View Full Version : Help Me Find a Shoe For This Years Section Hike
stjarvis
08-01-2016, 16:43
I've used Asolo TPS 520's, and La Sportiva Wildcats on previous section hikes, and had different issues with both. I carry 25-35lbs total.
The Asolo's: wore for 2 weeks from the PA-MD border to Big Meadows, VA. They got wet and never dried. I got large blisters on my heels from not being able to keep the boots, or my socks dry. Also I think they have to narrow of a toe box. By the end of the two weeks the balls of my feet were killing me, and I was walking with a limp.
The Wildcats: wore for 1 week from PA-MD border to Duncanon, PA. Didn't have any of the problems I had with the Asolo's. Instead on day 4 the outer edges of my feet started to ache. This ache got worse, and by the end of the trip if I stepped on a point rock with the middle of my foot I would double over in pain. I'm guessing I stress fractured my outer metatarsals due to the shoes not being stiff enough to combat the rocks. Aside from that issue I've been very happy with the fit of the wildcats, and have worn them as sneakers / weekend hiking shoes since. The soles are now worn flat.
What I Think I Want: A non-waterproof shoe, or boot, that breathes well, has a wide toe box, and is very supportive / has a substantial shank. It should also have low arches (I have nearly flat feet).
The Problem: Everything hiking boot been gore-tex-ified! But since the blisters suck less then my other issues I've been looking at the Vasque St. Elias in a 12 Wide.
Saucony Grid excursion or New Balance Vazee Summit.
soumodeler
08-01-2016, 18:22
Go to a reputable hiking shoe store and have them fit you. What other people recommend may be a horrible choice for your unique foot. Keep trying on shoes until you try one on that has no compromises.
That being said, if you liked the Wildcats, try the La Sportiva Ultra Raptors. Very similar shoe but with a stiffer sole that has a rock plate. That is what I personally wear, and it took me months of trying different outfitters to find what I needed. If you measure my foot the normal way, I wear a 10.5. If you measure to the bone at the base of your big toe, I am a size 12, which is the correct measurement for my foot. My arch is a size 14.
I found a pair of Salewas on the trail this weekend. Do you want them? Did you lose them?
Heliotrope
08-01-2016, 18:42
Highly recommend Brooks Cascadia. For me they have a great rock plate so I don't feel those sharp rocks and roots after miles of Maine trails. Worth checking out.
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MuddyWaters
08-01-2016, 19:16
Your feet get less sensitive to rocks with use.
Try again and you might have different result
I like feeling trail underfoot, wouldnt have it any other way.
jjozgrunt
08-02-2016, 06:55
Once had a bushwalker come up to me and tell me my shoe was rated the worst on some gear review. I don't care because it fits my foot the best, I don't get blisters and can walk all day. The best shoe for you is the one that fits the best. Go to an outfitter and keep trying them on till you find it. Doesn't matter what other people are wearing, and don't go with preconceived ideas, other than some general features.
Yes, it is all about how they fit you. I prefer low Merrell Moab Ventilators (no goretex) with Superfeet Green inserts.
I swapped to the Oboz Scapegoat mid at Neels and have been loving them. They dry super fast even when soaked. The thru hiker sole is also great, no slipping on wet rocks.
stjarvis
08-03-2016, 11:57
I'm going to checkout the Ultra Raptor, and Bushido at the local REI later today. Can't do the Cascadia's their arch doesn't fit my foot well, same with the Merrell's, I've tried both of those before. Don't know of anywhere local that carries Salewa's. If the REI has the Oboz in, I'll give them a try too.
Altima alone Peak 2.5
Salomon Pro XA
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I'm going to checkout the Ultra Raptor, and Bushido at the local REI later today. Can't do the Cascadia's their arch doesn't fit my foot well, same with the Merrell's, I've tried both of those before. Don't know of anywhere local that carries Salewa's. If the REI has the Oboz in, I'll give them a try too.
You may want to try an aftermarket insole with the Merrells. I will use them without it when I get a new pair and am just wearing them around, but put the insole in before I hit the trail. I find it much more comfortable, particularly hopping along on the granite in the Whites.
Another Kevin
08-03-2016, 17:29
There's no wider toe box than the New Balance 610. They go to 4E in the stores, and a 6E can be special ordered. I don't really have the wide-toe-box problem (although my brother does, and that's where I got the information), so I use 610's at the regular width, with orange Superfeet. (I used to use green, but at the moment I need to baby my feet, got a problem with one of them.) The factory insoles on them are worthless.
They're not waterproof at all. They dry sort of adequately. I've resigned myself to wet feet if hiking a seriously wet trail, because I'll either get them wet from the outside or the inside. Waterproof boots are sweat boxes.
What I do instead, starting a couple of days before a trip, is to wax my feet night and morning with Gurney Goo. I learnt this trick from Skurka, although he recommends a different product. (Bonnie's Balm? Something like that. He sells it on his web site.) That builds up into a pretty good breathable waterproofing right on the skin, and I have much less trouble with "blistering" - which in the case of wet feet is more likely maceration, "trench foot." In serious mud I'll also wash my socks as often as twice a day, because clean wet socks are a lot easier on the feet than gritty, muddy ones.
But this is just what works for me. Your feet are doubtless different.
Greenlight
08-03-2016, 17:35
Merrell Moab Ventilators with your appropriate Superfeet inserts. Get fitted with the low arch model. These are not waterproof, and have never failed me in any season.