It's fun to meet other bloggers and I've been lucky enough to do a lot of it lately. I learned of Ed Frey from the Bayfield Bunch when the latter when through Silver City; but Ed, I missed. He came through Ouray CO recently, where we had breakfast together.
Ed walks 4-5 miles early every morning and usually has breakfast along the way. He certainly has a powerful and graceful stride, no doubt because of his methodical walking.
It's rare to meet an American -- especially an RVer -- who has the slightest interest in anything more physical than pushing the accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle, or pushing the channel button on the remote control of their big screen boob toob. (Automobile driving and boob toob watching are essentially the same activity.)
One of Ed's soles had a major defect in it, despite the shoes looking rather new. He seemed resigned to the throwaway syndrome that the shoe industry has fallen to. We commiserated on the sorry state of the globally-sourced hiking boot/walking shoe industry.
The Keen "hiking boots" that I need to replace have rounded-off soles that are completely smooth, just due to abrasion. They are really just cheapo Chinese sneakers that I was stupid enough to pay $100 for. If you go to a website, say, Sports Authority, that has lots of "hiking boots", you'll see that they are all made of the same materials as a sneaker. You'll feel rocks poking through the wimpy soles. They have no lateral stability, which you need for traversing steep slopes off-trail.
And why do they put Goretex in most of these glorified sneakers? Goretex is the most over-rated material in the outdoor equipment racket. It is put in shoes and outdoor garments just to run the price up. It breathes little better than a $1 emergency poncho from a Dollar store, especially if you cut a slit at the armpits. In a boot, the creek water would just pour in over the top.
Consumers will pay any amount of money asked for a smartphone or laptop that is 1 millimeter thinner, hipper, and sexier than what the Jones have. In a year or less, the customer is starting to suffer a self-esteem problem because his ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight iGadget is obsolete.
So why shouldn't boots be ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight, and burn out in a year? The shoe industry must be laughing their asses off over us. They need to build hiking boots with thicker lugs of high-carbon-black rubber, so they last longer than one year. Until then, we "hiking boot" consumers might as well replace hiking boots with $24 pairs of cheapo Chinese sneakers at Walmart.
Ed walks 4-5 miles early every morning and usually has breakfast along the way. He certainly has a powerful and graceful stride, no doubt because of his methodical walking.
It's rare to meet an American -- especially an RVer -- who has the slightest interest in anything more physical than pushing the accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle, or pushing the channel button on the remote control of their big screen boob toob. (Automobile driving and boob toob watching are essentially the same activity.)
One of Ed's soles had a major defect in it, despite the shoes looking rather new. He seemed resigned to the throwaway syndrome that the shoe industry has fallen to. We commiserated on the sorry state of the globally-sourced hiking boot/walking shoe industry.
The Keen "hiking boots" that I need to replace have rounded-off soles that are completely smooth, just due to abrasion. They are really just cheapo Chinese sneakers that I was stupid enough to pay $100 for. If you go to a website, say, Sports Authority, that has lots of "hiking boots", you'll see that they are all made of the same materials as a sneaker. You'll feel rocks poking through the wimpy soles. They have no lateral stability, which you need for traversing steep slopes off-trail.
And why do they put Goretex in most of these glorified sneakers? Goretex is the most over-rated material in the outdoor equipment racket. It is put in shoes and outdoor garments just to run the price up. It breathes little better than a $1 emergency poncho from a Dollar store, especially if you cut a slit at the armpits. In a boot, the creek water would just pour in over the top.
Consumers will pay any amount of money asked for a smartphone or laptop that is 1 millimeter thinner, hipper, and sexier than what the Jones have. In a year or less, the customer is starting to suffer a self-esteem problem because his ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight iGadget is obsolete.
So why shouldn't boots be ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight, and burn out in a year? The shoe industry must be laughing their asses off over us. They need to build hiking boots with thicker lugs of high-carbon-black rubber, so they last longer than one year. Until then, we "hiking boot" consumers might as well replace hiking boots with $24 pairs of cheapo Chinese sneakers at Walmart.
Comments
But in my backpacking days I swore by Vasque. Model 7958. Good ankle support, dense long-wearing soles, relatively light weight. And yes, a slathering of Gore-Tex. I agree with your estimation of that oversold fad, but I won't turn down a good shoe just for eating crackers.
