View Full Version : hiking in racing flats
anyone hike in racing flats?
Im interested in the light weight but I dont know if they have enough cushioning or durability.
right now im using montrail masai's.
hikerjohnd
08-28-2006, 00:27
whoa - never went that light on shoes - your feet take a beating - I would question the durability, but YMMV.
I tried trail runners once and tore through a pair in less than 200 miles.
Oh - and Welcome to WB!!! :welcome
fiddlehead
08-28-2006, 00:46
i don't know what racing flats are but i've hiked in trail runners for over 10,000 miles and wouldn't go back to anything heavier.
bigcranky
08-28-2006, 08:37
If you are talking about road racing shoes, I dunno, but I probably wouldn't. If you are talking about really light off-road shoes like the Inov8, made for endurance racers, then I'd probably try them. I wear Salomon XA Comps, which are pretty light and flexible, much more so than, say, anything I've tried from Montrail.
I get maybe 300 miles out of them on the trail, so I try to buy them on sale.
--Ken
Mother's Finest
08-28-2006, 12:45
by racing flats, he or she means ultra-light running shoes. companies make them for distances up to half-marathon, or less.
because of the durability factor, I would not use anything less than a true running shoe. Sgt Rock mentions that he uses Air Pegasus i think, and on a shoe quality scale, that is about as lightweight as I would go.....
but to each his own...if you are a marathoner, really light frame, you might make it work.
peace
mf
They'd likely fall apart very fast, but if you don't need the tread or protection of a more robust sole, go for it. I've noticed more people going with very very light shoes on the PCT because the tread is so good. Whatever works.
A good light trail shoe is the New Balance 606AT which I use now. Weigh about 13 oz., mine have about 500 miles on them and they are looking good.
They have a trail sole, but a lighter and more breathable upper than most other trail runners.
http://www.newbalance.com/productbrowser/product_details.html;jsessionid=aaa7qXcJxrODY6?g11 n.enc=ISO-8859-1&feature=Trail%2FOff-Road&gender=Men&segment=&product=M606AT&product_type=shoe&sport=Running