Hiking Or Caching Shoes

[+HikingMan]

Any preference on hiking/trail shoes, what do you wear out there?

[+briansnat]

For most caches, mid-duty hiking boots. LL Bean Cresta Hikers at the moment, with a pair of Salomon I Forget the Model as a backup.

 

A lot of the trails around here are rocky and I like the support the boots provide.

 

For the easy, 1/1 park n grab's, I'll wear whatever I happen to have on my feet which is likely to be a pair of one of several styles of LL Bean moccasins that I own, a pair of Salomon low top hiking shoes, or a pair of Montrail trail runners.

Edited June 9, 2004 by briansnat

[habercacher]

I either wear my columbia`s, or if the brush is real thick, surplus desert boots.

[+Rogue_monkey]

solomon approach shoes.

[+flask]

depends on the approach.

 

short walk in summer: merrell summer-weight clogs

very short, smooth winter walk: merrell winter weight clogs

long walk in summer, or winter walk: asolo hiking boots.

FF dash in summer, light terrain: new balance running shoes

bike: shimano all terrain high top MTB shoes, very fetching.

kayak in chilly conditions: neoprene booties

kayak in warm conditions: tevas

 

yes, i am a shoe slut. yes, i bring three pairs of shoes on the average cache trip. yes, i have eight pairs of shoes in my car. yes, i have four pairs of shoes at work. somebody at work asked me recently why i have three pairs of shoes under my desk. i said "i do NOT have three pairs of shoes under my desk. i have FOUR. and if you check my car, there's eight more pairs."

 

since most of my shoes are black, this mystefies people.

[+GeoKender]

Merrell Pulse Mid Waterproof Multi-Sport Shoes

 

-Waterproof nubuck/pigskin leather upper.

-Double-ended protection from Benecke Ceraprene® toe bumper to micro-injection external heel counter.

-Ballisticore™/leather bellows tongue.

-7.5 mm narrow gauge webbing lace system.

-Polyester mesh lining.

-4.5 mm anatomical footbed.

-Nylon 6.6 injection molded arch shank.

-Compression molded EVA footframe with Merrell Air Cushion for shock absorption.

-Merrell® Pulse™ sticky rubber outsole is, effectively, a studded, all-terrain tire brought underfoot, heavily channeled to divert water.

-Avg. wt. 2lbs. 5oz.

 

Love them and my feet thank me.

[Team GeoHoy]

Either my Teva Hurricane sandals, New Balance 804s, or Danner Radical 45 GTX hiking boots.

 

 

 

[+Team XTerror]

Got a pair of Hi-Tecs that I've been beating on for about a year.

[Tahosa and Sons]

With the mileage I accumalate Vasque, can't remember the model name, works well for me.

 

Is FLASK related to Imelda?

[+JohnnyVegas]

Want to learn about hiking boots, try this link

 

http://www.todayscacher.com/archives/may04/outdoor3.html

[AC Student]

A lot of my caching takes place on the way to or from work. My dress shoes have taken a real beating that they were never intended for.

 

For weekend caching, either sneakers or hiking boots, depending on the expected terrain.

[+Nazgul]

I've got several pairs of shoes, boots, etc. and have gone through all kinds, but right now I am deliriously happy with my Vasque Goretex Zephyrs I bought when they were on sale at REI. I wear them for most of my geocaching. They're light for their size, there's a ton of ankle support, they're cooler than similar all-leather shoes because of the nylon side panels (even with the Goretex) and best of all they have these massive, grippy teeth for lugs on the Vibram soles. I've never had any boots or shoes that gripped loose sandy/rocky trails this well, especially steep ones. In the dry season around here, a lot of the trails get slippery with loose dirt and pebbles in the dry season.

 

It's too early to say how well they'll hold up, but if they turn out to be durable then I plan to use this model for a long time. If it were up to me, I'd prefer them cheaper and minus the Goretex, but that's a relatively minor complaint.

 

Oh, and I think they look good too.

