struggling with footwear

[Tinker]

From Hikerboy57:

"many people make the mistake of buying boots with a "good fit". first off, when you're trying on boots, only buy boots in the late afternoon or evening when you're feet are swollen" (bold added by me).

Fantastic advice.

and have the boots fitted with the socks you'll be using.

[prain4u]

I need shoes which are men's size 10 1/2 EEEE--so not all companies make hiking boots/shoes which fit my feet. In recent years, New Balance Trail Runners have been my hiking footwear choice. I like them--a lot. Do I have ankle turns in them? You bet. However, surprisingly enough, I probably have less "significant"/painful ankle turns than I had when I wore conventional hiking boots. The lighter weight--and greater padding--of trail runners is also good for my feet. (Think about how many steps you take on a day of hiking. Shoes with less weight and more padding can make make a big difference on the wear and tear that your feet, ankles, and legs sustain).

I hike with either a trekking pole or a walking stick. It helps with my balance and takes some weight off of my ankles and knees--especially on uphills and downhills. I think it also helps prevent serious ("hike ending") ankle turns.

As another poster wrote, Ibuprofin is a way of life for me when I hike. I call it "Vitamin I". On hiking trips, I take two (200 mg) tablets EVERY morning. I take two more at the end of the day--before bedtime. Maybe two more at midday--if I am sore or expect to be sore. "Vitamin I" seems to help with sore muscles and joints--including sore ankles and feet.

Rest ("zero days"), adequate sleep and proper nutrition also seem to help my ankles, feet and knees. It takes me 1-3 weeks of hiking to build up my feet/ankles. However, this only seems to happen well when I am actually CARRYING A PACK--and HIKING REAL TRAILS (with real roots, rocks and uneven surfaces). Hiking on asphalt, cement, or grass (with no pack) does little to condition my feet/ankles.

[marty1983]

Thanks for all the tips everybody. After trying on several different types and styles of shoes and boots, I went with the Montrail Fairhaven. It was the most comfortable and I was wondering if anyone had experience with this shoe? My next concern is traction. I will be starting in late February and am a little concerned with snow or ice along the trail. Would any of you recommend micro-spikes or do you think the traction of these trailrunners will be suffecient?

[Creek Dancer]

I found that when I use my micro-spikes, I can get down the trail more quickly and more safely. Constant careful stepping so as to not slip and fall really slows me down. Then again, I am a total klutz. Last year I ended up mailing my micro-spikes to a thru hiker friend who grew tired of having to deal with the ice. (He was wearing trail runners.) He was very happy to have them in the Smokies. I suppose whether or not you will need them will depending entirely on the conditions at the time, which is obvious.

[niners]

I used my micro-spikes in the Smokies last year. They were a god send at the time. The down side is that I carried them for a long time before and after their one good use. I could have done the hike without them. Even though they were a big help at the time, I would probably leave them home if I were to do the trail again.

[JAK]

Train with a combination of walking with long strides and jogging with springy steps. Walking will burn loads of fat per day, if you have the time, and give you great range of motion and strength in the hips. Jogging will strengthen your feet and ankles. Train without carrying extra weight, but wear cushiony running shoes or trail runners, from a reputable running store, if you have one. By reputable I mean a good selection of decent trail runners and running shoes, with very few crap shoes that you see in alot of stores, and quality staff, that are runners themselves.

Treadmills are great for walking on an incline. Go for the full 15, or perhaps vary it from 0 to 15. Don't worry so much about jogging on an incline as you are only using jogging to strengthen your feet and ankles, and can get a good enough aerobic workout with an incline walk when reasonably overweight. Stadium walking, or jogging, is excellent. Other foot and ankle exercises are great, but its hard to get the same volume as good old walking and jogging. Walking for hip strength and range of motion. Jogging for foot and ankle strength.

As for footwear, trail runners can work in snow conditions if you fit them with gaiters, and have room for thicker socks when needed. It is essential that they absorb very little water, which usually means they need to have very little cushion built into the uppers and tongue, which means they have to fit really well. If the absorb water they will get wet, and then conduct more heat which will continuously melt more snow and stay wet. This can apply to light hikers and boots also. You want to stay light though. I have a pair of leather ankle boots which I love, even though they don't have enough cushion or tread in their soles. They are not much heavier than trail runners, at 14oz each in size 12, but I love the way they manage water. They have no built in insulation, which is also a plus for me, as I like to supply my own. They can get wet, but I can dry them with fire and seal them with beeswax if neccessary. I like them beeswaxed for wet spring conditions, but less beeswaxed for the rest of the year.

Whatever you choose for footwear...
1. Keep them light.
2. Get something that absorbs very little water, but not neccessarily waterproof.
3. Make sure they fit with both 1 thin sock and 1 thin plus 1 thick sock.
4. Consider replacing insoles with wool felt insoles in winter, for more warmth.
5. Have some light gaiters to keep the snow out, and perhaps ski or knee socks also, for deep snow.
6. Carry some sort of gortex or thin neoprene sock, as a last resort.

[JAK]

I am not a big fan of hiking poles, except in winter. I use a single long stick myself, but I sometimes grab my cross-country ski poles in winter. I have a long set and a short set, and I use the shorter set for hiking. I am not an expert on hiking poles, but I would guess you would want hiking poles rather than ski poles, but for winter you would want some sort of baskets on them, like the kind on cross-country ski poles. Others can chime in on that. The baskets don't need to go all the way around, but are small and sort of trail to the back. Snoe shoers probably use something similar.

Now you probably don't want to prepare for deep snow, other than knowing when to hunker down, or trudge along, or bail out. But even 3-4 inches of snow can slow you down and complicate things quite a bit. Icy conditions can be very bad also, especially with just a light dusting of snow over top. You have to be prepared to take it one day at a time, and you have to accept that some conditions simply aren't worth the risk, so you hunker down or bail out. Consider some sort of cleats. Sometimes they might be just the ticket. Most of the time probably deadweight. Experiment.

[JAK]

Good luck with the weight loss. Struggling myself. I can take it off, slowly, but I can also put it back on in a hurry. It's alot easier if I stay active, but its not always easy to stay active. I think I've got all the science figured out, but it's 80% psycological, and the other half is mental. ;-)

[Winds]

I found this post to be helpful on a few basic levels. I am planning a thru-hike and have many shoes / boots (North Face, LL Bean, Vasque, others) but none of them seem best for the entire A.T.

If it were a 100 miles or less of rocky terrain, I wouldn’t hesitate to take my Vasque mountaineering boots as they are super comfy and will certainly outlast me. But they are FAR TOO heavy for a long haul.

Based on what I read, I am leaning towards:

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Prod...h?dimensions=0

I am a tad concerned with 2 aspects however: 1) Grip (wet rocks and such) and 2) Longevity

Anyone have any thoughts concerning the Merrell Moab for long stints on the A.T.?

P.S. At the price, I would purchase 2 pairs.

[ScottP]

Just a n=1 here, but i don't use boots.