Shoes: With the exception of winter hiking/snowshoeing, I hate boots. They are heavy, clunky, hot and have no dexterity. I have no idea how hiking boots got popular in the first place. I suppose their ankle support has some use for people just getting started hiking, but if you hike a lot your ankles with get stronger and they will eventually be unnecessary. Gore-Tex is also completely over-rated outside of winter. Trail running shoes outperform boots in every way. They are essentially the same as road running shoes but have more durable soles and with better traction.
Some specific features to look for:
Some specific features to look for:
- Pick a pair with a good deal of mesh and minimal leather so they dry quickly.
- Sticky rubber for scrambling over rocks. Textured lugs for sandy and/or grassy areas.
- Flexibility. The first thing I do when picking out new shoes is bend them to make sure I'll be able to feel what I'm walking on. I avoid rock plates.
- Misc: Toe bumpers are nice but are hard to find in more minimal shoes. Loops on the heel are great for putting shoes on (especially over an ankle brace).
Socks: Cushioned hiking socks look tempting but I find that my feet simply overheat and sweat which leads to blisters. The thinner the sock the better. My current favorite sock is the "Smartwool PhD Outdoor Ultra Light Cushion". These rest slightly higher on the ankle than the "Smartwool PhD Run", thus offering a bit more protection when bushwacking.
For three season condition, I generally take two pairs of socks for hiking. If my feet get wet, I replace my socks with the dry pair and let the wet socks dry on the outside of my pack. In the arid climate of Colorado, they can dry in under an hour in the direct sun. For backpacking, I take a thicker sock to sleep in (preference is the light cushion variety from "Darn Tough"). This ensure that my feet stay warm and dry and give them time to recover overnight.
Winter trips require thicker, warmer socks as well as more pairs.
For three season condition, I generally take two pairs of socks for hiking. If my feet get wet, I replace my socks with the dry pair and let the wet socks dry on the outside of my pack. In the arid climate of Colorado, they can dry in under an hour in the direct sun. For backpacking, I take a thicker sock to sleep in (preference is the light cushion variety from "Darn Tough"). This ensure that my feet stay warm and dry and give them time to recover overnight.
Winter trips require thicker, warmer socks as well as more pairs.
Blister Care: (FYI, most of these ideas have been shamelessly stolen from Andrew Skurka, www.andrewskurka.com). Taking care of your feet on a long hikes, and especially multi-day hikes, is critically important. In fact, my shoes/socks preferences described above are based in large part on avoiding blisters. The best strategy is to deal with an oncoming blister as soon as you feel heat. Some more specific tips:
- Tape: I haven't had good luck with moleskin. It comes detached almost immediately. Covering moleskin with an extra layer of tape works ok but in general tape alone works best for me. "Leukotape P" is cheap, works great but I've never seen it in a store so I order it from Amazon. To avoid taking the whole roll of Leukotape with you can cut it into strips and attach it to the waxy backing from post-office mailing labels (see picture below). When I don't have time for an order to arrive, I get the "Spenco Blister Kit" from REI. The adhesive pads perform similar to Leukotape but are astronomically expensive by comparison.
- Balm: For many years I felt that using lotion/balm for hands and feet was a sign of weakness. Boy was I wrong. I came around because of how torn up my hands would get rock climbing. "Climb On" is far and away the best choice for hand repair and it works great on feet too and does wonders to help prevent blisters. However, it only comes in a larger size which I don't like to take backpacking. The imitation from "Metolius" (0.5 oz size) is a little greasier but comes in a more compact container. Sometimes I've sliced off a chunk of "Climb On" and put it in the "Metolius" tin. FYI, Andrew Skurka recommends "Bonnie's Balm" for this purpose but I haven't personally used it and is typically hard to find.
Small pieces of Leukotape P. can be attached to the waxy backing of shipping labels.
PS:: The method of attaching Leukotape P to shipping labels fails miserably if they get wet. Make sure you keep it in a water resistant bag!
PS 2:: If you forgot to throw away the leukotape once it got soaked, never fear, once it dries out it's fine!
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My foot kit. "Climb on" works well but the tin is too big, so I take the Metolius tin (sometimes filled with "Climb On")
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A midday foot treatment in Big Bend NP.
Letting my feet dry on a lunch break after walking through ~1 mile of wet snow in the Flatirons.
My feet after a 25 mile day in Glacier National Park. Washing your feet in a stream at mid-day (before they get like this) and changing your socks is helps to mitigate blisters caused by abrasion/friction. This is also a good opportunity to wash your socks (no soap) so that you have a clean dry pair that night.