AT on one pair of Shoes/Boots??

[Black Wolf]

Don't wanna' get into the what's best Trail Runners..Hiking Boots,etc...or I send them home halfway...Just seeing if any Thru-hikers have hiked 2k+ miles ONLY with the " footwear " that they started with...if so..what were you wearing ??..Thanks..

[Luddite]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34479

[The Cleaner]

On 10-20-10 I met a SOBO hiking in KEEN boots above Sam's Gap.Said this was his only pair since starting about 6-15...He did admit that he hadn't hiked in too much wet weather.Said he thought he would finish in same boots.....

[Grampie]

I hiked the whole AT, and then some, in 2001 with one pr. of boots. Montrail AT Hikers. I had the resoled at the 1/2 way point. The boots were shot when I finished.

[Spirit Walker]

I wore a pair of heavy Italian boots, Pivettas, on my first thruhike. I had blisters for the first six weeks (despite over 100 miles breakin beforehand) and for the last two months thanks to the rain we had in New England. When leather boots get wet, they hold the water for a long time. It turned out that I would get holes on the inside leather lining thanks to my foot rubbing against the soft wet leather. I really don't recommend wearing heavy leather boots.

On my second thruhike I wore Vasque Sundowners which were a mid-weight leather boot that were very popular in the early '90s. Two pairs lasted me the trail. I still got blisters, but nothing like those I had with my heavy Pivettas. I stopped wearing Sundowners when they changed the last. I also had problems with them on later hikes because when the leather got wet, it would get very stiff. I ended up with the leather pressing against the tendons in my ankle, causing acute pain. Two hikes almost ended prematurely because I was crippled by the stiff ankle leather. I was able to make a pad that I used to cushion the ankle, but it was a real problem for several days.

[juma]

One of the crew at Carter Hut told me that his most frequent interaction with thruhikers was duct taping their footgear so they could make it out of the section. Its probably best to take the measure of your shoes at Hanover and get new ones for the final few hundred miles.

[Black Wolf]

I had the notion that choosing the right "footwear' I might be able to hike the 2K+...I've come to the conclusion ..although perhaps possible..not very practicable ...I'll more then likely go with a light weight mid boot to start...switch to trail runners intermittent and have a nice pair of Nike Airs to ride the train home in waiting for me at the end...Thanks everyone ... now on to my sleeping bag...LOL

[maybe clem]

My goal as a hiker is to keep my feet as happy as possible. Unhappy feet = unhappy hiker. I try not to minimize anything in regard to foot care.

Having said that, I got a new pair of NB shoes in mail drops every 250 miles (they were broken in ahead of time). I probably could have pushed them to 500 miles (definitely not 2000) but like I said, I try to keep my feet happy, not pushed. They're working hard enough on a thruhike.

[Roughin' It]

in 2009, a woman named Nature hiked the whole trail in one pair of boots, and then she decided to thru-hike again this year, and did over half of the trail in the same pair of boots she used the first time. so thats well over 3,000 miles with one pair. cant remember what kind of boots though...

I hiked the whole trail using only 2 pairs of trail runners, Montrail Sabino Trails, they impressed me.

[Amberalicia]

I received pair of Limmers for my 16th birthday and used them for years. Many many miles. Resoled once. They still look real good but I have been hiking in Merrells for 10 years now and get about 1000+ miles before the sole goes.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Those "barefoot sisters" each did it on only one pair - of feet. Too rough for this tenderfoot.

[RaoulDuke]

Atleast 2 pairs of Trailrunners. 1 pair of good boots

[RaoulDuke]

I went through 3 pairs of Trail Runners. Well worth it.

[weary]

It's my impression that until at least the mid 90s, most thru hikers used only one pair of boots to complete their hikes. One guy I know did two thru hikes on one pair of Bass heavy duty hiking boots, sadly no longer being made now that hikers have abandoned boots for "trail runners" and such.

Of course I'm at least part of the change. My heavy boots lie under the bed unused, while I wander about these days in my year-old leather New Balance 965 walking shoes.

[sbhikes]

I saw a blog post from a guy who did the hike with two pairs of Chaco sandals. Since Chaco USA will replace the straps and the soles, you could probably do it with two pairs, rotating in one pair while the other is being resoled/restrapped.

[Blissful]

For me five pairs of trail runners. But I have seen a few do the whole trail in a pair of heavy boots. But I am fanatic about feet and ankles feeling good.

[Jack Tarlin]

I hiked the Trail on two occasions using only one pair of boots; in both cases, I wore the Merrell Wilderness, a fairly heavy full-grain leather boot. It retails for $300.00 but you can probably get it for less, tho this is certainly something I would not buy on-line. For a purchase like this, you should spend the time to get professionally fitted by someone that knows what they're doing. All that being said, I would probably not thru-hike in this boot again: They take awhile to break in properly, they're pretty hot, and most of all, they're fairly heavy. But if you're determined to wear just one pair of shoes, this is the one I'd wear. (You'll probably need some sole work or stitching done at trip's end but the uppers and insides should be fine.....this is a really well-made piece of work).