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View Full Version : How do i get new trail runners on the trail?



Chance09
07-03-2008, 11:55
Ok so i have my favorite pair of trail runners that I plan on hiking the same way in. If they're only going to last me 500 miles a pair, how do i get new ones?

Should i plan on mailing then to myself at 500 mi intervals and buy them ahead of time or will i be able to find them at a store/town on the trail?

If i buy them ahead of time should i maybe increase the size a half size? or should i buy both and then return the other or would it be easier to send someone to the store to pick one up for me when i have an idea if my foot size increased or not?

JAK
07-03-2008, 12:13
My rule#1 is always why do today what you can defer 'til tomorrow.
Worst case, you blow a sneaker, patch it up until you find something better.

Good question though, and well within the spirit of rule #1. :D

Marta
07-03-2008, 12:19
Lots of people buy as they go. You can plan ahead to buy shoes in towns big enough to have an outfitter with some selection. The upside is that you are supporting businesses along the Trail; you get to try the shoes on; and you may luck into salespeople who know a lot about footwear for long distance hikers. The downside is that you may not find what you're looking for, or you may end up with something you haven't tried before and will give you blisters. Skittles buys as he goes, but ended up getting new shoes in West Glacier because the shoes he had started with (which had about 100 miles on them) we giving him blisters.

You can order online or buy phone from places like Road Runner Sports. If you know what you want, this can be a good deal. Their customer service has been excellent when I've ordered from them.

You can buy ahead of time and have them shipped to you, taking into account that you might change shoe size and/or preference while you're hiking. I bought ahead. I had done a lot of hiking before I started a long hike, not to mention having gone through significant foot growth during three pregnancies, so it worked for me.

Tenderheart
07-03-2008, 12:25
You will be arriving at an excellent outfitter at approximately your 500 mile distance. This is Mount Rogers Outfitters in Damascus. This is where my rather large feet grew one full size. MRO has a very good selection of trail shoes, and your feet should not change size after this, if at all. Also, your shoes should last much longer than 500 miles. In my experience, two pair should go the whole way.


litefoot 2000

fiddlehead
07-03-2008, 16:00
I agree, 2 pair per thru-hike.
I wouldn't buy them before hand as, like someone said, your feet may grow ( a lot)

Either buy them online, carry a supplier (retailer) phone no with you who will ship them to you, or just deal with the ones that are wearing out until you get to a town that will have a place to buy them.
I've seen people attempt to make it all the way on one pair but they used a lot of duct tape.

Jack Tarlin
07-03-2008, 16:29
Buying shoes ahead of time or on-line is questionable advice for any number of reasons.

First off, your feet will most likely grow quite a bit while en route, from swelling, pounding, etc. It is VERY unlikely that your feet will be the same size in Maine as they were in Georgia. Therefore, finding shoes you like back home, buying three or four pairs of them, breaking them in, and then thinking, "Cool! I'll have them sent to me every five or six hundred miles!" is a great idea, in theory, but the reality is that in all likelihood, it won't work out. What you'll end up with is a nice pair of shoes that's been pre-purchased, broken in, worn outside the store, and can't be returned. Oh, and did I mention it won't fit?

So buy as you go, en route. Lightweight shoes like Trail runners require minimal break in, you can wear them immediately.

And even if you know what model, style, size you like, buying On-Line is a lousy idea. For example, the 9 and a half Vasque Velocity you get in the mail might feel and fit quite differently than the one back in the store that fit just great, but you're more or less stuck with the one you got in the mail, unless you have the time and patience to send it back (at your expense) and wait til they send you something that fits.

Word to the wise: Don't buy your packs or footwear on-line or thru the mail. Take the time and trouble to get get professionally measured and fitted by someone who knows what they're doing and it'll save you all sorts of grief.

fiddlehead
07-03-2008, 16:38
I buy all of my shoes online.
I know what size i want and have not sent any back in the last few years.


To each his own.

highway
07-03-2008, 17:35
Ok so i have my favorite pair of trail runners that I plan on hiking the same way in. If they're only going to last me 500 miles a pair, how do i get new ones?

Should i plan on mailing then to myself at 500 mi intervals and buy them ahead of time or will i be able to find them at a store/town on the trail?

If i buy them ahead of time should i maybe increase the size a half size? or should i buy both and then return the other or would it be easier to send someone to the store to pick one up for me when i have an idea if my foot size increased or not?

Depending upon one's gait & weight and footwear construction, a pair of trail runner's life may be as short as just 300 miles. If you find a pair you like, call the manufacturer and have it sent to some point ahead of you. Alternatively, find a good outfitter where you will spend at least a day and a half, call the footwear source and have them overnight your pair to the outfitter's address. That was what I did at Hot Springs, Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Wayne Crosby there was kind enough to let me do it since I needed an address for the overnight delivery. Amazing outfitter, the best I have ever seen.:sun

the goat
07-03-2008, 17:39
call rei from the trail. i've had them send shoes to me using general delivery at the post office, just like a mail-drop.

Appalachian Tater
07-03-2008, 17:51
Buy them at an outfitter on the trail or order online or by telephone and have them delivered general delivery to the Post Office. There are dozens of shoes stores online. If you know what model and size you need, you can get them anywhere, they are mass-manufactured and are interchangeable.

As others have said, your feet might change size or you might develop a specific problem that a certain shoe can take care of, so it is not a good idea to buy them ahead of time unless you have done long-distance hiking before.

Many people with flat feet have found that their feet do not change size.

rafe
07-03-2008, 17:56
Mixed results w/online hiking shoe/boot purchases. Dunhams, from Campmor, both times. First time ('04?) the shoes worked out great. 2nd time ('05?) not so much.

But then again, my track record with store-bought hiking shoes/boots hasn't been perfect either.