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The Weasel
09-04-2002, 14:40
This is a topic I hope some other veterans will add to (and correct me on):

NO PIECE OF GEAR IS AS IMPORTANT TO BUY AS YOUR TRAIL FOOTWEAR. YOU CAN SURVIVE WITH A CRUMMY TENT, A BAD STOVE, OR A STUPID SLEEPING BAG. BAD FOOTWEAR CAN CAUSE YOU SERIOUS PERMANENT INJURY OR JUST PLAIN RUIN AN OTHERWISE GOOD TRIP! READ ON.

Here are my rules for Cheechakos about buying trail footwear:

(1) Decide what type of footwear you need: If you are fairly large (roughly 250+ lbs for men or 175+ lbs for women) or carrying 50 lbs. of packweight constantly (which is a mistake, but another topic), I'd recommend boots, either medium or high, for ankle support. Especially on rocky/rooty trails like the AT, you can have some problems, especially until your ankles get in shape, and you can develope tendinitis. If you're less than that, I'd recommend considering "trail shoes", which are like running shoes in appearance, but with a far better tread/sole. If you're hiking in a moderately dry area, consider "trail sandals" which are starting to show up now.

(2) Do some research online or in Backpacker magazine. There are a variety of styles (not in a fashion sense, but in a "this works for this kind of person") as well as prices. Backpacker does very good reviews, and has an excellent annual buyer's guide.

(3) Do NOT buy your shoes at a "sporting goods" or "shoe store" if at all possible. Find the GOOD backpacking outfitter in your area, and by that I mean the one that looks DOWN on REI. (REI is good, but does not always have true "bootfitters" on staff - ask if they have one, and if he/she isn't in that day, leave and return when they are.) Before saying, "I want those Vasque boots," ask the bootfitter for opinions, and tell them your style of hiking and where you tend to go (AT and Isle Royale may demand a more aggressive boot than trails in northern Ohio.)

(4)Always try boots on at the end of the day, as late as possible, preferably on a day when you've been on your feet a lot. This is because your feet will often swell one full size and one full width over the course of a day, and is one of the prime reasons why people say, "They are tight now, but they fit when I bought them." Walking a couple of miles won't do it; the best way, if you're a guy, is to tell your wife/friend "I'd like to go shopping with you at a mall!"

(5) Always bring with you a pair of liner socks AND a pair of trail socks. These make a difference in sizing. The "booties" or "test socks" some stores have are not what YOU wear.

(6) This sounds crazy, but it's true: BRING YOUR FULLY LOADED PACK. Don't just put weight in it; load it as if you were going out for the longest typical trip, because that's how your pack will be balanced. Then try to buy at a store that has a "boot rock" (REI is good on this) which is a large rugged boulder that allows you to "test walk" your footwear. If they don't have one, go outside and use curbs. Then, with your pack on, "crazy walk" on the stone or curbs, twisting your ankles and using aggressive walking to get a sense of what it will be like on the trail. Do that for 10-15 minutes. People will stare at you. The bootfitter will nod approvingly.

(7) Keys to good buying are also like good trail practice: Put your socks on, but pull the tips a little after they are on to loosen the toe area. Open laces fully so you don't "sausage" your foot into the toe box, tightening/constricting the sock area. Pull all laces equally, lace to the top and double knot.

If this sounds complicated and time consuming, it IS. But no single piece of gear matters as much, or carries the potential for dangerous injury or pain, as your footwear. Even with the best of boots, you can have problems, so avoid the avoidable.

The Weasel

"Well a promise made, is a debt unpaid, and the Trail has its own stern code." -- Robert Service

Redbeard
01-05-2003, 13:15
Last year I weighed in at roughly 220 at the start, and carried 50 lb pack most of the way to Damascus(my pack weighed 8 lbs empty)
I wore a sturdy pair of BassPro Nubuck boots, which were surprisingly comfortable but wore our in 500 miles!
I live in rural Illinois, and most people here consider the outdoors as just a place to go mud truckin and mail box bashing, so the only option for an outfitter for most Midwesterners is to go to a hunting/fishing shop, where you are not likely going to find boots made for trekking.
I'm going to try buying cheap ass hiking boots at the local Farmn'Barn, and use them untill I can get to a reasonable outfitter on the trail. I imagine this would work out for the Outfitter deficient since a lot of people hike in tennis shoes anyway!
But I agree that if your a "go heavy" hiker, spend the cash on good boots when you can, because running shoes or cheap boot's WILL blow out at the wrong time.

