Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board What are the correct shoes?

I have been following the thread on how to lighten one's pack and I am most interested in shoe selections. I am an avid long distance day hiker and I my shoes are usually shot after a couple hundred miles or so. Is this typical for the rest of you? I tend to buy quality light hiker/trail runners. I have tried Five Tens, North Face, Asolo and several others. What do the rest of you wear? I do have a pair of the Five Ten camp four shoes though they are a little tight in the toe box. I would appreciate any feedback.
First 14

I'm looking for a good pair of light hiking shoes, too. After last month's 75 mile JMT hike, both my little toes are losing their nails. I need a shoe with a WIDE toe box!

I bought Asolos from REI a few years ago because they reportedly had a wider fit, and when I bought them, they seemed ok. But obviously, they are not wide enough. The shoes do ok for a single day hike, but after several days, my little toes are toast.

As I hiked the JMT southward, we met quite a few PCT thru-hikers. And most of them had low-top shoes, and a wide range of varieties. One guy was hiking in a Keen shoe -- looked like a Teva water shoe. He said they were great.

Steve,
I agree with the guy you met on the PCT. I have become a fan of Keen shoes because of the wide toe box. All of the boots that I tried in the past were too narrow in the toe, including Vasque, North Face, and Asolo. Somebody recommended the Keen Voyageur boots to me. I initially was dubious of them because I thought of Keen as only a water sport shoe, but I tried them and was happy. I haven't had any toenail issues or blisters and I have hiked about 150 miles in them so far. They also have heavy duty lugs on them to lace them up tight for the decents.

That's my two cents.

Steve, have you tried Montrail shoes? I love these shoes for the very fact that they have a humongous toe box. I've never even had a sore toe in them, much less lost a nail. Try on the "Hurricane Ridge" model and see if you are even able to jam your toes on a slant board or by kicking the floor. I can't. Plus, the sole has a grippy design for loose terrain. I can usually get a season out of a pair - 3 to 400 miles.

Steve
I have had great success with the Keen sandals, they last forever and are very comfortable. I found their shoes to have a great toe box and too tight everywhere else. I have really enjoyed the North face Hedgehog GTX XCR with Sole inserts(I use them in all my hiking shoes), but they are wearing out on the inside after approximately 200 miles. This might be normal life expectancy, I am not sure.
First 14

HI,

I will throw my 2 cents in... My wife and I have both been wearing Keen Targhee II Mid's for about a 1 1/2 years now and have logged several miles on them (At least 150+)

I will say that we are just "day Hikers" and very rarely go over 10 miles in any one hike. (I did do Telescope Peak on Wed. and my feet got a little beat up)

We both like the Keen's for the same reason most do, the larger toe box is really what sells them. We have used them in Snow, Rain and heat and they have performed well in all types of conditions.

Remember though, that Keen's normally run a full size smaller than what they say so buy a full size bigger than what you normally wear.

Good luck!

The short answer is whatever fits you feet best. As someone who has a fit problem, I kiss a lot of frogs before my prince shows up and most of time the prince as a couple of warts.

What works for me, low to medium volume boots with ability to work with feet that are a 1/2 different, may not work for you; therefore, it is hard for anyone to give a specific recommendation.

Specific recommendation are good to use as a starting point.

Jeez, I know watcha mean... Oh wait, we're talking about shoes.

I agree w/ Bill here, as everyone's fit in the showroom is different, and the types of hikes/foot reaction to the hikes are extremely different. Right now I'm going through a pair of shoes about every three months, shorter depending on the types of scrambling I'm doing. The more boulder hopping/scree, the faster the shoes get torn up. To Gore-tex or not to Gore-tex. High top vs. low top. Zoinks, so many options. Of course, if the shoes have orange in them, it's a sure buy...

But seriously, I think that most shoe manufacturers are not catering to those of us who are going out regularly (and I don't mean just crazy stuff, either). I don't expect the shoes to be bombproof, but the glue should be able to hold the front part of the sole on the toe for more than a few hikes.