 

 

(edit for typo)

Edited June 9, 2004 by Team Nazgul

[2oldfarts (the rockhounders)]

yes

[+Seamus]

Wow. All this time, I've just been using my regular tennis/walking shoes. While it is true that I have had trouble in spots because I was in terrain that really called for hiking boots, I haven't (yet) had any ankle or other injuries because of it.

 

I guess part of the reason is that size 14 is hard to come by no matter what kind of shoe you're looking at, and often expensive if it isn't a regular part of the store's stock.

 

I keep waiting for shoe companies to figure out that feet are getting bigger. They're beginning to catch on in the walking and basketball categories, but the rest of the world seems to be blissfully ignorant that there's a market for larger shoe sizes.

[+Nazgul]

While it is true that I have had trouble in spots because I was in terrain that really called for hiking boots, I haven't (yet) had any ankle or other injuries because of it.

My feeling is that ankle support is not an issue for most people, most of the time. It's only rarely been an issue for me and I've done plenty of hiking in shoes with little or no ankle support. I still do.

 

That said, I view it as worthwhile insurance where the terrain calls for it. A month or two ago, I slipped on a wet boulder in the rain while out on a hike and tweaked my ankle, nothing serious, but had I not had the good ankle support I'm pretty certain that it would have been worse. As it was, it merely hurt like hell for a bit and I was able to "walk it off" after a few minutes and get back to normal before long, which was good because I was several miles from where I had parked and had I gotten a good sprain it would have been a serious obstacle to overcome.

 

Another plus for the taller shoes around here is that they help keep the blasted ticks off my socks.

 

Good luck with finding those 14s!

[+JohnnyVegas]

Wow. All this time, I've just been using my regular tennis/walking shoes. While it is true that I have had trouble in spots because I was in terrain that really called for hiking boots, I haven't (yet) had any ankle or other injuries because of it.

 

I guess part of the reason is that size 14 is hard to come by no matter what kind of shoe you're looking at, and often expensive if it isn't a regular part of the store's stock.

 

I keep waiting for shoe companies to figure out that feet are getting bigger. They're beginning to catch on in the walking and basketball categories, but the rest of the world seems to be blissfully ignorant that there's a market for larger shoe sizes.

Vasque offers a couple of styles in a size 14 and a 15, you might try a Red Wing dealer as they own Vasque.

[+robert]

as important as good SHOES/BOOTS are, make sure you have good SOCKS too. high quality HIKING SOCKS are a must if you are not interested in large blisters on your feet.

[+nfa]

Hi,

 

I tend to wear light/midweight hikers. Even after (or maybe because of) all these years, I wore a brand new pair on a 12 mile hike and got...you guessed it, blisters. I tried the moleskin in my 1st aid kit, not serious enough to cover the acreage of blisters, so I fell back on the cure-all...duct tape.

 

I always wear good quality cotton socks, even in winter.

 

nfa

[+robert]

I always wear good quality cotton socks, even in winter.

No cotton.

 

You want to lose the moisture, not absorb it and keep it packed against your feet.

 

Since getting good HIKING (ie not cotton) socks, I've had NO blisters, not even a hint of one.

 

Here's an example

[+briansnat]

No cotton.

 

You want to lose the moisture, not absorb it and keep it packed against your feet.

 

Since getting good HIKING (ie not cotton) socks, I've had NO blisters, not even a hint of one.

 

Agreed. Cotton retains moisture, which causes damp feet and blisters. And in the winter damp feet are cold feet. Wool socks, or socks made of a wicking material like Thermax are the best choice. For long hikes and winter hiking, I add a pair of polypropelene, or Thermax sock liners which keep the feet even drier and prevent blisters.

 

My favorite socks are Smartwool, though they are pricy and not as durable as you'd expect for that kind of money. But they perform superbly. I've also had good luck with Bridgedale and Rhoner socks. I tried Ultimax on the advice of several people in these forums. Since the price was right (I could buy 2 pairs for the cost of 1 pair of Smartwool), I figured they were worth a shot. Don't like 'em. For some reason they don't seem to wick as well as they should, they leave a red rash on my legs and because the material is "slippery" my feet slide around in my boots.

