View Full Version : Buying shoes in advance then mailing them to yourself
fastfoxengineering
10-02-2017, 14:35
So I have the opportunity to pick up some trail runners I like at a good discount. About $55 a pair.
I already have one pair of them with many miles left on them.
Is it a good idea to buy a couple pairs at this good price and then have someone mail them to me on trail?
Or is it just easier to buy shoes along the way, and any other reasons to not go this route.
Seems like a good opportunity to save some coin.
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peakbagger
10-02-2017, 14:41
I always keep one pair ahead on trail runners. I need 13 EEEE and few stores carry the inventory. New Balance make those widths but in very limited quantities, frequently if I dont order my width in new model it will be sold out in that size in less than a month. I think the big thing that allows me to switch over quickly is I use heat moldable Montrail inserts. They last far longer than the shoes so I just switch them into the new shoe and go.
I expect you know that many folks feet gain width over a thru hike, so that should be taken into account. Montrail makes high volume and low volume insert so if a shoe is bit too tight I just go to the low volume insert.
MuddyWaters
10-02-2017, 14:59
If you have shoes yur satisfied with....buy ...several ....pair
If you got ones you love....buy as many as you can afford
They wont be around long
At any time i.have several pr shoes. If i look for new, it can take months.
That's how I did it. I bought four pairs and my Dad mailed them to me as I needed them. Don't wait too to have them sent on the trail though. I was hiking with duct tape all over the first pair. BTW, I had about two weeks on the fourth pair when I finished my thru.
I went from a size 10 at the start of my AT thru to 11.5 by the time I got to VT and bought some new shoes. The shoes I bought in Waynesboro, VA (size 10) started to give me problems by the time I got to PA and it probably was because my feet had gotten bigger.
If you have shoes yur satisfied with....buy ...several ....pair
If you got ones you love....buy as many as you can afford
They wont be around long
At any time i.have several pr shoes. If i look for new, it can take months.
^^^^^^This
AllDownhillFromHere
10-02-2017, 21:17
Or get a good pair of boots and go the distance?
evyck da fleet
10-02-2017, 21:37
It's personal preference but I'd buy as I go if I did it again.
There's no hassle with mail drops. My feet did grow a size so while 1/2 size was a little uncomfortable a full size would have been a deal breaker. Plus if you bail you haven't spent coin on something you don't need. If you can hike 700+miles instead of 500+ with prearranged drops, have you saved any $ if you've paid for an extra pair?
But it will be more expensive to buy as you go. And you might not get what you want but you might stumble into a pair you like better.
The change in foot size is something to pay attention to. I'd run marathons before the trail and my feet gained two sizes with all the training and racing. Fortunately for me, my feet haven't changed again since that time and didn't on the trail. Good thing for me as I wear a 13 now!
garlic08
10-03-2017, 07:16
In my case that strategy worked only after my first thru-hike.
I found I can use the $50 NB shoes on sale at the Big 5 stores in my area. That can save me nearly $200 on a long hike.
The throw-away aspect of that bothers me, but the alternative for me is not hiking. If I hike in boots, I'm crippled in the first 200 miles.