If you foresee a scramble up a talus slope, or a 60 lb. pack, the Vasque boot is what you need. Your ankles will thank you.
But they are still too heavy.
The pair remaining in my closet are 15 to 20 years old and look good. But that's nothing particular to brag about. The sordid truth is that these days I hardly ever wear them. They are a specialty item, awaiting their moment.
For anything less than 4 or 5 miles, on normal trails or roads, sans extraordinary luggage, I like Reeboks. The model varies, but they almost always carry a sturdy walking shoe in solid plain leather with a thick wide wedge of sole to levitate the avoirdupois. They generally cost less than a hundred dollars at a discount shoe store.
Reeboks are well made, and durable for the money invested. I won't be leaving them to my heirs, but hey, they're very comfortable. And the light step they give me means they get a lot more use than the Vasques.
Use and toss in the name of economy and comfort is a legitimate strategy. You pick the tool that suits you for the likely trail before you. And take your chances.
Remember, your dogs are managing to do this barefoot.
Bob
Native cultures have been doing without or with little for eons. Even Ray Jardine, Mr. Ultralight himself, is now hitting the trails in canvas.
I’m personally encouraged by the new wave of minimalist footwear out there. Just a guess, but tweaking technique instead of relying on hardware could be where it’s at.
bethers
No hiking shoes were found which could be resoled. Manufacturers opted for throw away shoes. With a wide foot (EE), I had a hard time finding a fit. Fortunately, REI has a great return policy. The bad part with throw away shoes is that when the soles wear out (which I've done a couple of times), it is back to finding a shoe that fits again. Merrell works best for me. And no Goretex.
Then there are my "walking shoes". Nothing in the cheap section for the narrow feet. Finding a pair that fits is a problem. Found that New Balance is the only one that works for me -- always about $100 for the shoe that fits.
Others can "go natural" with moccasins or bare feet if they wish. Me, I want real boots. The combat boots given me in the US Army (Vietnam-era, 1975) blistered my feet at first but by the end of Basic I ran a mile in under five minutes in them for the PT test, marched 25 miles for bivouac in them, and hardly noticed they were there. Those were real boots.
I wonder if current Army boots are still as good and if I can find some at a surplus store? Barring that, I'll check out REI as Wandrin suggests. I do have a $15 dividend I need to use up.
Chameleon4 Ventilator hikers for some hiking in the south-west - fantastic! Bought 1/2 size bigger to accommodate the descents - great recommendation!http://img.wolverineworldwide.com/is/image/WolverineWorldWide/MRL-W15055-092810?op_usm=0.5,1&wid=164&hei=132&qlt=60&fmt=jpg
I too had a great experience with regular army boots, so much so that when I graduated from jump school I declined to buy those fancy "jump boots". I was afraid they wouldn't fit as well as the ones I had.
In the years (centuries?) since I have used the same boots bought from a surplus store in Austin, and up until around 2000 they were the exact same boots I was issued in the Army. Quite reasonably priced, too. Believe me, if I bought 'em, they were reasonably priced.
I can't speak for the time since, as I quit buying them - not because they changed, but because I got lazy and didn't want boots that laced that far up.
I believe REI sells the Vasque brand. Try 'em out, you'll like 'em.
Bob
I'll keep the Vasque brand in mind.
I almost always rip out the thin included ones and buy something aftermarket, cut to fit. Good inserts can make excruciating shoes fit perfectly. I even found Doc Martin boots modestly wearable with the right inserts, though mostly I wore them to keep the motorcycle exhaust pipe from burning a hole my ankles. A sacrificial shoe doesn't really have to fit well.
If you have sturdy boots like that that rub you the wrong way, experiment with cushion inserts. They can cure many ills, and are a much cheaper solution than new boots.
I used to wear prescribed orthopedic inserts in my army boots at work (fire department), but since retiring I put my feet up too much to justify the expense. Dr. Scholl's are adequate.
Bob
No one has mentioned Rockports, so called comfort shoes for walkers. I was tempted to try a pair, but only then learned that they come in only one width. Recently they've added a wider last also. Another pricey brand to avoid for sure.
Tom in Orlando