Edited June 9, 2004 by briansnat

[+TeamK-9]

My shoe preferences are similar to geohoy.

 

I wear the New Balance 804's and/or other similar trail running shoes:

 

Or I just wear my regular New Balance running shoes:

 

On occasion, if it's really dry and I won't do much off trail hiking I wear my plain white and silver Adidas: (couldn't find a picture

 

Or if I feel the need, I'll wear either my LL Bean hiking boots, or my snow boots...

[+JohnnyVegas]

Hi,

 

I tend to wear light/midweight hikers.  Even after (or maybe because of) all these years, I wore a brand new pair on a 12 mile hike and got...you guessed it, blisters.  I tried the moleskin in my 1st aid kit, not serious enough to cover the acreage of blisters, so I fell back on the cure-all...duct tape.

 

I always wear good quality cotton socks, even in winter.

 

nfa

there is no such thing as good quality cotton socks, the socks are more than likely the reason you got the bisters. At least 30% Wool is what you want when hiking winter or summer, do your feet a favor an put your cotton soxs in the round file.

Edited June 9, 2004 by JohnnyVegas

[+carleenp]

Anymore I always wear my hiking boots (no cotton socks!). I had a foot injury awhile back and for some time my birkenstocks and my boots were the only things that gave me decent arch support. Tennis shoes made the foot hurt. So I have been wearing my boots a lot lately, not just caching!

[CoyoteRed]

I think the most important thing is that you're able to complete the hike in comfort. We tend to wear walking/running shoes the vast majority of the time. Now that I've gotten fitted by a specialist (I used a store that specialized in fitting athletes and orthopedic referrals) my feet don't restrict my hikes.

 

Only when the terrain gets really rough do we wear anything else.

[+Jeeters]

Merrell Pulse Mid Waterproof Multi-Sport Shoes

Ditto. I recently bought a pair since my old boots (also Merrell) weren't waterproof. Which was killing me; seems like evertime I go hiking these days I end up dunking my foot into water which ruined my day. My older Merrells had a hard-rubber Vibram sole which, while indestructable and provides great traction on regular terrain, has bad traction when trying to climb rocks. Plus, the older Merrells were a mid-weight/heavy hiker which might be great if I was pounding around in the deserts out West or something, but were simply overkill for (most) of the hiking I do here in Pennsylvania - by the end of the day, I often felt like I was wearing concrete.

 

The Pulses stay dry as can be, even when fully dunked, are much lighter to trudge around in, and the soles are a softer rubber which give me much better rock traction (but, albeit, will probably wear down in a few years whereas the older Merrells I'll probably have 10 years from now.)

Edited June 9, 2004 by Jeeters

[+Jeeters]

there is no such thing as good quality cotton socks, the socks are more than likely the reason you got the bisters.

Definitely. fyi, we had nice discussion on this last month....

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...70473&hl=cotton

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

HOT weather caching shoes where I know I'm not going to be beating too much brush? Chaco Z/2 Colorado's

 

Good weather caching when we haven't had any rain for days (therefore no mud or water to slog through) and walking of less than a few miles: Merrell Chameleon Stretch

 

For the other, less than dry/flat/easy stuff... I need a good, extremely waterproof boot. I have Reynauds so it's imperative that I keep my feet warm and dry.

 

I've been through two pair of boots (and am on my third) since starting caching last September. I was o.k. with regular shoes until the rain started in. At that point I knew I needed something that was going to keep my feet dry (and warm) so I hit REI.

 

I bought the Merrell Pulse waterproof book like other cachers here recommend and after about a month and a half of wearing them in the rain with much good luck and comfort, I wore them caching on a particularly WET day-after-Thanksgiving. Caching dawn to beyond-dusk in the pouring rain did lead to the shoes to soak through. Now, realizing I expected a lot from them, I was o.k. with them keeping me dry for only part of the day and set them out to recover before wearing them again.

 

Unfortunately for me, they never recovered their waterproof-ness and I did return them to REI.

