re: footware for camp and town

[DavidNH]

I am wondering, what do thru hikers (or at last those out for several months) do for foot ware for camp and town? Ateva's, flip flops? sneakers?

In camp anything could be ok but since we all have to go into town at some point and most will even take a day off...do you just walk in town in your hiking boots? I try to imagine a dirty hiker attempting to go into a resaurant to chow and he has just atevas or flip flops as foot ware. Would that not acquire many odd looks at the very least?

David

[rocket04]

A ton of hikers were wearing Crocs or Waldies in 2004. I started out without camp shoes and wanted some very soon, so I got some. Best purchase ever. Super light, water proof, and extremely comfortable. Wore them at camp, in town, fording river, and eve hiked some 10 milers with them. Yeah, they look kind of funny, but thru-hikers don't really give a damn what they look like. Mine were bright yellow!

[Footslogger]

Tevas are heavy. I started out with a light weight "after-soccer" style sandal but it really didn't stay on my feet very well. When I got to Gatlinburg I was in an outfitter store that had Waldies. I had seen them on other hikers along the trail but had never looked at them closely or tried them on. Long story short ...I bought a pair and carried them all the way to Katahdin. They served me well in town, camp and on stream crossings. Still have them and they have quite a bit of life left.

If I had it all to do again I would have started with Waldies.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Stuart]

Anybody know what the Crocs weigh? I'm always too stingy to carry camp shoes, but then when I get to camp I kinda wish I had 'em. Nothing like putting those wet boots or shoes back on and wearing them around camp! Any feedback on the Crocs w/ straps... do they stay on well in stream crossing?

[Slaughter]

Oh the Waldies, how I love them so, so light and so colorful. Now I use them to go out and get the mail, and wish I had some wet, wet boots somewhere else to justify their use. Get some, you won't regret it. :jump

[Hikerman]

Hi got a pair of Waldie Crocs and they ROCK! The size XL only weigh 12 oz. They have a heel strap and feel soo good on hot tired feet. I wear mine all the time. My wife got herself two pairs. They come in every cool color you can imagine. I sold on them. Hikerman

[Kerosene]

Waldies in red (some would say hot pink) for me (11 oz. for size 10 Men's).

[SGT Rock]

Just wear running shoes for hiking, camp, town, etc. Back in the day of wearing my heavy hiking boots those were what they were for, no sense in having another set of shoes to replace them in the pack since the just moved to my main footwear.

[steve hiker]

I use swimmers mesh shoes for camp. They weigh all of 1.5 oz/pair. However the sole is not very substantial and you'll probably go through several pairs at $4 per pair if you're thru hiking. But you can't beat the weight.

http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901&variation=&aitem=4&mitem=9

[mdjeeper]

i agree that teva's are heavy, but oh so comfortable (at least for me) and strong enough to let me hike in them as well, so they are always in my pack

[baseballswthrt]

We use the crocs with the strap. I absolutely love them! Men's size 10 are 10.4 oz and women's size 7 are 9.4 oz.
They quite literally saved a hike for us once! I used to have a very bad time with blisters. My feet were so bad, I couldn't walk in boots. I was able to put on my crocs and hike out!
We got the ones with the strap since they stay on better if we have to ford a stream.

[Jaybird]

Seems like CROCS or WALDIES are the favorite choice of most hikers these days.

even tho' occassionally you still see some TEVAs & various kinds of Flip-Flops.

i, personally, stopped by Wal-mart & got a pair of house slippers (un-lined)
that weigh 4 oz each. perfect for camp wear..i wear my boots into trail towns. :D

[Youngblood]

Just wear running shoes for hiking, camp, town, etc. Back in the day of wearing my heavy hiking boots those were what they were for, no sense in having another set of shoes to replace them in the pack since the just moved to my main footwear.
That's fine for shorter trips, but on a thru-hike you are going to need some footwear that is not wet and/or muddy from time to time so you can go inside certain establishments or just to tool around a hostel, town or what ever.

[SGT Rock]

Well I don'tknow about the actual "need" maybe a "want". Earl didn't have two pairs of shoes ;)

[Youngblood]

Some of the places along the trail would not let you wear your muddy/dirty hiking footwear inside. Seems like some of them even had general rules about hikers footwear not being allowed inside period, even if they weren't muddy/dirty just so they didn't have to argue about whether or not they were clean. And I'm not sure going barefoot or just wearing socks would have been acceptable at all of them.

[SGT Rock]

I don't see how my hiking shoes would be different than work boots going into an establishment. My work boots have been very cruddy coming out of the field and I haven't ever been refused service, I might get looked at funny. :cool:

[SGT Rock]

BTW, if you are a novice reading this, it is sort of a hypothetical argument on my half since I have never thru-hiked while Youngblood has. He definitely would know more than me :D

[Mouse]

I just wore my boots. It was not until Maine that I started carrying a pair of lightweight Teva flipflops that I bought for fording streams.