Chef
11-18-2003, 19:46
Ok, guys I've been hiking in heavy leather hiking boots up to this point on all my past thru-hiking experiences. I will be attemptingh the at with a much lighter pack and want to know if i should go with light hiking boots or trail runners? Any recommendations on specific models and I am also intending to buy some trail sandals? any good models? :confused:

Peaks
11-18-2003, 20:40
What's most important is what fits your feet. There are several good brands out there. All work for someone. Question is what fits you.

Frankly, you might make the transition one step at a time. Start with a mid height fabric and leather top boot, and see how happy you are with it. Frankly, I limit trail runners to when I go 20 pounds or less. So, for backpacking, I'm still using boots. But you will see many others out there with trail runners. I guess part of the answer lies in what condition you feet and bones are in.

Doc
11-19-2003, 11:38
Interesting to hear of the various positions on footwear. I have worn a pair of custom Limmers for over 1300 miles of the trail despite other lightweight adaptions such as a down liner for a sleeping bag, 2.5 lb backpack,etc. It seems as though there must be a better solution for those of us who have always used heavy boots and wish to move to something lighter. I have tried New Balance 804's and similar runners and they just don't cut it for me. What have others used when they went from a heavy leather boot to something more in keeping with lightweight hiking.I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who have plenty of gray if they have any hair left.

Doc

Mr. Clean
11-20-2003, 09:32
I am starting to grey and, although I've never had the time available to do any long distance hiking, I have been wearing mid height fabric trail shoes this entire summer in the Whites and would never go back to the heavy leather boot in good weather. But snow is on the ground now and they just don't seem to have the traction or warmth needed for New England in Winter. My feet have never been cold in them, nor have my feet ever lost their grip on ledge. I have boots from LL Beans, I think they are Merrills with the Beans logo.

Kozmic Zian
02-25-2004, 18:27
Yea.....Boots. If you're bigger and weigh well over 200 or plan to carry over 35#'s a majority of the time, you better wear boots. Boots with a shank down the sole. It's in intrusion from rocks, scree, roots and other trail debris that kill the soft undersole of your foot. Weasel's advice is very well founded and could be aheared to for getting a good fit. Also, figure out what kind of foot you have. High volume or low volume. The big guys(heavy set endomorph's) usually have high volume(big thru the arch and wide accross the toes). The tall thin (ectomorphs) usually have a long, low volume foot. You have to be conscious of this because different boots are designed to fit different people differently. Also, the removeable liner (soft in boot pad) can vary in thickness to make your foot fit either tighter or looser. So can the sock combination affect boot tightness. The idea being to get the boot to fit snuggly enough to not slide up and down on the heel. At the same time there must be enough room in the fore-foot for the ball of the foot to fully extend out under weight. That's why you should try your new boots on with the pack. If the foot cannot extend, the pinching of the ball will kill your foot and eventually bust out the sides of the boot. All of these things remain true weather or not you're planning to try 'trail shoes' or boots.
I think the AT is a very rugged and challenging Trail to footwear. To underestimate the footwear situation in the name of weight is a serious mistake, unless you're carrying around 20lbs or less. One of the keys, is to find a lightweight (under 3lbs pr) pair of boots that offer enough ankle support, to prevent pronation(turning in on) and enough undersole stiffness to keep out intrusion. Most of these 'trail shoes'(lightweights) don't have hardly any undersole support. The ones that do weigh around 2 1/2 lbs, but then you don't have any ankle support. I'd rather have full support, sizing comfort, and lightweight in one Trail length (makes it all the way) package. Hard to find, but can be done. Alot of the Boot manufacterers are leaning this way now. Check it Out.....from here it's a matter of choice.KZ@

Blue Jay
02-26-2004, 08:45
Yea.....Boots.....Most of these 'trail shoes'(lightweights) don't have hardly any undersole support.

This is not even remotely true. You will see a great many long distance backpackers, even those like myself with heavy packs, that wear this type of shoe. You can stand on a pointed rock with no problem.

