PDA

View Full Version : shoe suggestions for PA rocks?



volks-man
04-30-2009, 07:19
i am needing a new pair of hiking shoes for use on rocky PA stretches of trail. i prefer low tops and waterproof (if i can get it).

i have been using hi-tec v-lites but they are curling up fast. i have also used columbias with custom, thick aluminum rock plate, insoles but the aluminum proves unreliable due to cracking.:mad:

vasque blurs have been mentioned.
anyone have experience with ASICS d gel trail attack wr ? they read impressively at 12oz, forefoot plate, gel cusioning, and water resistant for $85 beans.

anyone have any suggestions for lightweight shoes that have some sort of protection for rock bruising of the forefooot? and are resistant to curling up like elf shoes in the front?

thanks folks!

Downhill Trucker
05-01-2009, 07:53
Where did you see those asics at?

I used a pair of saloman mid weight lows for punishing terrain in nor cal last spring they worked great. My opinion is that fit to your specific foot is the most important factor. Rocks in PA arent that bad anyways if you arent carrying a real heavy pack.

SlowLightTrek
05-01-2009, 08:51
Anything you wear will get torn up on the Pennsylvania rocks. If your shoes can make it past PA, I would use them and get a pair after southern New Jersey. That's where the rocks end.

Many Walks
05-01-2009, 10:14
I've had good luck with both Merrell and Keene.

volks-man
05-01-2009, 11:43
Where did you see those asics at?

I used a pair of saloman mid weight lows for punishing terrain in nor cal last spring they worked great. My opinion is that fit to your specific foot is the most important factor. Rocks in PA arent that bad anyways if you arent carrying a real heavy pack.
asics:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___13677

saloman mids: noted. thanks.

the points on the rocks are what gets to me. take a step and the ball of my foot gets poked and bruised.
i have historically carried between 25 and 30 lbs. though my trips are usually very short.
my gear has been evolving, improving. so too have i evolved, and improved.:)

Wags
05-01-2009, 15:12
i like montrail hardrocks for PA. they protect the bottom of my feet well, yet still breath decently

notorius tic
05-01-2009, 15:38
I hike an work in Merrels. Still wearing the pair that I thrued in 07. low top continuum.

emerald
05-01-2009, 15:51
If your shoes can make it past PA, I would use them and get a pair after southern New Jersey. That's where the rocks end.

Earth is flat too, really!

Marta
05-01-2009, 18:21
Per the suggestion of the outfitter nearest Delaware Water Gap (I was heading south), I put two pairs of insoles into my trail runners. Worked great.

garlic08
05-01-2009, 18:23
Per the suggestion of the outfitter nearest Delaware Water Gap (I was heading south), I put two pairs of insoles into my trail runners. Worked great.

Good advice. I tried that for the first time this month on the Arizona Trail, and it worked for me. I used one Spenco (padded) with one Superfeet (for support). I wish I'd heard about it before I hiked PA.

volks-man
05-01-2009, 19:18
for my short trips i had been placing cheap foam cusion insoles under my columbia and hi-tecs sockliners. you get the padding and still have the molded sockliner fit.;) doesn't help much with the pointy rocks though.

the aluminum i used in the columbias was fantastic! i simply removed the sockliner and used it for a pattern to cut the aluminum plate. after cutting, i put each on a thick folded towel and pounded until i got a contour that matched the sockliner as well. place in shoe with tightly reverse-rolled duct tape in a few spots, place the cheapie foam over the plate and the stock sockliner on top.
i felt no rocks, the shoe was super stable, and the aluminum weighed nearly nothing. darn those stress cracks!

kayak karl
05-01-2009, 21:57
Anything you wear will get torn up on the Pennsylvania rocks. If your shoes can make it past PA, I would use them and get a pair after southern New Jersey. That's where the rocks end.
where does the trail hit southern NJ:confused: we are the forgotten state, south jersey has no trail, no hills, no valleys:D

SlowLightTrek
05-01-2009, 22:53
I talked with one of the trail maintainers at the worst section in PA about the rock dilema. He was quite proud of having the rockiest section on the entire AT. It did nothing to comfort my sore feet however. Although he did give me a ride into town for a burger and beer.

darkage
05-02-2009, 00:18
I hike an work in Merrels. Still wearing the pair that I thrued in 07. low top continuum.

Another vote for merrells .... Work or hiking ... Hard to find another boot for me personally that feels just as good.

volks-man
05-02-2009, 18:48
went to gander mountain today to check out some of the suggested shoes, and a few i read up on. i only found one that was suggested.

but.... i did find something else!

danner exo edge dxtvent. CLEARANCE $20 beans!!!!!:eek:

found 9.5 in both EE and D widths. the D was spot on perfect!
i had never heard of danner, but after walking around a bit in them i was impressed. super breathable, comfortable, fore-foot plate, everything i wanted really except water resistant. they also had north face hedgehogs that i really liked (same price) but they were .5 size too small.:(

anyone use danners?

for 20 dollars? i'll give them a whirl!:cool:

MedicineMan
05-02-2009, 22:07
and I wonder what the 'Barefoot Sisters' would say about the rocks in Pennsylvania? So far I'm around half-way across the state on the At --Swatara Gap-- and i hear the fun rocks are just ahead of me.

emerald
05-02-2009, 23:01
So far I'm around half-way across the state on the At --Swatara Gap-- and i hear the fun rocks are just ahead of me.

Remember, it's just like I told you. Mind over matter, not the other way around. Don't let your imagination get the best of you.:-?

Lellers
05-02-2009, 23:43
where does the trail hit southern NJ:confused: we are the forgotten state, south jersey has no trail, no hills, no valleys:D

What about the Batona Trail and Apple Pie Hill? :) Oh, and then there's Mt. Royal in Gloucester County. That one probably isn't even 41' above sea level.


Oh, and S. Jersey has no rocks. Loved to watch boy scouts from PA trying to hang their food in the Pine Barrens. They run around like crazy looking for rocks so that they can throw their line over a tree limb. (Hey boys, just shove that food in the kayak hatch and flip the boat over!)

Wags
05-03-2009, 00:49
it gets really fun once you hit duncannon :D