Currently I am on a Merrill kick, but mainly that's because that's what's carried here in town that fits me well. I'm not thrilled with my current pair, though, and I've been drooling over a pair of Montrails that I think I have to order online. I guess I just have to kiss another froggie.

-L

It's all about fit, try on lots of shoes but in the presence of someone who knows how to properly measure your feet and assess the fit. If you're liking the TNF Hedgehog GTX try the Ultra 104 GTX - widest toe box in the TNF line.

Thanks to all of you who replied, I know shoes are very difficult to review as everyone's fit is different. I just wanted to see what people are wearing and roughly how many miles they get out of a descent pair of shoes. To me the correct shoe/boot is the most important piece of equipment on any hike. Like Moosetracks, I go through several pair each year and they change the models so frequently the pair you liked last year may not be available this year. I will day hiking the main trail 9/3/08 and hope to be lucky enough to run into some of you.
Thanks First 14

Ah yes shoes and boots. Try finding a 9 EEE or if its a New Balance 9 EEEE. There aren't enough frogs for me to kiss.

Of course you know what they say about men with large wide feet?



They need wide socks.

Not that I tend to be loyal to specific brands, but My Montrail Hardrocks seem to be meeting every challenge on this summer's hiking trip...

Shoes for hiking are such a critical issue and so much a personal choice. But, here is my two cents....I used to go with New Balance 809AT's EE but last year's model, which I think were called 810AT's, were totally uncomfortable for me. So I tried Montrail Hardrocks "'wide" size and they were just right. I hiked in them on the High Sierra Trail, west to east. I will never forget coming down the trail toward Whitney Portal and a man coming up in the opposite direction at break neck speed saying: "nice shoes" as he passed by with a knowing look! He was wearing the identical type. Kinda like Porches blinking their headlights at each other...ha!

I bought mine at Running Warehouse online: http://www.runningwarehouse.com/fpm.html and then later in the year I bought another pair on sale from the same place, just to put in the closet for when the old one's wore out. (Which I'm now breaking in for a hike out of Twin Lakes-Hoover Wilderness in a couple of weeks). When my New Balance shoes didn't feel right I just sent them back...no problem.

I think this company is out of San Luis Obispo.

Sorry about my rambling on, but having the correct shoes for hiking is such an important issue.

Does anyone have any preferences on gaiters? Having low cut running-hiking shoes does have a weakness for gravel and rocks getting into one's shoes.

I too have wide feet and trouble with little toes. By chance I stumbled on a shoe that works for me. I found out the day before a one day ascent of the Grand Teton last year that Exum Guides didn't have a pair of 13s for me on hand. So, I went into Jackson and tried on every pair of shoes they had finally taking a chance on La Sportiva's Cirque Pro. They were supposed to be wider than their other shoes. I was stunned by how good my feet felt afterwards (the approach is longggg). They were stiff enough in the sole to provide good support to the soles of my feet and they also did not jam my little toes. I too have wide feet. The shoe is supposed to be wider than their other shoes. Also, I noticed that the stiffness and placement of the wrap around rand causes the shoe to flex in a curve that more accurately follows the curve of the ball of my foot, which means than it doesn't bend on the outside just in front of my little toe. I have heard complaints about them for other reasons, but I am sold. Of course, as noted elsewhere, every foot is different. But they are definitely wider than most while still having a fit that works on high level scrambling and low level climbing. They were great on the trail and on the Exum Ridge! People either love them or hate them.

I'm partial to New Balance as they come in several widths (I use EEEE). I've tried Merrill (supposedly a wide toe box) but they didn't work FOR ME) and Montrail seem too stiff. New Balance also makes Dunham on the same last, but anything beyond a day and I find the stiffer soles on the Dunhams cause problems FOR ME on the balls of my feet.

But, the correct shoes are the ones that work for you. Grandma Gatewood wore Keds on her AT hikes.

If no snow is involved, I've been wearing New Balance trail runners for dayhikes and backpacks. They sell for about $29-39 at Sports Authority. They've never given me a problem, and as others have pointed out they come in wide sizes. They hold up really well.

My girlfriend tried a pair of Keens last year on our trip into the Big Arroyo. On the fifth day they started coming apart.