store large enough to have a selection of decent shoes. This seems risky to me, (possibly poor selection) and could turn out to be overly time consuming.
The final method, the one I lean toward, is to carry the information you need (style, size, and phone number) and just call REI or your outfitter of choice and have the new shoes shipped to a mail drop. The only drawback I find with this, is the possibility that the model is discontinued or out of stock and you have to substitute sight unseen and hope the sizing is right.
How have some of you handled it?


There is this stuff called shoe glue when I used to skateboard all the time I would use it because skateboards. Destroy shoes might want to google is it was waterproof and would definitely help but look ugly as all get out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MamaBear]

I ordered my shoes from Amazon, as a prime member this worked well for me. I planned about where I would need the new shoes, mostly based on the mileage on the current pair, as the insides/support would wear out long before the outside would fall apart. As a prime member, I could either do the 2 day shipping or upgrade to something faster if I was closer to town. I did order from REI one time and due to coupons codes, etc. was able to upgrade to the fastest shipping with no extra cost. Amazon was also good for other supplies that couldn't be necessarily be bought in town, especially if there wasn't an outdoor outfitter. I think we ordered a headlamp, a new Sawyer squeeze filter and other gear related stuff from Amazon when we couldn't get it otherwise.

[Puddlefish]

My local shoe store probably hates me. I spent half a day trying on various brand of boots and trail runners, and took notes on each kind as far as exactly how they fit me. I know my favorite boot already, but I have a nice list of various back up brands that I could buy or order on the trail and be fairly confident that they'd fit well. Alternately, I know which brands have certain fit flaws for me that I won't consider.

[flatgrounder]

I have glued back a sole with Gorilla Glue and it held until the whole boot came apart.

[Spirit Walker]

My current pair of Moabs have over 800 miles on them. They can last pretty well. I used Merrill Mesa's on the GDT as well. One nice thing about Merrills is they are easily available and don't change much from year to year. There are a lot of outdoor stores near the trail. Also look at running stores. Appalachian Running Co. in Carlisle and Chambersburg, PA is very hiker friendly. There is also Gander Mtn. nearby. Or you can mail order to a hostel.

DH bought three pairs of shoes before one of his hikes. Unfortunately, his feet changed along the way, so the shoes no longer fit when he had them shipped to him.

If you have very large, small or wide feet you might not want to rely on what you can find along the trail. Selection can be limited in small towns for uncommon sizes.

[Dogwood]

No way will I routinely order a shoe brand or model un demoed from the trail. Too many times, vastly more often than not, something doesn't work out. Being on a LD hike not knowing my shoe choices ahead is overly risky to me. I typically have a dozen or so hiking shoe models/brands at home or on hand with one who can mail me a new pr ASAP that I've already demoed. I've slightly different sizes(1/2 - 1) size larger, extra width, greater traction for wet or slab conditions, deserts etc already demoed and bought. I've found it's best to demo my hiking shoes and given it greater consideration pre hike than doing it solely on the fly. If I absolutely must for whatever reasons buy on the fly I demo at the outfitter or shoe store.

[Puddlefish]

My current pair of Moabs have over 800 miles on them. They can last pretty well. I used Merrill Mesa's on the GDT as well. One nice thing about Merrills is they are easily available and don't change much from year to year. There are a lot of outdoor stores near the trail. Also look at running stores. Appalachian Running Co. in Carlisle and Chambersburg, PA is very hiker friendly. There is also Gander Mtn. nearby. Or you can mail order to a hostel.

DH bought three pairs of shoes before one of his hikes. Unfortunately, his feet changed along the way, so the shoes no longer fit when he had them shipped to him.

If you have very large, small or wide feet you might not want to rely on what you can find along the trail. Selection can be limited in small towns for uncommon sizes.

I hate to sound like a Moab fanboy, but I have around 400 miles in the NH woods and mountains on mine, and just have some slight wear on the soles. I did recently replace the insoles, as the originals were fairly compressed. I'm hoping to get another 400 miles out of them. One thing that may have helped is that I never wear them on the pavement or around town.

[Traveler]

I hate to sound like a Moab fanboy, but I have around 400 miles in the NH woods and mountains on mine, and just have some slight wear on the soles. I did recently replace the insoles, as the originals were fairly compressed. I'm hoping to get another 400 miles out of them. One thing that may have helped is that I never wear them on the pavement or around town.

I have similar shoes, but they are just about done at about 500 miles. Replacing the innards only cushions the foot when the issue is in the chassis of the shoe itself. Getting 800 miles out of Moabs would be a stretch I think, and potentially damaging if you are carrying loads. For the cost of a new pair versus the potential injury, it may be a better deal. I will be curious what your results are though.

[Puddlefish]

I have similar shoes, but they are just about done at about 500 miles. Replacing the innards only cushions the foot when the issue is in the chassis of the shoe itself. Getting 800 miles out of Moabs would be a stretch I think, and potentially damaging if you are carrying loads. For the cost of a new pair versus the potential injury, it may be a better deal. I will be curious what your results are though.

I have a new pair as well, that I started to break in before my foot injury. I'll start with the old pair, and switch to the new pair when needed. If I remember I'll come back and post the final mileage achieved.