Kozmic Zian
02-26-2004, 13:07
This is not even remotely true. You will see a great many long distance backpackers, even those like myself with heavy packs, that wear this type of shoe. You can stand on a pointed rock with no problem.
So, it's not true....I said in my experience I haven't seen any.....Please, let me qualify my statement.....before you call me a liar. Show me the shoe.....And I'll determine if it has enough under support for my foot with my pack on....Thank You....KZ@ You can't say anything around here!

Speer Carrier
02-26-2004, 14:24
Interesting to hear of the various positions on footwear. I have worn a pair of custom Limmers for over 1300 miles of the trail despite other lightweight adaptions such as a down liner for a sleeping bag, 2.5 lb backpack,etc. It seems as though there must be a better solution for those of us who have always used heavy boots and wish to move to something lighter. I have tried New Balance 804's and similar runners and they just don't cut it for me. What have others used when they went from a heavy leather boot to something more in keeping with lightweight hiking.I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who have plenty of gray if they have any hair left.

Doc

I'm 60 years old and going gray rapidly. I just started hiking in earnest about 5 years ago, and when I started I went the substantial boot route. My first long hike was the Georgia portion of nthe AT, and I carried about 50 pounds on my back. The boots held up well, but certainly added to the weight. Now, I only carry 18-20 pounds on long hikes, and wear New Balance running shoes. I have high arches, and and have no problem with my fee or ankles, so maybe I'm getting away with something. However, I do believe that drastically reducing the weight I was carrying allows for shoes that don't offer much support.

jec6613
03-01-2004, 06:52
The shoes depend on the weight from you, on your back and how your joints will hold up, generally.

I have three pairs of boots, the first is a lightweight almost sneaker like but with more ankle support and a more rugged sole that I use for day hikes.

The second is a pair of Hi-Tec Magnums, with very high ankle support, a steel shank and traction in all weather, even snow.

The third pair, and the pair I wear on anything long distance, is a pair of jump boots that I've had for almost a decade, am on the third sole and twelth pair of heels and, although they lack a shank, have thick rubber soles (about 1/2 an inch of solid rubber) that more than make up for it. They're full leather and well cared for and I can adjust the fit of the boot from a single pair of cotton/acrylics to a polypro and double wool by the tightness of the laces. I always get funny looks, and I know that there are lighter options out there, but they are waterproof, breathe and offer protection against anything, including my bad ankle. The real downside is that they took about two months to break in, and didn't fully break in for over a year, during which time I would get a raw spot on one particular point on the top of my right big toe from rubbing - nothing too bad, but just enough to be annoying.

Glee
03-01-2004, 11:13
I'm in Northern CA and looking for a good Hiking store which sells boots. Santa Rosa is about 2 hours from my location and the only store I found there was REI. They only had 3 boots that were even close to what I might think I need and the girl there was clueless to boots. I'm going to be in Fresno on Thursday and will also be passing thru Sacramento. Does anyone know of any good places to check out? I'm a male, 5'11" 185 lbs and need something with good arch support. I'm looking for something which will be my main walking boots so I think I need something with full ankle support, waterproof, strong durable soul and of course as lightweight as possible. Would also like to hear from anyone who can recomend a brand which won't fall apart after 30 days.

jec6613
03-01-2004, 18:07
I'm a male, 5'11" 185 lbs and need something with good arch support. I'm looking for something which will be my main walking boots so I think I need something with full ankle support, waterproof, strong durable soul and of course as lightweight as possible. Would also like to hear from anyone who can recomend a brand which won't fall apart after 30 days.The Hi-Tec Sierra V-Lite and V-Lite Sympatex are popular with people who need waterproof, ankle support and breathability, such as cops, wilderness paramedics, paramedics period and so on. The soles will last around 500-1000 miles depending on how you walk, and the boot itself will last for years, especially if you maintain it with boot polish and mink oil. Oh yeah, no need for synthetic waterproofing, just use mink oil or polish and it'll be more waterproof than any of the synthetic stuff.

Glee
03-01-2004, 23:02
[QUOTE=jec6613]The Hi-Tec Sierra V-Lite and V-Lite Sympatex are popular with people who need waterproof, ankle support and breathability,

I did a Google search and was only able to find them online and not any stores in California where I could try a pair on... Can anyone recommend a store in the area?