 

The next shoe was a light hiker with a gore liner. Even with wool socks (I wear Smartwool 100% of the time - hiking or not) I ended up with blisters after an 8 mile walk.

 

Back to REI.

 

This time I went straight to the upper echelon of the backpacking waterproof boots and figured I'd work my way down until I found something I felt I was comfortable trying out.

 

With the addition of a pair of SuperFeet insoles, I settled on an REI boot made by Raichle called the Spirit Gore-Tex II. They were a bit spendy, but I've yet to have any trouble with the boot. Excellent traction... Extremely Dry... Comfortable... Some insulation would have been nice because of the Reynauds, but I wear them everywhere and couldn't be much happier with a pair of boots, regardless of my username.

 

-=-

michelle

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

P.S. Being something of a shoe diva myself, I would REALLY like to meet FLASK.

 

-=-

michelle

[+Lolita]

since most of my shoes are black, this mystefies people.

This does not mystify me! I compleletly understand ! Do you have a long lost twin sister ?

 

I gave up explaining WHY I must have many, many, many pairs of black shoes. I just can't help it. I must have them, must, must, must ! Open toe, open back, ankle strap, medium heal, flat, high heel, ankle boots, zip books, high heel boots, slip on boots, riding boots,sandles, sandles, sandles..oh it's soo fun.

 

For shorter hikes or caching, I usually wear my very, very comfortable, broken in, worn out, long adored Timberlands. Still waterproof, unless of course I have to cross a stream or submerge them entirely.

[+Phone guy]

Merrell is the way to go! Quality shoes I own 5 diffrent pairs of Merrells. Hiking boots to casual with gortex. Check out Sierra Trading post for the best deals.

[+clearpath]

Way back when ...

 

short walk in summer: barefoot

very short, smooth winter walk: moccasins

long walk in summer, or winter walk: moccasins

FF dash in summer, light terrain: barefoot

horse: barefoot

dugout in chilly conditions: moccasins

dugout in warm conditions: barefoot

 

Nowadays ...

 

New Balance running shoes and Asolo hiking boots

[+flask]

gosh, i'd like to say that i have a diverse collection of shoes, but i don't really.

 

i have a few pairs of dress shoes to be sure, but as far as non-athletic shoes go, the best i can do is three pairs of merrell clogs (all black, different models.)

 

so here's my shoe inventory:

 

3 pair of tevas

two pair asolo hiking boots, different ages (brown)

one pair running shoes (white)

one pair climbing shoes (sportiva mythos, mint/black)

one pair neoprene paddling booties (blue!)

one pair duck boots (traditional color)

one pair barn boots (black)

one pair diadora MTB shoes (charcoal)

one pair shimano high-top all-terrain MTB shoes (black)

one pair sidi genius road shoes (black)

two pairs sidi dominator MTB shoes (black, sizes 39.5 and 40)

 

this summer i'm going to get some new running shoes. maybe a pair for trail running, and maybe a pair for (i still have trouble saying this with a straight face)- aerobics.

 

i used to wear heels, but when i got fat, i lost the ability and inclination. now that i'm not fat anymore i prefer to buy sporting goods. i used to go to plays and symphony concerts. now i go to bicycle races.

 

i used to make puff pastry and precious little herbed crepes rolled around three colors of vegetables and served under a sauce almost but not entirely unlike hollandaise. now i eat a LOT of whatever appropriate training foods i can get while i'm between caches or workouts.

 

speaking of which, i have not eaten in over an hour and it's snacktime. somewhere there is a cold plum with my name on it.

 

for caching my favorites are the asolo boots, the mid-weight merrells, and the shimano high-tops. this last pair i got specifically for caching, since high-performance rigid soled shoes suitable for racing aren't really good for climbing trees or rocks in. sopiffy-looking and they have the most darlin' reflective piping around the outside.

[+woggs1]

LL Bean Gore-Tex Cresta Hikers

 

I am totally sold on these boots. They come in wide sizes for my wide feet and are extremely high quality. The price is not bad for the quality either. One pair has so far lasted me over 2 years and is just now wearing out. They also come in all leather, but are not as breathable.

