DC area locations to buy shoes/boots

[hiker5]

So a friend of mine was in town this weekend and we went out in search of trail shoes. Specifically we were interested in Dunham Terrastryders, Dunham Wafflestomper Nimbles, (and now the full line if Dunham shoe/boot products), the full line of Inov8 shoes, and the LL Bean GTX RidgeRunner mid. We went to:

REI in College Park
REI in Rockville
Hudson Trail Outfitter in Rockville
EMS in Annapolis
New Balance in Annapolis Mall
Hudson Trail Outfitter in Annapolis Mall
LL Bean in Columbia


None of the stores carried any of the Inov8 shoes. REI, HTO, and EMS seem to have a huge supply of Merrel's and not much else. The NB store was the place to carry Dunham shoes, but didn't have the Terrastryder at all or the Nimble in our sizes (11 and 11.5). LL Bean didn't even have the RidgeRunner, a boot that Backpacker endorsed as a bargin.

So where does one go in the DC area to find a large selection of trail shoes and boots to try on and compare with each other? I'd even consider driving out the the outfitter in Harpers Ferry if I knew more about the selection they carried. Any help?

[Moon Monster]

Best is always to call ahead. I lived in Arlington and never felt like any outfitter in the area was superb. But, the brands you mention are obscure or rare, I think. May not be possible for hunderds of miles for the Inov8.

Anyway, Casual Adventure is a good local outfitter in Arlington on Washington Blvd: http://www.casualadventure.com/index2.shtml

Also, while almost all EMSs are the same (i.e., fashion boutiques), not all REI's and HTOs are created equal. May want to call out to the others in the area to see if they've got different stock.

And, there is another LL Bean retail store in Tyson's Corner: http://www.llbean.com/shop/retailStores/tysons/tysonssplash.html

[TN_Hiker]

It has been at least 15 years since I've lived in northern VA, but there used to be a place in Herdon, Oakdale, Vienna, or Reston (sorry all the 'burbs blend together to me and never sure which area I was in) call Appalachain Outfitters. The staff was superb. You might give them a try if they are still there....

[kncats]

In the D.C. area Hudson Trail Outfitters is one of the best places I've been to as far as having people knowlegeable about boots. For a sort of small store they had a pretty wide selection.

[hiker5]

Thanks for the info so far folks. I found the address and number for the Appalachian Outfitters in NoVA.

Appalachian Outfitters
2938 Chain Bridge Rd.
Oakton, Va.
703–281–4324

I lifted it from this article (http://www.fly2dc.com/articles/2001/2001_06_sh1.asp) if anyone cares. Perhaps this information can help others in the area as well.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Thanks for the info so far folks. I found the address and number for the Appalachian Outfitters in NoVA.

Appalachian Outfitters
2938 Chain Bridge Rd.
Oakton, Va.
703–281–4324

I lifted it from this article (http://www.fly2dc.com/articles/2001/2001_06_sh1.asp) if anyone cares. Perhaps this information can help others in the area as well.
The business has been dead and gone for over 2 years. The employees showed up for work one day to find the owner gone and paychecks due. It was a quaint place,in a historical location, but the last year of operation I doubt if they had more than 10 k in total inventory. To addinsult to injury, a large tree fell during a hurricane and trashed half the building after they closed.

[hiker5]

Thanks for the clarification Nick. The search continues....