A bit of advice about hiking boots please

callmescratch

hi all,

i need to buy some hiking boots before a trip to peru (maccu piccu, jungle trekking etc..).

the thing is i've kind of awkward feet, as in the only things i can wear on my feet that i actually find comfortable are Vans or DC trainers.

can anyone tell me what are the most comfortable hiking boots out there as i'm going to be wearing them a lot and can't afford to pick the wrong ones.

any advice would be appreciated,

cheers



also, if anyone can recommend a place to buy hiking boots that'd be great

Evil Phil

Get yourself into Great Outdoors in Dublin. They are a bit more expensive than the other shops but your paying for quality and service when it comes to hiking boots. Explain your needs to the staff and they will fit a pair of boots to your needs and more importantly your feet. Additional insoles etc. will cost more but you'll walk out with a custom fitted set of boots. I'd go for a few hikes in them before you go away to break them in and make sure they do fit properly. If not bring them back and G.O. will tweak them for you.

The most important thing for that level of hiking is your feet. A blister would ruin your trip spend more then usual and don't look back. I did this 6 years ago and am only now thinking of buying a new pair of hiking boots.

callmescratch

that's cool evil phil, thanks for the advice.

i really don't mind spending a bit more for that kind of service.

i just found their website. i'll be up in dublin on friday, might as well pop in then.

i haven't done a lot of hiking in the past so i'll definitely get out on the local mountains to break them in (and hopefully get fit).

thanks for your help

Dr_MalPractice

make sure you get fitted for those boots by someone who knows what they're doing. make sure they pay attention to the wear pattern on the soles and heels of your existing shoes/boots, as wear on the outside of the heel & sole generally indicates pronation of the foot, while wear on the inside indicates supination.

on long hikes, improper footware can lead to chronic conditions such as shinsplints etc. and lets face it, when these things can be avoided easily by preperation, they should be to ensure a more enjoyable trip.

^whitey^

And dont forget a good pair of socks, they're expensive around 15 yoyo's a pair but you'd be suprised what a difference they make. Thorlo's and Bridgedale's are considered the best.


@ Evil Phil, only shoped in TGO once for some paddling gear, anyway how do they tweak the boots?

callmescratch

went into great outdoors yesterday.
what a great shop.

the sales assistant spent a lot of time with me, first picking out a pack. tested out a couple, tried them with weights in them, and she showed me the best way to strap it up and wear it and distribute weight etc..

then spent a lot of time checking out boots, adjusting them to suit my feet and finding the right ones for what i need. got a really comfortable pair in the end.

she showed me the €16 socks but i passed on that.
got a few €2.50 pairs if "boot socks" in pennys that seem to do the job.

again, thanks for the recommendation and advise everyone
i'll be recommending great outdoors from now on

luckat

My lovely Salomon boots took about 18 months to wear in - before that they had a horrible tightness around the toes. (It helped to loosen off the laces at the toe end.)

Wear your boots around as much as you can before you go away and have to walk in them all the time. The more you have them worn in, the better.

Evil Phil

I would buy 2 pairs of the €14 socks for your hikes. One to wear when hiking and one to wear around the campsite while you 'walking' socks are drying out. This way you always have a *dry* pair of really good socks to walk in.

callmescratch

are they really worth it though? i know the extra padding would be great, but the idea of paying that much for socks is still not something i'm not sure i want to do

i've a feeling i'll come around to the idea though. what was putting me off was the fact that i knew buying one pair would be pointless, that i'd have to buy several. i suppose i could get a couple of pairs, and only wear them when i'm actually wearing the boots - like evil phil said

i've hiked twice in my asolos now and they're very comfortable all right. a great buy i think. i'm gonna hike as much as possible before the trip to break them in.

off topic: got my shots today, and my arm is killing me

BeardyGit

This thread prompted me to get my arse in gear and replace my aging Demon boots. Took a spin by the Great Outdoors - Saw a few boots I liked but decided to see where else might give me a good deal. I'd pretty much decided on a pair of articulated crampon compatible boots so I was particularly looking at the Meindl Lhotse model. Took a look at the Asolo boots including a new model they'd just got in today. They look like great kit for the money but I was put off by the absence of an external 'rand' which I've always appreciated. I was also concerned that the exposed foam component in the sole would suffer with my Grivel crampons over time and perhaps even make a mess of the sole construction. On this basis I ended up going for the Meindl boots.

Lowe Alpine shop - Very nice staff, helpful and knowledgable too (At least most of them anyway). They're also having a sale with up to 50% off some rather nice winter gear - If you don't mind last seasons specs then get in there early on Thursday 23rd June as their stocks don't last long during their sales!

Enjoy your trip and splash out on a couple of pairs of Bridgedales - You won't regret it!

Gil

BeardyGit

callmescratch wrote:

i haven't done a lot of hiking in the past so i'll definitely get out on the local mountains to break them in (and hopefully get fit).

thanks for your help

Hey Scratch,

Just a thought - get in touch with someone else in your area who's experienced and know the dangers you may face and all of the safety precautions that need to be taken.

Mod's - Any chance you'd put up a 'Safety' sticky where we can list resources specifically related to safety on the hill/cliffs etc?

Gil

Borzoi

callmescratch wrote:

are they really worth it though? i know the extra padding would be great, but the idea of paying that much for socks is still not something i'm not sure i want to do

In a nutshell -yes. It's a combination of the padding and the wicking ability, and just general comfort.