[Stuart]

Although I have not thruhiked or come close, I have endured soaking wet, muddy shoes in camp since I was too stingy to carry camp shoes. I'm now thinking the 11 oz or so for the Crocs is worth the weight... keep your shoes/boots dry when fording and allows you something dry at camp. My shoes/boots always seem to be wet.

[Panama Red]

i use tevas unless its really cold then i clean my boots( which should be done regularly) with an old toothbrush but make sure its yours cause if you take mine after stepping in a bears "leftovers" you better makesure those shoes you just cleaned a running shoes

[Lone Wolf]

I have Chacos cuz I'm no weight weenie.

[A-Train]

I have Chacos cuz I'm no weight weenie.

Geez, you really are becoming a "hippy"

[Lone Wolf]

Hell I've had Chacos for 15 years.

[hwbout]

I just purchased a pair of Crocs for myself for Christmas. I've been wearing them around the house and I love them. They are lighter than my soccer flip flops and stay on my feet a hec of a lot better. I bought them from Campmor for 29 bucks. I wear a size XS, so mine weigh around 7 oz. (My scale is from the 60's and not completly accurate) Here's the link for those who are interested.
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39154584

[TJ aka Teej]

http://www.waldenstore.com/waldies.html < no strap

http://www.crocs.com/footwear.asp < strap

Alas, no wide sizes.

[LWOP]

When it is cold - Waldies with socks. When it is warm or wet - Waldies w/out socks. I even used the Waldies fording the streams in Maine and managed to keep my boots dry. They give good traction on wet rocks and are comfy enough to walk around for hours in town. Hikers are not known to be fashion consious and the locals are used to seeing us walking around in bright yellow or hot pink shoes...
Lwop
Ga-Me2004

[Mountain Dew]

Sgt. Rock, "Well I don'tknow about the actual "need" maybe a "want". Earl didn't have two pairs of shoes "-- Nor did he wear socks. Yikes

[fantasmagris]

Another Chacos addict here. got some of those Waldie things, cause i saw a thru-hiker in NH who recommended em. but didnt like em at all. now i just use em when i go to the beach. they're real good on the hot sand and they float. as far as hiking footwear tho, on multi-day hikes i take and use both my regular trail runners AND my CHACOS which i luv!!! if and when i do a thru hike i'll be taking both trail runners and Chacos. what's more important than yer feet! :D

[Mags]

Since I started to hike in sneakers, camp shoes have gone by the wayside. Feel I don't need them.

Little trivia: Crocs are made here in Boulder. They are also very popular for everyday wear. I think they are frickin' ugly to wear everyday. Yeeech! I won a pair of them at a trail half-marathon; they are still sitting in my closet, collecting dust. :)

If you want to use some campshoes here are some that are 1oz in weight. Almost all of us discard the factory inserts from our boots or shoes. Why not make use of them for campshoes?

http://trailquest.net/sandals.html

[SGT Rock]

Sgt. Rock, "Well I don'tknow about the actual "need" maybe a "want". Earl didn't have two pairs of shoes "-- Nor did he wear socks. Yikes

True, and Grandma Gatewood only had a shower curtain for a shelter and a bag to carry her gear in. Those two make a lot of us look like wimps.

[Stuart]

Problem with just one pair of trail runners (which is what I use) is that they aren't the best to wear around camp when they are soaking wet and filthy dirty as is the case when you've hiked in rain all day, etc. Then I wish I had something else. Is that not a problem for others going this route? If I'm hikin its generally raining or there are many creeks to cross and my shoes are soaked, muddy and pretty damn funky after a few days. Still I am probably to stingy to carry a second pair of anything... but if anything ever happens to that one pair of shoes - blowout, fall apart, lose one (I'm sure its possible) then what do you do? I think I read on here a year or so ago a reference to a hiker coming into the Smokys out of Fontana that somehow lost his only pair of shoes, maybe an animal stole them or a person, can't recall and he had to walk barefoot back to Fontana.

[Mags]

Two words- DUCT TAPE!
Less than ninety miles before ending the PCT, my shoes blew out. What to do? Was located in the middle of nowwhere. But, I had my duct tape! With a figure eight bandage, and all my duct tape, hiked the rest of the trail. Life was good!

The shoes: http://gallery.backcountry.net/pmagspct02/anc

"If I had duct tape, I could fix that"
--MacGyver

:)

[minnesotasmith]

I've been considering what footwear to carry for camp wear on my upcoming section hike, and had thought that my choices came down to running shoes, sandals, or flip-flops. I should have known better, that there are better choices out there now like the Crocs. Thanks for the info, guys.

BTW, the running shoes choice would have being a realistic Trail footwear substitute if one's boots blew out, so that IMO is a significant point in their favor over the other choices. (Yes, I know some people hike in sandals; I'm not one of them.)

