What is your preference?

imported
#1

Do you prefer hiking boots or hiking shoe hybrids?

nobody

#2

I find boots to be heavy, and since my feet are pretty tough and my ankles are flexible, I prefer the lighter weight of shoes. I don’t have official (expensive) trail shoes, just a pair of my trusty, easy-to-break-in Nike sneakers. I haven’t done much foul weather hiking though, so in the rain/snow could be a different story.

Jonna

#3

Hi,I prefer boots. Did the whole AT on a single pair. Montrail AT Hikers. I had them resoled after about 1500mi.
If I was to thru-hike again I’d probably try a pair of L.L.Bean Cresta Hikers. Saw a lot of folks with them and L.L. has a good guarantee. I understand that they will replace them if they fail.

Grampie

#4

Asolo hiker 520s

nice boot fit well; felt like feathers even after 15 miles; even though they weighed in at close to 3 lbs each. kept my ankles alive and my feet happy.

Big Boy

#5

After seeing so many thru hikers waering sneakers i thought i’d give it a go myself. Have to say that i won’t be going back to boots, unless hiking through snow. If your pack weight is LOW, sneakers feel so comfortable.

I was a hardened boot wearer until i tried them out on a few long distance hikes. I used to wear Zamberlans, which i still like…just not as much!!

P.S My sneakers are New Balance.

Ross - London,England

#6

I started out with boots; REI Spirit V hiking boots. They were a great pair of boots, but the weight was just too much. I switched them in Damascus, but only because my feet outgrew them. They likely could have lasted the entire trail.

After Pearisburg, I ended up trying out the Montrail Java GTX. I loved these shoes. My ankles are pretty strong, so I didn’t worry about the lack of ankle support. I did notice, however, that my ankles grew a little stronger without the ankle support. Just like wearing braces, the extra support sometimes doesn’t hurt, but constant support tends to weaken muscles.

I will probably start out with the boots again next year because I don’t think the montrails will hold up for the entire trip, but if I was not budgeting so much for this next hike, I’d get a new pair of them. The reduction in weight on your feet make such a difference, and this particular shoe grips well, even when the trail is slickery.

How do the regular sneakers (new balance, nike, reebok, etc) hold up - wear and tear, rainy conditions, etc?

bearbait

#7

I’ve thought about buying a pair of “proper” trail sneakers myself. Sounds like they’d last a bit longer than normal sneakers. My New Balance are holding up well. I rekon that they might last about 500 miles or so. Roughly 4 or 5 pairs for the whole trail.

I totally agree re the ankle support thing. I would say that a straight swap from boots to trainers could be difficult at first (for anyone thinking of making the swap). It’d probably be a good idea to work on strenghening the ankle first, before hitting the trail.

P.S As it will cost to much to have sneakers sent to me (from England), how easy are they to get hold of en route??

Ross - London,England

#8

For a few select crazies like myself, Tevas and Terrano Chacos do very nicely. It’s not a set of footwear for those with delicate feet, but if you can’t control the blisters any other way, they’re worth a shot. After 700 miles of nasty daily blisters on my hike, and multiple variations in footwear, it was either quite the AT or make a change. I switched to the sandals for the rest of the trail (north) and was in complete footie heaven, including over PA’s rocks, and the Whites. You’ll meet a few sandal hikers every year, and we seem to do OK. (I carry about 35 lbs., so I’m not ultralight by any means.)

On the other end of the spectrum, my hubby hiked in LL Bean Crestas. Of course, he’s the one who got a stress fracture in the 100-Mile Wilderness!! It defies logic. :slight_smile:

I’m not advertising sandals as a first choice, of course, but they are definitely a reasonable option for the blister-challenged hiker. The so-called rules about weight carried and terrain covered vs. footwear required do not always apply to thruhiking.

Chipper

#9

I was concerned in 2000 about my legs (in 1995 I was hit by a semi tractor trailer going 75 miles per hour… me, I was on my moto guzzi motorcycle. I basically broke everything from my waist down - hip/pelvis/ankles/toes/legs/you name it… at one point the doctors wanted to cut my feet off… yikes…) So needless to say, footwear was an issue. I started in heavy ass italian hiking boots. They were great but (a) got my feet very hot which causes problems and (b) were heavy. Someone told me a pound on the foot is like four on your back. I noticed when I did bigger mile days that my feet and legs were very tired. In Damascus I switched to TRS comps (montrail) and have never switched back. They are lighter, more comfortable, no break in period. I found I did not need a second shoe, like flip flops to be comfortable in camp. They were great on rocks (except after 400 or so miles. each pair lasted roughly 607.2 miles. I still wear them out here in the real world. I guess switching to shoes corresponded to when I switched to a far lighter set up (22 pounds with five days of food and two quarts of water as opposed to 38 pounds). I would suggest finding the shoe that feels comfortable on you. I went up a shoe size on the trail and have stayed that way in the last two years… do what feels good.

peace,

ASWAH

Aswah

#10

You will run into quite a few decent outfitters along or near the trail. Among the towns are Hot Springs, NC, Erwin, TN (in neighboring Johnson City, but Miss Janet usually stops by if needed), Damascus, VA, Waynesboro, VA, Harpers Ferry, WV, Delaware Water Gap, PA, Kent, CT, Williamstown, MA (only in an emergency), Manchester Center, VT, West Lebanon, NH (free shuttles from Hanover, NH), Lincoln, NH, Gorham, NH, basically every 100-200 miles. You can usually find people in almost every recommended trail town that can provide shuttles for free or a very nominal fee.

Another thing to consider would be online ordering. A lot of the gear vendors work with thru-hikers, when it comes to mailing gear out.

bearbait