Five finger shoes for the AT? Sockless travel?

[Starchild]

From my first days of backpacking I remember the saying that a pound on you foot is worth 5 on your back. Perhaps not entirely true but sort of made sense then and still does today in some respects.

I do like hiking shoes as opposed to boots, and have recently gotten a pair of 5 finger boots and considering them for my thru. I know I can get socks for them, but is their any reason to do so? I also wonder what is the advantage to the separation of the toes, would it not be as effective to have one toe box?

The other thing I would like to be able to do is forgo carrying a second pair of camp shoes, and these seem better for that option, easy on, no laces, I don't yet know how they would handle getting wet, I don't know if they quick dry. When I started backpacking I went the no camp shoes option, but found that happy feet that are not always wet is a big advantage, feet need some drying out time and gortex boots, and even non ones, are excellent in staying damp once they get wet.

I also like the option for not needed hiking socks, so lighter weight, less to carry, though I may take a pair of sleeping socks.

Any advice / experience in lightening the load via footwear appreciated.

Thanks
SC

[bear bag hanger]

I would think five finger boots would cause a lot of blisters between the toes, but don't really know. I remember reading about a couple ladies who hiked the whole AT barefoot a couple years back. That would help lighten your load a lot! I always carried a light weight pair of crocs for camp so I'd have something dry to walk around in. I've tried short trips without them, but miss them a when I go without. Using your hiking boots - five fingered or otherwise - around camp isn't as comfortable mainly because the ones you use for hiking are all sweaty and grungy after a long days hike.

[fiddlehead]

The problem I see with no sock hiking is the rancid (more than normal) smell that is going to come from your hiking shoes/boots.
I too think that socks are overrated except perhaps for warmth.
But, I've tried it and could stand the smell.

Go for the lightest running shoes you can find, buy them a size or two too big, and you will be doing your best to hike with lightweight footgear.
Nylon socks too. (Thin ones)

Kicking rocks is the biggest problem with the five finger style shoes. Hiking with broken toes (and kicking another rock) really sucks.

[ifusaidplease]

I got into 5 finger shoes about a year ago, and I swear by them now. I have not gotten the chance to take them out on an extended hiking trip yet, but I have used them in many other events like marathons, and tough mudders. Most of the fivefinger products are made of quick drying material, i personally know that they dry fast. Advice to you though is if you are going to use them on the trail start practicing with them now, because they will give you some pain in muscles you did not know you had.

If you do go the five finger route please let me know how they work for you on the trail, since I dont get to start my thru until July...

[Abner]

One of the first persons to hike end to end, Earl Schaffer, did not use socks, for the majority of the trail, if I am remembering this detail from his book "Walking With Spring." If memory serves, he reported using Red Wing leather boots, and would sprinkle foot powder in his boots quite often.

But quite a jump it is to five finger shoes, or boots. I haven't seen the boots, but I have taken short day hikes in five finger shoes. Your feet could do it, however, I would caution that the stumbling, and the rock piles, especially in Pennsylania, and the White Mountains, gosh they would be a challenge. Just about every hike I've ever taken I have found myself at some point tired and stumbling, and bashing my feet against roots and rocks. And you take one or two falls when you hike...catch a toe on a root, or mis-step on a boulder, or bash your toes against a boulder; at least that's my experience. As another has posted though, the barefoot sisters toughened up their feet and covered hundreds and hundreds of miles barefooted. So maybe some combination of five finger shoes and hiking shoes, and even boots, depending on when you arrive northward is worth considering.

[Tree Nerd]

I posted this another another five finger thread a couple days ago:

I have a pair of treksport five fingers and they resulted in a loss of all faith in Vibram. When I first found out about them, I had to have them and picked up a pair asap. Things were great for awhile but that changed. I have many problems with them, but this is only my experience, take everything with a grain of salt.

First, if you have oddly shaped feet, it is hard to find a pair that fits right. I have toes that are shorter than most people, my big toe fit in than the other four were smaller than the "fingers". I also have one foot that is a half size bigger than the other which made it really hard to find a comfortable fit for both feet.

