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Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please


Postby paulG2 » Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:56 pm

Hi everyone
Last year I went from a high boot to a mid range boot and found it quite liberating. Anyway, this year I was thinking about going down to a walking shoe such as the Salomon X-Ultra 3 GTX Shoe. How do people who only wear shoes deal with their feet getting constantly wet ? I was thinking of buying shoes and waterproof socks, would this work ? Also any generally advice about the boots vs shoes debate would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Paul
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Csm8 » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:38 pm

I'm a huge advocate of hill shoes/trainers (if your ankles have done the miles and are strong). They really are liberating and the difference is substantial with regards to weight and comfort.

I have normal soloman speedcrosses that I use predominantly but if it's a boggy walk/wet day I have the same shoes in the goretex (GTX) model. At the end of the day if your feet get wet in running shoes it doesn't really matter if they fit correctly, and you actually get a 'wet suit' effect that keeps your feet warm when wet. Wet feet isn't the big no no that it's made out to be - but still
a possible reality of wearing trainers (unless you get the GTXs)

In regards to the boots vs trainers... trainers are lighter, more comfortable, you can 'feel' the ground better so can move more swiftly and precisely-good over rocky terrain and once your feet get 'toughened up' you don't really notice the loss of a vibram sole.

Of course the disadvantage is less ankle support but as the soles are soft, the soles tend to bend over the uneven surface better than boots - that can actually cause your foot to move as a whole...I've twisted my ankle more often in boots that in trainers. Plus wearing such lightweight footwear, your are less tired than in boots and that counts for a lot at the end of a long day when your at the biggest risk of a twist on the decent/walk out,
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby CassandraP » Sun Apr 14, 2019 11:08 pm

Hi
I’m hiking the Skye trail form Portree to Broadford.
Im seriously considering wellies.
They’re heavy but won’t they feel better tjsn wet feet?
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Hola » Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:27 am

I’ve been wearing only Trail Shoes for years. Finally gave my clumpy rigid boots to the Charity shop.....yes liberating. But was used to wearing trainers anyway
Never Goretex as take so long to dry out once wet.
You get used to walking through ‘the wet stuff’
In the 3 pleasant seasons the Trail Shoes just dry out with walking
New Balance, Inov8, Salomon...etc
I walked around the boggy area of Harrop Tarn last week,
Walking out everything dried
Wear in Winter using a larger size with thicker socks. Mini spikes for snow covered areas.
Backpack worldwide with them at altitude up to 5,000 mts no problem
Runners use them everywhere and are fine
They aid strength building in your ankles etc which then give you your own natural support
Check the ‘drop’ on them tho before buying. You feel safer walking as can feel contours of the terrain.
Can range from zerodrop eg Altras upwards. Will affect angle of your tendons at front or hamstrings rear ankle/calf....take care and be aware after wearing boots
Lots of info on the internet
Get some with good lugs for grip
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby GillSte » Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:17 am

[quote="paulG2"]I was thinking of buying shoes and waterproof socks, would this work ? /quote] Yes, it works well. Your feet will still get wet but will be warmer than no waterproof socks. If your feet feel cold, putting waterproof trousers on will warm them up in no time (yes really)! I've used fell shoes for years and found them miles better than boots. They are fine in shallow snow, but I still wear boots when the snow is more than a couple of cm deep or when I might need crampons and axe. Fell shoes and spikes are OK on moorland but not on snowy mountains!
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Alteknacker » Mon Apr 15, 2019 2:24 pm

I've been wearing trainers for about 20 years, and have never had a blister since. About 5 years ago I also started wearing 1000 mile socks, which improve matters still further.

Yes, your feet tend to get wet, but I've walked 40km plus in a day with wet feet and, with 1000 mile socks, have had no blisters.

I've tried everything from very expensive trainers to Karrimors, and haven't really found a great difference - the expensive ones fall apart under heavy wear in approximately the same time as the cheap ones.

As Gill says, you do need boots, though, in winter, if you expect you might have to use crampons.

The other point is that if you're going to do a fair bit of descent, make sure that your shoes are big enough - if anything oversized - so that you don't get black nails from descending steep hills. And you need to lace them reasonably tight at the top so that your toes don't get cramped up into the toe box. I had one pair of Salomons once in the early days that had a very hard toe box, as a result of which I lost many toe nails :roll: .
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Pastychomper » Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:28 pm

CassandraP wrote:Hi
I’m hiking the Skye trail form Portree to Broadford.
Im seriously considering wellies.
They’re heavy but won’t they feel better tjsn wet feet?


I did a few 10-20 mile lowland walks in wellies years ago. The only problem was the enormous blisters I got under my heels. I've heard of someone cutting insoles out of newspaper to make his wellies fit better, maybe that would have helped.

