driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,002
|
Post by driftwoody on Oct 19, 2016 4:20:57 GMT -8
Most long distance hikers (AT. PCT and CDT) have spare shoes forwarded to them as their shoes wear out. Can't say I've done a long trail, but from what I've read feet tend to change in the long haul. What fits you at the beginning of a trail may not work later. I won't be going on any long distance thru hikes. What works for me on a typical weeklong hiking vacation (a mix of backpacking & dayhikes) will work for me on the next trip, months later. Regarding the long distance hikers you mentioned, wouldn't they have to select their spare shoes before their feet have changed during their long trek -- are you saying they purchase footwear of a different width or make based on an estimation of how their feet will likely change?
|
|
|
Post by Coolkat on Oct 19, 2016 5:30:02 GMT -8
I switched from boots to trail shoes 2 years and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. This last weekend I put in a 20+ mile day without pre-taping my feet and the only thing I got was a small blister on my pinky toe. The rest of my feet were just fine which is almost a miracle for me.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2016 5:48:04 GMT -8
Regarding the long distance hikers you mentioned, wouldn't they have to select their spare shoes before their feet have changed during their long trek -- are you saying they purchase footwear of a different width or make based on an estimation of how their feet will likely change? Many of the PCT hikers who post on Trail Journals make a shipment of replacement footware in California and/or the start of Oregon. After the start of Oregon, most hikers seek out rides to a store to get replacement footware. The recomendation is to get replacement footware, shipped, during the middle of California. When getting to Oregon, to have a pair of used footwear shipped to them, for the lava rock portion of the trail and then get a new footwear. Thoes who get a new pair of footwear upon entering Oregon find the footwear is tore up in about 125ish miles of lava rock hiking.
|
|
trailguru
Trail Wise!
Same Trailguru as before!!
Posts: 21
|
Post by trailguru on Oct 19, 2016 6:21:20 GMT -8
Lol..
oops. I must have had a brain fart during lunch at work. Been fixed
|
|
|
Post by johntpenca on Oct 19, 2016 6:49:59 GMT -8
Thoes who get a new pair of footwear upon entering Oregon find the footwear is tore up in about 125ish miles of lava rock hiking. Yeah, that lava can beat up shoes, but can't say I've ever heard of someone wearing them out in that short of milage. Could be wrong though. edit: I have read/heard several stories of folk that have duct taped their shoes to make it to Timberline Lodge to get their replacements. 2nd edit: driftwoody, most of the thru hikers I've heard/read about find that their feet tend to splay out and need wider/longer shoes as the hike goes on. Doing no more than a couple of weeks at a time, I've never had that problem.
|
|
driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,002
|
Post by driftwoody on Oct 19, 2016 7:01:50 GMT -8
Ohm, I understand the need and logistics for replacing worn out footwear during thru hikes. My question pertains to anticipating shoes that fit differently from the shoes worn at the start of the trek, based on changes to your feet.
|
|
|
Post by johntpenca on Oct 19, 2016 7:07:15 GMT -8
I understand the need and logistics for replacing worn out footwear during thru hikes. My question pertains to anticipating shoes that fit differently from the shoes worn at the start of the trek, based on changes to your feet. driftwoody, see my second edit above. I don't think you will have a problem based on how you describe your hiking.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2016 7:17:27 GMT -8
Ohm, I understand the need and logistics for replacing worn out footwear during thru hikes. My question pertains to anticipating shoes that fit differently from the shoes worn at the start of the trek, based on changes to your feet. Most of the PCT hikers, from what I have read, do not ship themselves boots during the later portions of the hike, replacement is done through a visit to a store. An expectation that their feet will change with the hike. Another thing I have noticed, some of the PCT hikers start out at the Mexician border, using a new pair of the footwear they trained in, but end up replacing them with a new and different pair of footwear in the first 300ish miles. Those hiker boxes, in the first 500 miles, are a goldmine of slightly used backpacking equipment.
|
|
|
Post by CompassRds on Oct 19, 2016 9:06:55 GMT -8
Not sure I understand this.... Please explain? What's to understand? Our experiences differ. But, I did do a lot of thinking (and some shoe deconstruction) before I headed to the mountains again on a pair of trail runners, so I do have more info. The location of most of what I will call gashes (1/2"-2" long) is in the rubber sole, with most occurring between the 2nd and 3rd row of tread lugs from the front of Leadville V2's (though I have also found gashes in the heel and side of the cushion); BTW just forward of row 3 of lugs corresponds to change in material in the cushion (if you open up a Leadville); This also appears to correspond to the plane between my toes and the ball of my foot, which also corresponds to the place my street shoes wear out first, and perhaps conforms to how my wife says I handle elevation gain (apparently I spent a lot of time on the balls of my feet launching myself with my toes). So... Hypothesis... I am putting all my weight into a weak point on the shoe and (as no one here corroborates the experience) it is likely all me (poor technique and poor shoe choice [even if it was the one that fit best]).
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,886
|
Post by zeke on Oct 19, 2016 9:12:45 GMT -8
I would think most people rose up on the balls of their feet during uphill climbing. Unless there are steps, where the feet can land sort of flat, landing upright on the balls of the feet help launch you further uphill.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2016 9:25:04 GMT -8
CompassRdsSomething to consider. About 5ish years ago my wife and I used Chi Running to change the way we used our feet. I have, in the last 4+ years experienced less foot, leg, and hip pain. I was able to change the wear pattern of my shoes; walking or running.
|
|
|
Post by CompassRds on Oct 19, 2016 9:32:18 GMT -8
Thanks @idahowalker , will look that up. Since my little tumble in the rocks busted up one foot (edit: and I realized that it and other injuries were likely contributing to some pain) I have been on a (physical therapy) PT regime to compensate. Kind of interesting that PT seems to have shifted most of my heavier hip pain to slight low back after ~15(+) mile days.
Thanks for the thought zeke . (It may be true that I am) overthinking the fact that I am just naturally a clod.
(edit: Or.. uh... how much would you say the average backpacker or climber weighs? I just saw johntp quote his weight on another thread. And since I quit lifting I've paired down quite a bit, but I likely weighed around 290 lbs at the time.)
|
|
|
Post by CompassRds on Oct 19, 2016 11:47:56 GMT -8
|
|
driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 15,002
|
Post by driftwoody on Oct 19, 2016 11:52:30 GMT -8
It would be a threadjack if you redirected the discussion to packs or tents or destinations unrelated to how it affects footwear.
I'm glad to see this thread bumped with the long distance hike considerations prompted, at least in part, by my questions.
|
|
trailguru
Trail Wise!
Same Trailguru as before!!
Posts: 21
|
Post by trailguru on Oct 21, 2016 9:11:50 GMT -8
Living in CA and within hours of the Eastern Sierras, I've run into plenty of hikers getting down to the city (usually through a hitch hike) and once in town they will visit the local sporting goods to buy trail running shoes. Earlier in June we had just come down from the Palisade Glacier and in the town of Lone Pine this older retired gentleman who was on his way to Canada had broken one of his poles. He had gotten his backpack stole and along with it most of his equipment. Add pain to injury, one of his hiking poles had snapped. Luckily, one of my friend's poles broke too on our trip so we did the logical thing and gave him our single pair of trekking poles as no shop in Lone Pine sold single poles. Poor guy had spent $1200 that day rebuying new equipment in town.
|
|