Since they cover each toe individually your feet get really cold fast. If your toes are fatter than the "fingers", they seem to reduce circulation to you toes and make it even worse. Also the "fingers" make them a major pain to get on quickly.

You have to wear some type of socks with them or they will smell outragously bad in a short period of time, especially if you get them wet often.

Walking long distances in them takes awhile to get use to. The longest I ever walked in them at one time was 8 miles and my feet were killing me. This was several months after I owned them and worn them on a regular basis.

I owned my pair for less than a year before they started to fall apart. The soles started to pull off the toes. After a run one day I found that the cloth material between my big toe and index tow ripped and rendered the shoes worthless. When i contacted Vibram about it they refused to do anything about it.

Again, these are just my experiences, take what a say with a grain of salt and make your own experiences. Today I purchased a pair of chaco rex sandals. They are 40% lighter than previous styles (excluding the Unaweep). They are nice to hike in, easy to put on, open toed, and I like them much better than the five fingers even though they are not as lite and you cant really run in them.

[Prime Time]

I concur with Tree Nerd. I love my 5 fingers for running on the beach or on grass or dirt paths, and for lounging around my house and property in the summer. When I tried them over typical White Mountain trails, they hurt my feet after about 5 or 6 miles. And yes, the smell was unbearable. I couldn't even launder the smell out.

Once your feet get wet and sweaty it will take you a good minute to put on your shoes, and you'll probably cramp a finger or two in the process. They grip to your feet and won't slide into place.

I like how they train my toes to stay separated and keep my feet flat on the ground from heel to toe. They also make you walk or run more upright and land on the balls of your feet vs your heels. You therefore run "quieter" because it would hurt too much to run heel first.

I think they're better suited for running and walking around the house or on smooth regular surfaces than for backpacking. I would not recommend them for camp shoes either due to how hard it would be to use them with socks, the smell factor if you didn't, and in cold weather your feet would freeze.

All just based on my experience.

[Giantsbane]

I plan on wearing them on my entire hike. When I don't go barefoot.

[Slo-go'en]

I plan on wearing them on my entire hike. When I don't go barefoot.

Good luck with that when you get to New England (or just PA).

[jbwood5]

When I was up near Clingman's Dome in late April/early May a couple of years ago, there was quite a bit of snow. This stuff was the crusty type that sometimes you walked on and sometimes you fell through (oten over a foot)... plus there were a few post holes that were not really visible. I had a tough enough time with running shoes. I can't imagine trying to navigate this stuff with Vibran 5 fingers.

[Meriadoc]

I know at least one thru hiker who used Five Fingers the whole way. Without socks, they will stink. You can throw them in the wash with your other clothes. I'd probably avoid the dryer.

I would recommend sandals instead, ones with minimal padding and zero heel lift. They won't smell and socks are not needed. The airflow while walking (both top and bottom of the foot - the bottom gets airflow every time you lift your foot) is enough to keep your feet dry and odor free. Camp shoes are not needed. You probably would want at least one pair of socks for when your feet are soaked from rain all day. When the skin softens from being wet, the attachment points can wear your skin down.

[Donde]

I do section hikes, marathons, ultras, and just once a 20hr 70K ruck march in my fives. When I thru again I won't take my fives. here is my line of thought YMMV

Good things: light, dry fast, very comfortable if your feet and muscles are trained to the barefoot stride, and calloused nicely, great traction (counter intuitive but you are able to cling with your foot), machine washable (do not use a dryer), fantastic in regards to blisters (even more so between the toes bear bag).

Bad things: soaking wet very easy, VERY COLD(can't stress that enough), vulnerable to a certain mid atlantic commonwealth(though this is not as big a thing as you would think) , gets and stays disgusting smelling fast, socks will slow this a little but not a lot.

When I thru again I will use trail runners again. It no doubt could be done in Fives but I would suggest start late and for the sake of everyone else's olfactory tent every night (do that anyway shelters suck). as always HYOH YMMV WWLWD WWJBD etc. etc.

[Coosa]

Wear the THIN injinji socks (http://www.injinji.com/) with the 5 Fingers.

Or just wear them as Liners or the "originals" [I like the WOOL but the CoolMax is good] in your hiking shoes.

Coosa