View Full Version : Hiking in sandals
I'm looking for advice and input from folks who have done some long distance trail walking in sandals. I'm trying a pair of Chacos this weekend over a thirty mile hike. The trail is hilly, rough, and boggy and I expect rain. Are socks recommended? - or it is better to go barefoot? Naturally I don't want to give myself a bad case of blisters. Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
PKH
dougmeredith
05-19-2005, 19:30
I can't help you with the sandal question, buy I see you are in NS and was curious if you were going to Cape Chignecto.
Doug
I can't help you with the sandal question, buy I see you are in NS and was curious if you were going to Cape Chignecto.
Doug
Yes.
In tomorrow and out on Sunday - my second walk around Chignecto this year.
Cheers,
PKH
poison_ivy
05-19-2005, 20:12
I wouldn't consider this long-distance hiking, but because you're lacking other replies so far, I'll bite. I did a three-night backpacking trip in New Zealand last year (I think 20-ish miles but I'm not positive now) wearing Tevas and didn't have any major problems. I didn't bother with socks, as there were lots of bay crossings (and on the final day a complete and utter downpour that soaked us) so I figured why bother with the socks.
I didn't end up with any blisters but you do have to be kind of careful with your footing. I managed to get a stick rammed into the front of my sandals and cut my toe up a bit. Nothing serious but one of those things that has you cussing for a few minutes.
If your comfortable with sandals, there's no real reason why you can't backpack with them. You do have to pay more attention to your footing though.
- Ivy
dougmeredith
05-19-2005, 20:25
In tomorrow and out on Sunday - my second walk around Chignecto this year.
Wave to us across the bay. We hit the Fundy Foot Path tomorrow. Enjoy.
Doug
superman
05-19-2005, 21:25
I've hiked hundreds of miles in sandals but I never start off hiking in sandals. I like to start using them at the end of the day and just let my feet cool off. Then I extend the time per day. I let my body, feet and ankles adjust to them. I always wear socks when I'm hiking in my sandals. If you carry a 40 lb pack maybe you shouldn't hike in sandals.
Moon Monster
05-19-2005, 23:59
I did my '03 thru-hike in Teva Wraptors. I went through two pair. I had mixed things to say about long-distance hiking in sandals. On the negative side, the tips of my big toes still hurt from time to time (it's been two years!) I think I have bone chips or nerve damage from so many stubbed toes. In the mean time, I have worn Chacos for everyday wear and I like 99.9% of Chaco wearers absolutely love them. So, I won't advocate Tevas to the exclusion of considering other brands for hiking. After my thru-hike, I said I'd never go back to sdandals and since, I have done all my hiking in various trail runner shoes. But literally in the past few days I have been starting to think about going back to sandals. This is mostly because it is so much easier for me to find sandals of various makes that fit my feet well despite their drawbacks than it is to find shoes that make me happy in the long run.
All that said, I have to say now that there have been some good threads in years past here on this topic. Do your own search of the forums, but start with these:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1990
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3782
mdjeeper
05-20-2005, 02:57
As Superman stated, I dont set out hiking in sandals, but have covered numerous miles in them. back in my navy days, I did several 20+ mile days in on the trail in VA wearing some wallyworld teva knockoffs. I usually wear Teva's, they fit my foot well and have held up remarkably well (for me anyhow). I never had a problem with stubbing the toes, but have wound up with scratches and minor cuts from brush and rocks that I wasnt careful enough around
tlbj6142
05-20-2005, 11:01
I believe Hammock Hanger hiked more than half of the AT in Chacos.
I always wear one pair of thin (3 pair for $2.75 from wal-mart) socks with my Chacos. Keeps your feet from sticking to the footbed. On extremely dry days, I may hike without them. I would never hike in Keens, Teva, etc. as they have way too much neoprene on them. Which leds to blisters. Chaco's straps dry in seconds, which is why they make great hiking sandals.
I also keep a pair of Sealskinz (WB socks) on hand in case it gets cold.
Tha Wookie
05-20-2005, 12:00
Since it sounds like your feet will get wet, make sure you at least have some socks on hand. When I hiked the PCT in sandals, They never gave me a problem except in the Sierras during the many creek and river corssings. When your straps can get dry, and your skin gets soft, you might have some problems with rubbing-raw on the feet. This is solved with socks.
