Need cross trainer for swamp-stomping & road walking.....

[pafarmboy]

I'm planning on a section hike on the Florida Trail from Big Cypress to Okeechobee over Christmas. 150 miles, but as much as 50 of those could be through knee high swamp depending on water levels. I've always been a Keen Targhees mid-boot guy, but with the level terrain, looking to try out some cross trainers. Want:

non-waterproof
that'll hold up without the soles coming unglued (ie. Keen Voyageurs problems) in the swamp,
support for about 30 pounds of pack weight,
with comfort/ability to switch to a lot of road/levee/rail trail walking after the swamp.


I'm a cross trainer virgin, so any feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks.

[swjohnsey]

Sounds like the 100 mile wilderness. Seriously, I had no problem with regular New Balance running shoes. I would just walk across the rivers and walk 'em dry. Never had a problem with 'em coming apart.

[moytoy]

Swamp water will ruin any kind of shoe with any foam or fiber material. The silt and fine sand gets into anything porous. I've never really came up with a good solution to hiking in the swamp. I sometimes buy a cheap pair of walmart shoes and then throw them away when I'm out of the water. I too wear NB trail runners and they do fine in clean water but swamps are killer on them.

[Tinker]

I would be tempted to try sandals with a neoprene sock. Silt would still be a problem if the mud was over the top of the sock, but at least the neoprene, though it may be somewhat hot, is impervious to sand, silt, etc. Wear between the neoprene and the straps and more especially the bottom of the sandal (with sand being the biggest problem) is pretty much a given downside. The upside is that if you had to hike on dry ground for an extended period, you could switch to regular socks or no socks at all.

[avalonmorn]

Salomon water shoes.