 

 

[+Team Geo-Joes]

Me and my wife both use our good old fashioned U.S. Army Basic Training boots. Have not gone wrong with them yet, and yes my kids will be made fun of because their mother DOES wear combat boots.....

[+xmashl]

My favorite pair of hiking books are made in the USA Danner's.

 

[+GatoRx]

For just about any trek through the woods, you can count on me wearing my Merrell's. I bought them a couple of years ago, so I have no idea what model they are, but despite all the miles I've put on them, they're still more comfortable than any other shoe I've worn, and they still have lots of tread left. The things even survived a hike that turned into a knee-deep wade when the trail I was on was flooded at some points; a day out in the sun with the inserts pulled out, and they were good to go.

 

I've since replaced my every day shoes with another pair of Merrell's, and bought my fiance a pair of Merrell hiking shoes for Christmas since she was so jealous of mine (she enjoys long hikes much more now. )

[+Quoddy]

For light duty walking I wear North Face Gore-Tex trail shoes. For deep woods and winter I use the new LL Bean 8" Gore-Tex Speed-Guide hikers. As others have said, for all round use you can't beat the Merrill Pulse mid-height Gore-Tex....you could start a long mountain hike with them straight out of the box.

[+Jeeters]

...Merrill Pulse mid-height Gore-Tex....you could start a long mountain hike with them straight out of the box.

That's a good point and something I found myself: The Pulse's are very comfortable out of the box and need little break in. At least that's what *my* feet said. With shoes, of course, YMMV.

 

One other thing that comes to mind about Merrells that may or may not pertain to others: Their shoes and lightweight hikers are all about a half size smaller than my normal shoe size. I usually wear a size 11. For Merrell shoes and light hikers, I need an 11 1/2. And that's with light socks, too. The one heavy pair of Merrell boots I have are perfection at size 11, though. Again, YMMV.

Edited June 11, 2004 by Jeeters

[+briansnat]

One thing everyone has to remember is that one hiking shoe/boot that fits perfectly and might even be "very comfortable out of the box" for one person, might be living hell for the next.

 

So don't go by what others say. The most durable, supportive, light-weight, waterproof, hiking boot on the market is useless if it gives YOU blisters. I have a pair of heavy duty Rachlie hiking boots that won rave reviews when they came out. They sit in my closet because they give me a nasty case of blisters everytime I wear them. Good socks, undersocks, the additon of custom footbeds didn't help. I even tried putting moleskins on my feet before hiking and still got blisters. That was a waste of almost $300 and I learned an expensive lesson!

 

Listen to your feet, not your friends, or a magazine review, or someone giving advice in an Internet bulletin board.

[kayaker22589]

chacos or one of my three pairs of salomon shoes. One for walking one for kayaking and the steel toed ones for kicking your arse at ftf

[+Chuy!]

My next hiking boots/shoes will definitely have a closed tongue, regardless of the brand.

The bane of hiking in my area are those sharp stickers that get into your footwear and prick you with every step. It seems no matter how often you take your shoes off to remove the stickers, you always miss one or two.

I have a set of very light Hi-Tek 5-inch hiking boots that I love, but the tongue is the open design and no matter how tight I fasten the laces, the stickers get in.

I also have Danners and Doc Martens, both with closed tongues. The Danners have street soles and the Doc Martens weigh a ton. But, I wear them every two to three caching days when I get fed up of being pricked with the darn stickers.

I'm too cheap to disgard the Hi-Teks, so I will have to wear them to the ground.

So those of you that really love your hiking boots, please point out which have closed tongues.

[+briansnat]

My next hiking boots/shoes will definitely have a closed tongue, regardless of the brand.

The bane of hiking in my area are those sharp stickers that get into your footwear and prick you with every step. It seems no matter how often you take your shoes off to remove the stickers, you always miss one or two.

