Help! My boots are not breaking in well, and as a size 5.5 woman my options are few. One of the alternatives to my lovely but toe-hurting (just on the side, it’s the cut not the size) ASOLOS is the North Face gore tex trail sneaker. I was hoping to hear from folks who have used sneakers: can you do the beginning months, snow and ice in them? This isn’t my first choice but may end up being my only choice.
Mimi Asnes
Hi, buy whatever feels the most comfortable on your feet period. dem dawgs are gonna be in em a long time. i would not advise anyone to buy shoes/boots online or phone… its prolly the single most important piece of gear you will buy. try them on and walk all over the store and up and down the incline boards first.
with that said, i started from springer feb 26th 2001 and didnt see much snow till the smokies, which was not too bad at all YTrailMV :pimp
FreightTrain
oh yea , and Montrails are known for large toe box’s.
i like the TRS comps…trail running/speed hiking shoes.
most comfy shoes ive ever slipped my feet into :pimp
Freighttrain
Hello Frieghttrain, Yes we remember the snow dont we. Stopped hiking at 5.3 miles due to the sleet, rain and Ice.
Good to hear from you buddy and take care.
Rebel, with a Cause !!
Rebel, with a Cause !!
Hi Freight Train, I agree that one should try on boots, but often stores don’t carry my size. I’m going to have a cobbler try to stretch the ones I have and also order some wicked on sale ones from the sierra trading post (salomon and vasque boots for $70). Wish me luck, and thanks
Mimi Asnes
your not likely to break in a size 5.5 womens. I believe the footbed is too short for a good flex. Most boots are designed around a 10.5 mens and if shortened the foot beds get really stiff. Try a light weight boot or trail shoe. You might conseder children’s shoes for such a small foot. Danner or Limmer make wider boots.
Darth Packman
Hiking from Georgia after March 15th should provide no problem at all. Could hit some light snow but will go away very quickly.
Happyhiker
Hiking from Georgia after March 15th should provide no problem at all. Could hit some light snow but will go away very quickly.
Happyhiker
I know alot of people that hiked in sneakers and sandals. Even saw an old pair of chuck taylor canvas basketball shoes if i remember correctly (they looked like chucks. but they were covered with mud.) just keep em clean and waterproofed and you could find it even nicer than hiking with boots. and added ankle support can always be added by lace up ankle supports worn under the sock.
Big Boy
do tennis shoes wear out faster than boots? i’ve heard many people go through more than one pair of boots - how many pairs of tennis shoes would you go through?!
hephzibah
I went through three pairs of shoes. Even most boot wearers will be on their second or third pair by the end of the hike, and a lightweight shoe will wear out faster.
Which brings up a good point: I recently saw a photo where a thru-hiker had a pile of shoeboxes to be mailed as he wore out his shoes. That is probably a bad idea. Your idea of the perfect footwear may change, and your feet are likely to gain a 1/2 size or more.
Colter
mimi-
just wanted to give you my opinion on The North Face shoes. i used a pair of ultra-100’s on my CT hike last year and the things started falling apart within a few days! (the soles were delaminating and knobs were falling off the bottom. this wasn’t the first time i had this happen on this model, ( it was actually the third time!) but they swore they were using a different kind of glue now.
as far as the gtx shoes go, they fall apart pretty quicky as well. same thing, soles delaminating.
i used to work for TNF so i had the opprotunity to try a lot of their products and think they make some amazing gear (almost all of my stuff is from them and i really like it all) but the shoes are not one of them! they’re great for kicking around town but don’t hold up to abuse very well.
i ended up having my new balance overnighted to me which worked out wonderfully. they make them in various widths, and like someone already mentioned, montrails have a large toe box.
good luck!
scott
scott
I’ve gone through a lot of shoes & boots and I’ve found that Montrails totally rock. i used a pair of their Storms last year for almost the entire trail; the only thing that’s worn out is the tread (they’re now racing slicks) The rest of the shoe held together amazingly.
trainwreck
i agree with freighttrain…buy whatever is comfy…water-proofing anything is a hallucination…just one all day rain will prove that point…if they are wet and it is going to freeze that night, put them with your water bottle or you will be waiting for them to thaw before you can get them on again…(been there)…speaking of water bottles…use 1 liter gatorade bottles, not nalgenes…when you get a funky lid you can throw it away and get another already filled with good drink…free bottle and they weigh less…:cheers
fausa