Enjoy your sandal hike!
tlbj6142
05-20-2005, 13:25
Since it sounds like your feet will get wet, make sure you at least have some socks on hand. When I hiked the PCT in sandals, They never gave me a problem except in the Sierras during the many creek and river corssings. When your straps can get dry, and your skin gets soft, you might have some problems with rubbing-raw on the feet. This is solved with socks.Which is why I wear socks when I hike in sandals. Your feet get wet in most shoes as well, they just dry quicker in sandals. And with thin socks, they dry almost instantly.
Moon Monster
05-20-2005, 13:34
Regarding socks and rain, it is good in theory that your feet will dry quicker in sandals than in shoes/boots. And it is true that feet get wet in most any footwear, especially after 9 straight days of rain when the trail itself is a creek.
But, in sandals, your socks will get dirtier compared to other footwear. That dirt/mud will translate into sandpaper once the socks dry out. Socks become stiff and gritty and can shave layers of skin off. And your skin will get soft and vulnerable after lots of rain.
On my sandal thru-hike, I had ~80 days of rain and another 20 or so where the trail was still watterlogged. Several times, my feet would bleed from abrasions from the stiff socks. Folks with shoes also had soft skin, but they had cleaner socks.
Tha Wookie
05-20-2005, 13:44
Regarding socks and rain, it is good in theory that your feet will dry quicker in sandals than in shoes/boots. And it is true that feet get wet in most any footwear, especially after 9 straight days of rain when the trail itself is a creek.
But, in sandals, your socks will get dirtier compared to other footwear. That dirt/mud will translate into sandpaper once the socks dry out. Socks become stiff and gritty and can shave layers of skin off. And your skin will get soft and vulnerable after lots of rain.
On my sandal thru-hike, I had ~80 days of rain and another 20 or so where the trail was still watterlogged. Several times, my feet would bleed from abrasions from the stiff socks. Folks with shoes also had soft skin, but they had cleaner socks.
I agree. I've had the same thing, but haven;t had all the consistent rain like you had in '03.
But why couldn't you just clean your socks more often?
I do know that phenomenon, but it's never given me a serious problem. Certainly for a 30 mile weekend hike it wouldn't become an issue. Agree?
a friend of mine has been hiking a lot lately in with Keen sandals and smart wool
socks,she loves them:cool: neo
http://www.keenfootwear.com/mens/portland.html
Moon Monster
05-20-2005, 16:59
But why couldn't you just clean your socks more often?
I do know that phenomenon, but it's never given me a serious problem. Certainly for a 30 mile weekend hike it wouldn't become an issue. Agree?
Yes yes. For a weekend, even in lots of mud I wouldn't expect the sandpaper thing. On a longer hike, washing socks often could help, if you have the persistence to scrub them in a stream here and there. I never did that and I only did laundry about every 2 weeks. I carried two pair always and it was so nice to change to the clean pair after a few days. I used Sealskinz some in the cold snow and rain and even they get pretty stiff when dirty. And you cannot was them in a machine according to the manufacturer.
Thanks for all the good advice. I just finished my little 30 mile weekend, and am pleased to say the Chacos experiment went very well. Three inches of rain last night and today, so yes, I did get wet and muddy. No blisters or abrasions, and the tips concerning socks all sound very sensible. I'll be hiking in them again.
Cheers,
PKH
BlackCloud
05-29-2005, 08:41
It's stupid. WHEN you destroy a toe, please don't bloody up a shelter or ask for any of my 1st aid supplies, let alone my sympathy.
I'm not a dick, but hiking (let alone backpacking, which I've seen) in sandals is akin to hiking in the Whites in July w/o a fleece and/or shell.
You are simply unprepared, and that is stupid.:cool:
dougmeredith
05-29-2005, 15:20
It's stupid. WHEN you destroy a toe, please don't bloody up a shelter or ask for any of my 1st aid supplies, let alone my sympathy.
Come on BlackCloud, don't hold back. Let us know what you really think. :)
Doug
newhampshire camper
05-29-2005, 22:14
I have to agree with the concept of being prepared, just think of strolling along the AT and gabbing with a friend you have just met and in the heat of the conversation you happen to nudge a copperhead or a rattler that you didn't pay attention to:datz ....Boots may help you avoid serious injury...sandals will most certainly not! Be prepared, it probably won't happen but what if it does:eek: ?
hauptman
05-30-2005, 03:25
personally, i love those teva wraptor sandals. i did the pennsylvania section(my home state) of the AT in them. i found that as long as i used a little moleskin before setting out in the morning i got no blisters. for any one who worries about water, i just use hydroskins(same thing as seal skins) to keep my feet dry and warm(winter hiking).they held up very well and are still in half descent shape after having logged about 500 miles in them (i would guess that they might last another 500 miles before i have to replace them)!!!
p.s., i hike very light and would not recommend sandals to anyone carrying a large and/or heavy pack weight. for my 10-20 lb. total pack weight they seem to have more than enough support, but i do not think i would trust them with 25lb.+ loads. also not for those with very weak ankles. for the lightweight hiker they rock(very breathable is very nice)!!!
