Anyone Thru-Hike With 1 Pair Of Boots?

[Saprogenic]

I'm thru-hiking the AT this year, heading sobo this summer. Is it really a given that you will go through several pairs of boots? I'm a boot person, worn them my whole life, and am not switching to trail runners. I bought a pair of Danner Pronghorns http://www.danner.com/pronghornr-gtx...ing-boots.html , and have been breaking them in. Should I expect to need a second pair? Or is it likely they'll last the trip? If they last the trip, think they'd be done for by the end, or still usable?

[turtle fast]

Realistically, you will need a second pair of boots that are broken in. Just in case your current boots breakdown. It is hard to tell how longs boots will last. My wife had a great pair of Raicheles that were very solid and should of lasted many miles only last 600 miles before rapidly breaking down. I know many hikers whose boots lasted the whole journey, some looked good enough to use afterward but with that many miles on them and broken in that much you probably would not want to bother getting them resoled or such...keep them as a momento or for lighter use.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I wore full-grain Asolo boots for the first 1200 miles and they showed no signs of breaking down. I only changed them out because I had a then-undiagnosed injury (not the boots' fault) in my leg and I thought a change of footwear might help. I was planning on wearing them the entire time, not least because someone at Neels Gap early on had looked at my boots and said, "Those things will take you all the way to Katahdin. They did for me last year." I knew of two other people who had thru-hiked on one pair of boots in the past also. Those people, like me and the Neels Gap guy, also had big, high-quality leather boots.

The point is that it's possible. I can't speak for your particular pair (or any of the variables, like your stride, whether you have weeks of rain, whether there is an accident), but that's definitely the style of boot that I know can last 2,000 miles.

[RWheeler]

I wore full-grain Asolo boots for the first 1200 miles and they showed no signs of breaking down...

I don't mean to threadjack, but I was just curious about which Asolo boots those were? I have a pair of TPS 520 GV that I really like, and they've done great for me so far. I'm taking trail runners on my thru this year, though. Just curious as to what your pair was.

[Tenderheart]

Well, you have already bought your footwear, but I used to hear the powers to be at Neel Gap comment that the Scarpa SL's should go the whole way. Don't even know if they still are made. They cost around 240 bucks back in the late nineties, if I remember correctly. Too rich for me!! Great looking, though.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I don't mean to threadjack, but I was just curious about which Asolo boots those were? I have a pair of TPS 520 GV that I really like, and they've done great for me so far. I'm taking trail runners on my thru this year, though. Just curious as to what your pair was.

The same. They also had a few hundred miles on them before I started. I know "indestructible" isn't a word you can really use with hiking gear, but you could come close with those boots.

To the OP: I forgot to mention that you can also thru-hike on a single pair of Tevas. One of my AT friends just posted this on facebook. He said he's finally retiring them.
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[Saprogenic]

I wasn't expecting any definites, but I figured someone else may have had luck. I have a good pair of Wolverines with thinsulate that are really broken in. Maybe I'll start with them, and if they get busted up I could finish with my newer pair.

[Hiker8261]

I used Lowa boots and due to rain for 25 out of 30 days my first month, they started coming apart about halfway through the hike. I put brand new boots on in PA and never needed any breaking in etc. Never had a blister in them as I think my feet were tough from the previous 1300 miles.

chris

[gordondthegrey]

I am planning a NoBo thu-hike in March, and so expect to hit snow. As I live in Florida, my current boots are Keen Voyageurs, which are light-weight and well-ventilated. I love them for warm weather hiking. They are not water-proof, but the theory is that they will dry out fast when they do get wet. As they are already broken in, I plan to mail drop them to myself after the cold weather is past, maybe around West Virginia. In the mean time, I need to acquire a mid-hiker that will be good for March/April in the southern part of the AT, that I can take a couple months to break in now. Any suggestions for my wide feet that need ankle support?

"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow." ~Henry David Thoreau

[The Solemates]

i wore heavier boots at the beginning - only because it was winter - we started 1 feb. i dont normally wear heavier boots in the winter, but decided to on the trail because i didnt want wet feet for a month. i can deal with wet feet for a weekend, but not for a month on a thru hike.

i switched em out when it got warmer, but those full leather boots (Merrell something or other) would have lasted the whole trail if i would have wanted them to. i know this because they had probably 500 miles on them before starting, i put about 500 AT miles on them, and i've since put at least 1000 on them after the trail - and i still wear them around the yard as work boots. they are going on 15 years in age.

i'm more of a trail runner guy - but everyone needs a good pair of boots for heavy winter travel - and these were good ones.

[RED-DOG]

Yes the Scarpa SLs would make it the whole way, on my Thru-Hike this year i started with a pair of North Face by the time i got to Hot Springs they were toast i pick up a pair of Scarpa's at bluff MT Outfitter's they were around 220 dollars but worth every single penny they lasted from Hot Springs-Maine and still looked new when i got home, in fact i am wearing them right now, so yes they would last an entire thru-hike. but it really depends on what type and brand you get some is better than others.

[Different Socks]

Did my entire thru hike in 92 on one pair of boots--Limmers!!

[Jim Adams]

I had a pair of Vasque Sundowners go the whole way.

geek

[Grampie]

Hiked the whole AT with one pair of boots. Did my thru with a well broken in, 200miles, pair of Montrail AT Hikers. I had them resoled around the half way point. When I finished the boots were pretty much broken down and no longer usable.

[peakbagger]

If you can stand the long break in, Limmers will last the entire AT plus a few more. Most will not use them as they are heavy and definitely overkill for warm weather.

[Tramp]

Any thoughts on the alico summit boots ?

[Drybones]

I'd be more concerned about my legs and body making it than one pair of boots. When I switched to lightweight shoes it was like manna from heaven, hills I used to die going up I could jog up, unbelievable how much difference a light shoe makes after 20 miles. I'd rather buy three pairs of light trail runners and enjoy the hike than make it with one pair of heavy leather boots...IMO.

[hikerboy57]

Any thoughts on the alico summit boots ?

very heavy....

[Colter]

I'm thru-hiking the AT this year, heading sobo this summer. Is it really a given that you will go through several pairs of boots? I'm a boot person, worn them my whole life, and am not switching to trail runners. I bought a pair of Danner Pronghorns http://www.danner.com/pronghornr-gtx...ing-boots.html , and have been breaking them in. Should I expect to need a second pair? Or is it likely they'll last the trip? If they last the trip, think they'd be done for by the end, or still usable?

I've gone through several pair of Danner Pronghorns. I used them on my traverse of Alaska. Here's my gear list with a review of the boots. Danner is a good company, but I have found the Gore-tex in those boots is shot in about 200 miles.

You should definitely use what works best for you, but a question I sometimes ask myself is if I'm doing things a certain way because it's the best way for me, or because it's the way I've always done things. Having hiked long distances in boots and trail runners, I would choose the latter for the AT without hesitation. But that's just me. If I knew boots were better for me, I wouldn't hike in the Pronghorns.