View Full Version : Boots with grip
Backgroup. I started a flip flop at HF last april wearing a pair of Vasque St Elias boots. Great boot but the Pa. rocks ate them up and by Palmerton I had to purchase boots. I ordered Oboz. Neither of these seemed to grip very well. My hike ended on a rainy day and slide down Mt Everett. Does anyone have experience with a mid boot or shoe with grip? I prefer a mid because my technique must be awful. I scrape the hell out of the ankle pads on my boots and I dont want that to be my ankles getting ripped up.
Greenlight
01-18-2017, 14:17
Put a tube of Shoe Goo in your bounce box and when you have a zero day, mod the soles of the boots that work for you. You can get a couple hundred more miles out of a pair that isn't completely ate up, but just needs some sole work.
johnspenn
01-19-2017, 07:34
The soles on my Merrells always seem to have pretty good grip on rocky surfaces. Extra caution is always in order when it's wet.
Thats kinda funny. I find my Oboz Bridgers pretty grippy.
Any shoe will lose the grip on rock completely when the tread is smeared closed by dirt.
Regarding grip in general, there might be a small difference between true rubber soles and "plastic" soles, but thats pretty insignificant and I doubt that hikers might notice it.
A much bigger difference is between new soles and soles at the end of life (no tread, no grip).
I really like the Salomon tread pattern. I have a few pairs of their shoes an I love them. I always feel really stable in just about any conditions.
http://www.salomon.com/us/product/x-ultra-mid-aero.html?article=379169
Slo-go'en
01-19-2017, 13:53
I have yet to find a pair of boots/shoes which stick to wet rock like the classic Vibrum lug sole. Part of it is the fancy lug pattern they use now days and part of it is the composition of the material. A soft rubber sticks better, but a hard rubber lasts longer. Guess which one they use.
There is no way to tell how well a boot will work on wet rock until you get out there and start falling on your butt. Wet ledge in NH and Maine is particularly treacherous. Test the grip before you put all your weight on it. And look out for "green" rock. That means it's covered with a thin layer of moss and can be really slick.