Once u go Altra.....you can't back....found this out recently...for years the LaSportiva Wildcats served me well though...
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Once u go Altra.....you can't back....found this out recently...for years the LaSportiva Wildcats served me well though...
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Not the 10v1's, but I hiked 700+ miles on the AT last year w/ NB 610v4's, and they are still in great shape, no tears, nothing coming apart. Hoping to get another 300+ miles with them again this year when I continue my AT hike. I do use a pair of green superfeet with them. I bought three pair of the NB 610v4's on Amazon last year for $65 a pair. Can't beat that!
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
This is a very controversial topic. What works for one person may not work for another!!!
Brooks may fit one person; Soloman may fit another. I tried Keen, Merrill, and many other hiking shoes. My Recommendation????? GO GET FITTED IN a RUNNING STORE! (I tried several outfitters in the past, but all their recommendations ended up with my feet looking like the picture below.) Get fitted properly!!!! (FYI: I like Soloman because they have a wide toe box and narrow heel box - but that is MY foot! You have a different foot!)
2016-10-19.jpg
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
La Sportiva Wildcats are my current shoe. I like how it has been working out.
Whether you think you can, or think you can't--you're right--Henry Ford; The Journey Is The Destination
The running shoe companies drive me crazy with the updated models which are in NO way at all similar to the old model. I asked a rep for one of the companies and she looked at me like I was speaking Klingon. Then she tried to talk me into buying another (more expensive) model. If you find a pair that you REALLY like then buy two.
I tried the following:
Mole Skin (NO HELP - trash - it just bunched up...)
Body Glide...WOW - how it helped with chaffing!!!
Body Glide ... with heel blisters.... (applied it MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY! - like every 1.5 hours - AND - it made it so those blisters didn't appear for about 30 miles...after that... ugh!)
Leukotape: Yes, that was better than duct tape, but not much better....
Socks: before anyone mentions them - I only use Smart Wool, Darn Tough, or Fox River. I change them at least once - if not twice a day. I also wash them out by hand while hiking - even though I carry at least four pair...
SHOES - SHOES - SHOES - SHOES - Yes, the shoe is what makes the difference!
Last summer I hiked for 13 days from Katahdin to ME 17. I wore Hoka One One Challenger ATR II's. I would have liked to have hiked a 14 day during the section hike, but the Hoka's completely fell apart. Maine tore them apart. Yes, they were very light, but the rock abrasion shred the sides out of the shoes to the point my left foot was coming out of the shoes. The sole lugs were completely ripped off. I had to hike in Croc knockoffs part of the trip in order to save the Hokas for some of the more difficult sections. The 13th day I was having to place my left foot on the left part of the trail with an incline to keep my foot in the shoe. Before the section hike, I wore a pair for months walking, running, day hiking and thought they would work out. The attached photos were taken on about day 9 or 10. IMG_6608.JPGIMG_6610.JPG
I thru-hiked in 2013 in Brooks Cascadias. The first pair lasted to just south of Daleville, VA. I wore the second pair to Wingdale, NY. I picked up my final pair in Rangely, ME. I used Vaseline on my feet every morning before putting on Smart Wool socks and had zero blisters from Springer to Katahdin. I would recommend a one-half size bigger with the second pair. Your feet will flatten out somewhat by 600 plus miles. I met around a dozen other hikers that year wearing Cascadias.