You've probably just spent over €100 on the boots, for an extra €14, they're really worth it

daithi

Im breaking in a pair of boots at the min, the bridgedales definately saved me from blisters. As mentioned earlier, adjusting the lacing of the unbroken boots for ascent and decent helps alot.
Keep an eye on your bridgedales too, they are extremely comefortable and likely to get nicked by family members etc.

Evil Phil

Gil_Dub wrote:

Hey Scratch,
Mod's - Any chance you'd put up a 'Safety' sticky where we can list resources specifically related to safety on the hill/cliffs etc?

Gil

I've created a Newbie FAQ sticky

BeardyGit

Thanks Phil, I'll work on fleshing it out when I get off work!

Gil

Rew

Gil_Dub wrote:

Lowe Alpine shop - Very nice staff, helpful and knowledgable too (At least most of them anyway)

Its owned and staffed by the Great Outdoors. So you will meet the same faces in both shops. They also own a scuba gear shop near the main GO shop.

saobh_ie

I'm in the same boat, I only really wear DC trainers or Raichle (sp?) hiking boots. The light hiking ones were absolute rubbish (for me) but the heavy mountaineering jobbies did the trick for jogging to spar or scrambling up mountain or two... They really impressed me one time I ended up in a river, melting snow brrrrr; and I had to struggle along up to my waist for about fifteen minutes before I could find a place where I could get out, and my toes were dry. =]

As for socks I used to tear them to shreds. Hell, I used to tear industrial boots to bits… well the boot went to bits or my feet went to bits… But expensive socks are worth the money, there are brands that have expensive socks that are rubbish but typically… hang on… *pulls runners off* These ones say smart wool on the sole, the ones costing between 16 and 27 euro (two years ago) are the absolute best socks ever.

BeardyGit

saobh_ie wrote:

I'm in the same boat, I only really wear DC trainers or Raichle (sp?) hiking boots. The light hiking ones were absolute rubbish (for me) but the heavy ..............These ones say smart wool on the sole, the ones costing between 16 and 27 euro (two years ago) are the absolute best socks ever.

The same for me - Some of my Bridgdales are 4 years old and still not threadbare!

daithi

http://www.greatoutdoors.ie
Under outdoor footwear they have a sock section.
and back to topic, they have a good section on boots

callmescratch

well, haven't picked up any good socks yet, but the boots are excellent. breaking in nicely around the local hills.

my pennies (shame) "boot" socks are ok for the moment, but before peru i'll definitely pick up some proper socks from great outdoors.

speaking of peru, has anyone here done the 4 day inca trail? any pearls of wisdom?
saw kathryn thomas doing the "inca trail" on no frontiers the other day. she only did 2 days, and stayed in a hostel. weak.

Rew

Do a search on boards for "peru" good few posts about it before.

Trotter

Lads and Lassies,
I did the very long version of the inca trail last year from Cuzco, through the mountains up to 4450m and then back down to Machu Picchu. It was an 8 day hike, sleeping out in the Andes. We walked for between 4 and 8 hours each day, so I reckon Ive seen the tougher end of the Inca trail, and might be able to give you some decent info on what to expect, what gear to bring etc.

Just shoot all the questions here, and I'll keep an eye on it and answer them if I can.

Pearls of wisdom... Bring Diahorrea (sp?) tablets. I didnt get it thank God but a good few people with me did and it wrecked a day or two of their trip. Wash your hands before eating and after going to the toilet... it'll save you a lot of explosive ar$e.

Boots... Break them in before you go. Some people with me wore theirs on the plane over for the first time, and were surprised to get blisters.

Socks.. You'll need the good ones, otherwise you'll sweat like mad and that'll soften your skin..and hey presto.. blisters. You can get them really reasonably in a little shop about 2 mins past the toy shop at the top of Jervis St. in Dublin.

Colouring books and crayons!! If you are going deep into the mountains, the kids will hound you for "chocolaties".. or "monieeees". If you give them money.. they have a 6 hour walk to the shop If you give them sweets, their teeth will rot because Colgate isnt on sale at 13000ft in the Andes lol
Play it safe and give them some balloons, or pencils, colouring books etc.

Anyways.. theres loads of waffle I could tell ya. Just ask if you have specific Q's.

Have fun!

larryone

last year I bought a pair of Scarpa boots in Great Outdoors, and after a couple of months there was a really annoying squeak in the heel of one of them. I brought them back and they replaced them no problem witha new pair. I had the same problem again, went back and they gave me a different pair of boots - a pair of Salomons, which seem to suit my feet better, are more comfortable, and are tough as nails. took very little breaking in, etc...
my only gripe is that the new boots wont really take well to crampons, but then i havent really had much call to use them anyway (yet)
it's amazing what a difference it makes having a boot that fits really well.
and the guys in G.O. are fantastic, much better service than you'll find in any of the other shops in dublin.

Evil Phil

If you're going to be using crampons regularly get a boot that will take them. There are crampons for standard hiking boots but they're not that good really.

theCzar

I'm also heading to the inca trail (and had wandered over here to start this thread) I can get "friend prices" in Ecco footwear off grafton st., can anybody saying anything about Ecco boots (I know they do good walking shoes, I don't know if they do heavy hiking boots).

On a side note, i'd be interested to hear when/where you booked the trail, i've been advised over on the Travel forum that i'd be mad to book the inca trail outside of Cuzco itself. any thoughts?

baegan

guys, i'm heading to south america in about 6 months time
any advice for a pair of boots/shoes?
im gonna do a few treks machu pichu and some jungle trekking
do u really need boots? would a pair of good acics running shoes suffice?