Vasque Vapor Trail running shoes

imported
#1

These shoes are going for thirty bucks at sierra trading post. If I hear good things about them I am going to buy about 4-5 pair for my '04 thru-hike. Any thoughts?

Peace
-JJ

JJ

#2

Hey JJ, just some advice. Never tried them on. Have you? Try to find a store that has them so you can correctly size them and see if they are comfortable. I wouldn’t buy four or five pairs at the same time. You may hate the first pair and then what? Also your feet will get fat and those size tens will no longer fit.

Ganj

#3

Good advice Ganj. My thinking was to buy a bunch because they are cheap and I have a modest budget. I was going to wear 1 pair and put them to the test on my local trail. If I was unhappy I was going to send the rest back. I also wated to get my size before they sold out. I have been pondering the issue of foot swelling. Did your feet get fat on your thru-hike? If you have any experience with foot swelling it would be great to hear from you. Thanks again.
Peace-JJ

JJ

#4

I’ve done the AT, will do the PCT next year. You would be better off talking to some of the people that frequent the board and just finished the PCT this year. First 700 miles is desert, and of course it gets really hot. What does that do to your feet exactly? I know blisters seem to be more common due to the extreme temp of the ground (ie more sweat).

On the AT my feet did swell. I had a pair of sundowners until Delaware Water Gap. I had bought them half size larger to compensate. Used Merrell Chameleons the rest of the way.

Those shoes are cheap. I am considering buying a pair (I know, goes against my own advice but they are cheap). And if this one pair is no good, then its only $23. However, if they do work then at least I have a pair for the first 400 miles or so.

But talk to some PCT’ers who know what to do and see what their advice is. Hope to see you out there.

Ganj

Ganj

#5

Your shoes need to be at least 1 size bigger than the size you wear at home. Yes, your feet will swell like crazy. I don’t know anything about Vasque shoes. I wear New Balance. My advice is that your shoes should be extremely breathable and with NO water protection, NO water proofing, NO water resistance, etc. They should be so breathable that when you take your shoes and socks off, your feet are black from the dirt.

The shoes I wear on the trail are 1.5 sizes bigger than my normal size. I wear ONE pair of thin Wigwam Ultimax liner socks. I replace the insoles with Spenco hiker/casual inserts. And I NEVER GET BLISTERS.

I get new shoes approximately every 600 miles.

yogi

#6

Yogi,

I qualify. I get dirty feet. At least I did. I have done well with New Balance 904s, that is until NB stopped making them. The 905s don’t fit my feet. And my feet are so big that other manufacturers don’t even try (14 EEEE). So I got a pair of Teva Wraptors and they’re working well. And I got a pair of Montrail TRS Comps for the JMT section.

What do you think? Know anyone who hiked primarily in sandals?

I will consider any solution that looks like it might work.

Jim Keener

#7

The people who I know who hike in sandals----and not many hikers do-----swear by the Chacos. They say that Teva sandals rub blisters. But those Wraptors are more than just sandals, right?

I, too, LOVED the New Balance 904’s. Very comfortable, and the tread really grips rocks and snow. Yes, snow. I went to the New Balance store here in KC this week and asked if they’re going to make another shoe with that tread, and the guy said no. That’s a shame.

The 905’s don’t fit me, either.

yogi

#8

Everyone I know who knows footwear recommends Chacos. So I bought a pair. Great sandals, except that they rubbed bloody blisters on my feet when I wore them from the border to Lake Morena. You might have noticed me hobbling. You’d remember that, wouldn’t you? Anyway, AYCE at thru-hiker.com suggested the Wraptors and I’ve worn them for a total of about 30 miles so far. No blisters. I’ll try them in the Hoover Wilderness this weekend. Hope there ain’t no snow.

I thought I had this shoe thing solved. %^#@

Thanks, yogi.

Jim Keener

#9

ive rocked about 2-2500 miles in the sandals and chacos rock the house they are amazing. foot bed is perfect. for oregon, wa, the AT they are the obvious choice because of wieght, durability, breathability, and the tan, man. a sexy, sexy tan.
but on the cali pct i found myself faltering a bit because of the dryness, even in the sierras. my feet got nasty and raw. huge cracked calluses which are really painful. i have sworn by sandals for years and would highly recomend them to any ATer, but it saddens me to say that if i did the pct again i would have to try shoes, which in all honesty frightens me.

milo

#10

Interesting, milo. No calluses on the AT, yet you got them in the Sierra. Could it be anything other than the dryness of the surroundings?

Jim Keener

#11

sounds like suggestive sarcasm, like “could it be that you are a STONER???” but since i cant think of anything sarcastic or not my simple reply would be-no. the sierra is dryer than the at. isnt it? maybe prolonged exposure to sun as opposed to green canopy. dryness. yes, dryness. any suggestions, jim?

milo

#12

I used Bert’s crack cream with fantastic results. Only when I stopped applying for a while did my feet falter. Another thing is you can buy a pumice stone and rub down the calluses when you are at your drift box. About the blisters, I find that a new pair of chacos requires thick socks for the first 100 miles, while my feet and the sandles cozy up. After that, FREEDOM!

:boy

THA WOOKIE

#13

Hi, Milo.

No sarcasm intended or implied. Serious question. I raised this issue on another forum and was told by a couple of people that they did not have the same problem in California. I’ve hiked in a lot of different parts of California in sandals and not had that problem. That is why I raised the issue. Cause and effect are especially difficult, especially with the human body.

I asked a foot care expert about this a couple of days ago. He said that calluses mature - get thicker and more brittle, and that might be the cause of the crack.

I’m glad the Chacos work for you; they didn’t for me. Different feet.

Jim Keener