BlackCloud
05-30-2005, 10:37
Come on BlackCloud, don't hold back. Let us know what you really think. :)
DougIt strikes me as non-coincidental that virtually EVERYONE ever rescued from the woods went in unprepared, at some level.
As a former firefighter, I have no respect or sympathy for those who care not for the trouble & danger they bring to rescue personnel.
Is that enough or do you want more?;)
I'VE GOT MORE!:bse
I'm sorry - isn't there some kind of pill you could take for this?
PKH
It strikes me as non-coincidental that virtually EVERYONE ever rescued from the woods went in unprepared, at some level.
As a former firefighter, I have no respect or sympathy for those who care not for the trouble & danger they bring to rescue personnel.
Is that enough or do you want more?;)
I'VE GOT MORE!:bse
Well, obviously, if one is totally prepared for a given situation, he'll never need rescuing, will he? Has there ever been a single person who had to be rescued from any outdoors situation where, employing hindsight, you couldn't point out at least one way in which he was "unprepared"?
And, you can't tell me that a lot of rescue personnel don't do it, at least in part, because they find rescuing people fun and exciting.
Tha Wookie
05-30-2005, 17:43
It strikes me as non-coincidental that virtually EVERYONE ever rescued from the woods went in unprepared, at some level.
As a former firefighter, I have no respect or sympathy for those who care not for the trouble & danger they bring to rescue personnel.
Is that enough or do you want more?;)
I'VE GOT MORE!:bse
I've hiked 5,000 miles in sandals and am laughing out loud at you posts. What do you have for me? How can you use fear to disregard my and other sandal hikers' many successful miles? Go ahead, let's hear it!;)
I sure would not want a potential rescuer who vehemently had no sympathy for my situation. But then again, I've never needed one. Must be the sandals.
Moon Monster
05-31-2005, 00:01
As a former firefighter, I have no respect or sympathy for those who care not for the trouble & danger they bring to rescue personnel.
This is slightly more respect than I have for someone who characterizes gear they know nothing about. It's obvious you know nothing about hiking in sandals.
You are making a huge leap here to go from 'unprepared is bad' to 'sandals are unprepared'.
Besides those members here on Whiteblaze whov'e done thousands of miles in sandals, there are some prolific long-distance (that is, experienced and prepared) hikers who favor sandals.
Notably, Chris Townsend is a big fan. And he (by his profession) is probably one of the few most experienced gear testers in the world.
BlackCloud
06-03-2005, 18:18
Just b/c Evil Canevil [sic] got away w/ most of his stupid stunts didn't make any of them safe.
Didn't he die on his umpteenth stunt?
And yes, firemen "like" their jobs, just not the dump schmucks (usually fat dumb schmucks) they have to rescue.
And I saw a new drug on the web that I think PKH wants to force feed me:
50mg of Fukitol.:eek:
Force feed!!?? No way man - I had contemplated a purely voluntary regime.
Be prepared,
PKH
It strikes me as non-coincidental that virtually EVERYONE ever rescued from the woods went in unprepared, at some level.
As a former firefighter, I have no respect or sympathy for those who care not for the trouble & danger they bring to rescue personnel.
Is that enough or do you want more?;)
I'VE GOT MORE!:bse What a ridiculous statement. As a former firefighter I have the utmost sympathy for the lady we "rescued" who was obviously unprepared for the heart attack she had. She should have had a defibrillator and some one trained to use it standing by at all times. Ditto the couple whose home was struck by lightning. They should have had lightning rods installed on their house. Ditto etc, etc, etc.
There is a big difference between taking reasonable precautions for the conditions one might normally expect to encounter and being negligent. And from the amount of trail miles accumulated by experienced hikers wearing sandals it's pretty obvious from the record that hiking in sandals is a reasonable use of footwear.
You ought to be more careful with the width of brush you use to characterize other people's actions. There are successful long distance hikers who have hiked in everything from bare feet to heavyweight mountaineering boots. Simply because it doesn't match your style does not make it wrong or careless.