I like trainers for non-winter walks, but I wonder what they'd be like on really rocky terrain.
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby GillSte » Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:27 pm

Pastychomper wrote:
CassandraP wrote:I wonder what they'd be like on really rocky terrain.
Better than boots if you get proper fell running shoes with sticky rubber soles! Perfect on rocky paths and brilliant for scrambling.
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Alteknacker » Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:25 pm

Pastychomper wrote:...but I wonder what they'd be like on really rocky terrain.


Excellent - I did the Cullin Ridge on two occasions, both time wearing quite light trainers. And of course that's what the fell runners wear when they run/climb the route.
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby WalkWithWallace » Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:15 am

I use a pair of mesh Innov8 Roclites in the summer months and love them. They grip as well as any boot, but they wont last nearly as long.

Not a fan of waterproof socks, so I don't mind getting wet feet, the water drains out of the mesh and they dry fairly quickly.
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Pastychomper » Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:20 am

Thanks both. I was remembering my last attempt at Foinaven, where the loose stones on An t-Sail Mhor kept pitching my feet into other stones and I was glad I had a thick layer of leather on the sides of my feet. The extra maneouverability of trainers might have helped though, and cooler feet certainly would have been nice... Next attempt I think I'll try something lighter but carry boots just in case.
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby paulG2 » Sat Apr 20, 2019 12:05 am

Thanks everyone for your valuable advice. I am totally convinced to go for walking shoes now. I hesitate to ask this as this is such a common question - but which walking shoes are good ?
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby paulG2 » Sat Apr 20, 2019 9:34 am

paulG2 wrote:Thanks everyone for your valuable advice. I am totally convinced to go for walking shoes now. I hesitate to ask this as this is such a common question - but which walking shoes perform well ?
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby 37201xoIM » Sat May 25, 2019 9:56 pm

Just on this, I've found it incredibly liberating since I gave up walking boots - transformational to the extent I actually enjoy my time on the hills more!

I never found any walking boots that were genuinely comfortable, and plenty had pretty poor grip.

Yes, after spot-on advice from forum members here, I've rapidly become wedded to my Inov8 Roclite 290 v2s (the red ones!) - they are insanely comfortable and phenomenally grippy. They don't pretend to be waterproof, of course - but I don't find that an issue...

While I don't mind wearing waterproof socks with my Roclites for rocky-but-with-the-odd-damp-bit walking, I'm firmly a believer in wellies for the properly boggy stuff (I live in the Yorkshire Pennines....)... the point is to get decent ones! I think the mistake people make is (for reasons I don't really understand) to think they're generic and you can go walking in wellies that cost £15 from Aldi. You wouldn't presumably do a marathon in £15 trainers, would you... I swear by Aigle Parcours 2 - extremely comfortable and very grippy. Le Chameau are also good. Don't think of getting Hunter - they used to be excellent but are now purely a fashion item made cheaply in China (rather than Dumfries). And.... do get ones that fit! (Different makes and models come in very different fits)

How comfortable? Well, the last walk of any size I did with my walking boots was the Foinaven circuit, or rather 80% of it.... For the last couple of miles across boggy terrain back to the road I switched to my wellies and the comfort was blissful!

For some walks (especially in the Highlands) where you've got a mix of terrain, I often take both! The extra weight of the shoes/boots you're not wearing really isn't all that much in your backpack, assuming you're carrying the usual quantum of Stuff anyway. So for example last weekend on Klibreck: wellies up to the top of the first boggy bit, Roclites up to the top and back, then I looked over towards Loch Coire and the old drovers' road to Crask, decided it looked nice but boggy, so switched back again for the rather wet 8ish km to Crask - and then back to the Roclites for the last 3km on the road back to Vagastie Bridge!

I've only ever had blisters in walking boots myself.......
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Re: Going from a boot to a walking shoe; advice please

Postby Bonzo » Tue May 28, 2019 11:46 am

I bought a pair of Meindl walking shoes (Caracas GTX) last year and have been trialling them as an alternative to boots for warmer weather.

Having had ankle injuries over the years I've always preferred boots as they give me the additional support and protection on rocky or undulating ground. I definitely feel less protected with the shoes but a physio once told me that shoes would help build the strength up around the ankles - as long as I'm careful.

One thing that is noticeable is that I don't feel I have the same heel support as in boots. I have to ensure that the fit is spot on as my heels feel that they're moving up out of the shoe when walking on steep ground. I assume the same movement is present in boots but as there's more 'coverage' in a boot I've never experienced the same feeling of 'shoe coming off'.

I've also noticed, as expected, that I need to remove more unwanted objects from the shoes when walking due to them not being as high as boots.

Overall, the shoes feel good but I still prefer the boots.
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