 

Consider wearing gaiters over your shoes. OK, you'll look strange, but they will keep the trail debris and stickers out of your boots.i

[+nfa]

Hi,

 

Here's my Sunday morning $0.02 about boots...I have never had a pair of gore-tex boots that were waterproof for very long after they came out of the box. When I know I'm going to get my feet seriously wet, I wear either Tevas or rubber boots that go up to almost my knees...the former lets my feet dry out after getting wet, and the latter keeps them dry as long as the water doesn't go up over the tops (in which case they change from boots to buckets).

 

nfa

[+Quintheeskimo66]

I use a pair of Army surplus jungle boots. I added some Dr. Scholes Gel inserts to them and they work great!!

 

And you know what this means don't you?

 

If you have small children or a weak stomach you might want to turn away.....

 

 

I'm Gellin' with my Magellan.

 

I'm so sorry!!! This popped in my head while I was out caching today. I guess the sun got to me. I'm going to go lie down for a little while.

[+mndvs737]

I have a pair of Altama combat boots that I purchased off of the US Cavalry website -- being in the south, I got the Jungle-style with the cloth upper -- much nicer in 90 deg/90% humidity weather. They carry a LARGE supply of boots from MANY manufacturers. I would advise going with "Official Issue" labeling as opposed to "Manufactured to Military Specifications" (aka MILSPEC) -- the latter is often not of the same quality, and while much cheaper in price, will not last NEAR as long. They have a nice selection of socks, and a lot of other gear that qould be useful for caching. I chose Altama because I had one pair of their boots from my time in the Navy that lasted me for 6 years -- had them resoled after about 3 years, then the uppers finally wore out about 3 years after that-- how I hated to see those boots go!

Edited June 15, 2004 by mndvs737

[+Jeeters]

My next hiking boots/shoes will definitely have a closed tongue, regardless of the brand.

The bane of hiking in my area are those sharp stickers that get into your footwear and prick you with every step. It seems no matter how often you take your shoes off to remove the stickers, you always miss one or two.

 

Consider wearing gaiters over your shoes. OK, you'll look strange, but they will keep the trail debris and stickers out of your boots.i

On a previous pair of boots I had without a bellows tongue, I used to stuff pieces of old blue jeans (about 6'x6') down the front of the boot behind the tongue area. Did a good job of keeping the sticker seeds from poking through the socks into my feet and also from getting stuck in the fabric of the sock.

[+Jeeters]

...I have never had a pair of gore-tex boots that were waterproof for very long after they came out of the box. When I know I'm going to get my feet seriously wet, I wear either Tevas or rubber boots that go up to almost my knees...

Yup, I've heard that about Gortex boots. My Gortex Merrells have been wonderful so far (just got them this winter). But knowing the reputation of gortex failures, I know not to go wading through streams in them, etc. I expect the Gortex to protect me from snow, accidental steps into puddles or mud, etc. But I do try to protect *them* by not drowning them in long trudges through swamp water or walks through 20' streams, etc.

[+Kealia]

What do I wear?

 

Just a loincloth and my Teva's (with socks) .

 

(Why don't I ever run into anybody out there.....?!?!)

[+rusty_tlc]

I have a nice pair of Converse court shoes that seem to work well. Last week I did 12 urban caches in one day wearing them. I did 5 in moderate terrain, So.Nev. desert, the day before. I was wearing cotton socks to.

 

It seems most caches only require a fairly short walk from paved parking. But if I know the cache will be in rougher terrain I go for my Timberland mid high boots with ACT (active comfort control). I'm not sure what technology is involved but they are a great compromise for winter and summer comfort.

 

BTW I have backpacked for most of my life and spent a couple of years building horse and hiking trails for the Forest service and BLM. If you plan on backpacking the Vasque would be my first choice, but IMHO expensive boots are just not necessary for geocaching.

[+briansnat]

...I have never had a pair of gore-tex boots that were waterproof for very long after they came out of the box. 

 

I've had quite the opposite experience. When my good leather boots started leaking last winter, I switched to an old pair of fabric/leather Salomons with a Gore-Tex lining. I figured my feet would get soaked in the snow and slush, but they stayed totally dry, even after hours of hiking. And the boots were 4 years old.

 

My new Cresta Hikers are also Gore-Tex and have stayed waterproof so far, despite many miles on them.