I am starting a northbound thruhike in mid/late march. I have been told good things about Superfeet insoles (the green ones). Does anybody have any thoughts as to them? Has anybody used them and could give me pros/cons about the use of Superfeet insoles. Some people have thru-hiked without them, others swear by them. Personal opinions/experiences with Superfeet are appreciated. Thanks.
Tortuga
I found Superfeet to be a little too stiff. I started with Superfeet and switched over to Spenco Hiker somewhere around maybe Hot Springs. Spenco were a little less expensive too. I probably used 4-5 pairs of Spenco or Superfeet for my entire AT thru-hike, usually swapping out insoles when I swapped out shoes.
It would be important to know to take out the built-in insoles of a shoe or boot prior to inserting the Spenco or Superfeet insoles. There is not enough room for both the built-in insole that comes delivered with the shoe along with the Spenco or Superfeet insole.
Probably the most cause of pain (well, besides the rocks hitting the bottoms of your feet) was from eithe shoes that were too small (your foot expands greatly when carrying that backpack) or the rain causing the lining of the shoe to expand and cut into your wet feet. I was schooled by other thru-hikers prior to starting my AT thru-hike that I should buy shoes that were at least 1.5 sizes larger than my street shoe size in order to make room for my feet to expand while I hike.
Now, eight years later, I take a size 13 shoe in hiking shoe and a size 12 in street shoe. Before my AT thru-hike I wore a 10.56 size street shoe.
Datto
Datto
Tortuga,
Superfeet now come in several colors - pink, orange, green. As I was told by a salesman, the colors indicate the height of the arch, with green having the highest arch and pink the lowest. I wore the green for years, but now wear pink. Happy walking…
bluevist
I had been a distance runner (marathon) for 25 years when I did my thruhike and I had been using custom orthodics for running. I had a new pair made for the hike. While they worked great for running, they were constructed with 3/4 length plastic and the front was a leather like extension. The front was too thin and gave almost no protection from rocks and actually came apart with moisture. The heel cup cut the sides of my heels. So I sent them home and got a pair of superfeet. My toes felt better because they offered better protection from rocks. The heels fit better and blisters went away. I spent over $350 on the orthodics. When I went home I wanted to go back to using orthodics for running so I tried to get them replaced and they said for another $200 they would make me another pair. I really felt like I had been taken. The company was Lanear. Now I am still running in the same pair of superfeet.
Steady On
Steady On
After my first hiking trip I had lots of heel pain. The doctor wanted to make me a shoe insert but I got superfeet first.
Never needed the inserts made afterward.
I use the blue ones in my everyday trail runners and green ones in my hiking boots. I find I need more support when backpacking so I use midweight boots.
I’ve also found that superfeet themselves need a break in period.
Remove the footbed in your shoe/boot and cut the superfeet to match.
nearly normal