[wvrocks]

....., lose one (I'm sure its possible) then what do you do? I think I read on here a year or so ago a reference to a hiker coming into the Smokys out of Fontana that somehow lost his only pair of shoes, maybe an animal stole them or a person, can't recall and he had to walk barefoot back to Fontana.
On my sister Tangent's thru last year, one of her hiking partners did, in fact, lose a boot. They were crossing a stream in NY/NJ ? and he took his boots off. Instead of carrying them across he decided to throw them over. At least he tried to throw them over. They weren't tied together and one hit a tree branch and fell into the rather swift water and was gone. The other one made it to the other side but met the same fate when he finally made it across the stream. Later, they crossed the same stream and were joking with him about how funny it would have been to see the first boot laying there at the crossing. It was not and he got to do the next 40 miles in his Crocs. Said it really wasn't that bad.

[Capt Chaos]

I have Waldies. Yes they add a little weight. But hey, wouldnt you rather feel comfortable in camp. I find it to be great when I get to camp and slip these things on. They are awesome. The cushioning feels so good. I used to use just my shoes but I found out that when they are wet and its cold, they are not very comfortable. So I will grunt it out and use the waldies.

[Capt Chaos]

Everyone is saying they dont find Waldies too fashionable. Dang. I must be out of style, because I wear mine everywhere in town back home.

[Footslogger]

Everyone is saying they dont find Waldies too fashionable. Dang. I must be out of style, because I wear mine everywhere in town back home.=====================
I'm right there with you Chaos. Bought my Waldies in Gatlinburg during my thru in 2003. Made walking around camp and in towns a lot more pleasant. I was willing to carry the extra ounces for the comfort. Those old dogs still have life left in them and I wear them around the house now. The Croaks have caught on out here now but I still favor my Waldies.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[peter_pan]

Got my Waldies at neels Gap 2003 and wear them everywhere, often to my wife's dismay....oh well at least I'm comfortable.... :)

[The Old Fhart]

Bought my bright red Waldies in Damascus in 2001. If you're at Trail Days this year you'll see me wearing them.

[hikerjohnd]

I went hiking on the Florida Trail this weekend - the first trip for my Crocs. OMG!!! I really loved taking off the boots and slipping on the soft shoes. I was in heaven! Even though I am switching from boots to trail runners, I think the crocs will at least start the AT with me - the comfort is worth the ozs! :cool:

[yappy]

I agree with Sarge, Thru the Pct in sneakers and didn't need a camp shoe then again it didn't rain as much as AT either. I am doing the AT again this year and wondering about this myslef but am still leaning to a hiking shoe that works for everything. I just don't want to carry the extra wgt !..

[White Oak]

=====================
The Croaks have caught on out here now but I still favor my Waldies.

'Slogger
AT 2003
As far as I can see the only difference between Crocs and Waldies is a strap, right?

[Footslogger]

I agree with Sarge, Thru the Pct in sneakers and didn't need a camp shoe then again it didn't rain as much as AT either. I am doing the AT again this year and wondering about this myslef but am still leaning to a hiking shoe that works for everything. I just don't want to carry the extra wgt !..==================================
I gave the whole extra pair of footwear thing a lot of thought in planning my thru. I hiked in a combination of boots and trail shoes but regardless I always found it a relief at the end of the day to get them off and let the feet breathe a bit. Plus, I wanted something easy to slip on for those calls of nature at night. Guess that's just one of those areas where I was willing to compromise and carry the extra ounces.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Mags]

FWIW, we had a similar discussion on PCT-L recently. A men's large Beach model (the most poopular Crocs) weighs just over 12 oz for a pair.

Up to you if 12 oz of camp shoe is worth it or not. Personally, I'd go with the 1 oz DIY Campshoes.

[Red Hat]

When I stopped at Neels Gap last year, I bought a pair of Crocs. When I got down to the hostel, I found that almost everyone else staying at the hostel had too! Everywhere I went after that, all I saw was Waldies and Crocs in town.

[White Oak]

As far as I can see the only difference between Crocs and Waldies is a strap, right?

[Mags]

As far as I can see the only difference between Crocs and Waldies is a strap, right?


As far as we can tell you are correct. Pricing may be slightly different as the Crocs have a few different models.


QUOTE=White Oak]As far as I can see the only difference between Crocs and Waldies is a strap, right?[/QUOTE]

Same question will get you the same answer.

[Footslogger]

[QUOTE=Mags] Pricing may be slightly different as the Crocs have a few different models.
=============================================
I paid $20 for my Waldies at an outfitter in 2003. Bought a pair of Crocs for my daughter a month ago for $35. And yes ...my Waldies are open-heel but the Crocs I bought last month have a heel strap.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[bartender]

http://www.allheart.com/index.html

Check this site out, model with a strap 23.99, without a strap about 11. might not be as high quality as Crocs or waldies but I used the strapless model last year on the LT and liked them, I don't know about hiking in them but they are light and comfy. They didnt have the strap model last year, I'm gonna stick with the ones I have for my LT hike this summer, if I was going to use them to ford streams/rivers I think I would get the strap model.