[pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such

Sat Feb 28 21:26:37 CST 2009

Good evening, Jason,

Back in the days of clomping along in big, heavy, leather boots many hikers
used to carry sneakers because they were just soooooo comfortable to wear at
the end of the day.  They were right, so I just began wearing sneakers all
the time.

I still don’t carry anything else.  1)  At the end of the day I don’t bum
around camp; I throw my bed on the ground and crawl in. 2) I don’t find my
sneakers are uncomfortable at the end of the day, and significantly, 3) I
save a pound or so which is a substantial percentage of my 8-10 lbs. of
gear.

I’m not willing to carry that pound or so for 12-14 hours every day just to
wear them for 15 minutes.

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT -- 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

On Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 7:00 PM, jason moores <jmmoores at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> Stephen,
>
> By the end of your post you were able to talk yourself into the same
> quandary I feel when thinking about the comfort/weight ratio. I'm leaning
> towards bringing them and mailing them home like you concluded.
>
> One of my rationals for taking them: What was the point in reducing my pack
> weight to 12 pounds if this doesn't allow for at least a modicum of comfort,
> ie. a luxury item or two. Assuming that you stop there, no sense carrying a
> 20# base weight after all the money I spent to get it down to 12.
>
> jason
>
> > From: reddirt2 at earthlink.net
> > To: jmmoores at hotmail.com; Pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such
> > Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:40:26 -0800
>  >
> > Hi Jason,
> > I rarely bring anything but what I am wearing but have occasioanlly,
> maybe
> > twice in ten years I think, my Teva sandals, and to be honest, when it
> was
> > hot and flat trail it was pure luxury to be able to walk in these for
> short
> > spells since Iwas hiking in heavy boots then to trail crew work.  I tried
> > Chacos and they feel like walking a on a roll of quarters and are really
> > heavy, but I just got a low end pair of Tevas again and they are actually
> > quite light, so if I get out on the trail with you all I'll be sending
> these
> > in one of my resupplies.  I just weighed one sandal and it is 9 oz. So 18
> oz
> > for the pair.  Yeah, walking around barefoot is sort of asking for
> trouble
> > if you don't have real tough feet already.  Ussually if I just have the
> pair
> > of whatever I walked in on I just wear 'em loose around camp.  In the
> Sierra
> > high country there are a lot more opertunities Ithink to run around
> barefoot
> > on polished granite slabs and by lakes, but not so much in the forrest.
> > I've walked barefoot in the late day on some of those soft cool Utah
> canyon
> > trails along the rims and stuff.  So nice, but I wasn't far from the TH
> and
> > my vehicle either and not a thousand miles onfoot from the end of my
> hike.
> > Different mind set completely.  I'm also thinking sandals might be nice
> > around re-supply stations or little towns. Just a thought, and I'm still
> > kicking around the idea of carrying the extra pound.  I just got my new
> G4
> > pack and haven't had a chance to walk with it yet.  It seems to carry
> well
> > though.  Nicely made and my sandals drop right in the big pockets.  Too
> > easy...but it's more crap too carry and hard to grapple with after
> chopping
> > and trimming to get to ten pounds.  If I were heading out for the entire
> > thru-hike I might bring them with the thought I can always send them home
> if
> > I decide it's redundent.  I didn't help your decision one bit did I.
> > Stephen
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "jason moores" <jmmoores at hotmail.com>
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:26 PM
> > Subject: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such
> >
> >
> >
> > I've carried camp shoes on and off over the years (crocks, flip-flops,
> > etc.). On the trips that I have not taken them, I often regret my choice.
> > There's something to being able to remove wet shoes and socks in camp,
> and
> > still having foot protection. I've found it very unpleasant to walk
> around
> > the desert, or on pine needles, barefoot.
> > On 3-5 day trips I'm usually tempted to leave them at home, to reduce
> pack
> > weight. I consider them a luxury, but a useful one. I'm allotting myself
> a
> > pound or two of luxury items and am thinking of  bringing my crocks.
> >
> > My hesitation is this: Will I ever really have time to wear them? Will
> they
> > be worth the weight.
> >
> > I usually hike until the edge of dark. In normal situations I'm active
> doing
> > choirs and hanging out for an hour or two before bed. From past
> experience
> > and what I've read, I'll probably spend less time "camping" on my thru.
> It
> > seems that your level of exhaustion demands an earlier bed time. I can
> > envision other times that the crocs would be useful such as on zeros,
> desert
> > breaks when I'm airing my shoes, bathing, public showers...
> >
> > While I am more than able to make this decision on my own I often find
> that
> > the responses I receive on the list can provide me with new insight. I
> did
> > not have computer access before my '06 section hike and I knew only one
> > distance hiker. New to the sport I found myself massively over prepared
> gear
> > wise and woefully unprepared in general knowledge. I knew little of
> > lightweight hiking. I had read Jardine's book and thought him a cook. I
> hit
> > the trail in Mojave in good shape, with full leather hiking boots, a 65
> > pound pack and guide book pages. My feet were hamburger by Whitney. If I
> had
> > been able to ask these kinds of questions in Feb. '06 I may have made it
> a
> > few more miles down the trail. Perhaps not. Who can say. When I hiked out
> > over Trail Crest and down to Whitney Portal I vowed to learn from my
> > mistakes, unlearn my 1970's notions of camping, and to return to the
> Sierra
> > prepared to enjoy myself.
> >
> > In the hopes of being better prepared I find myself openly asking
> strangers
> > for advice. This is very strange for me. I consider myself confident and
> > self aware. I'm not above asking advice. I'm just not used to asking
> > strangers. This is an area of growth that I hadn't anticipated. I might
> as
> > well get used to asking for help along the way. I have too much of myself
> > invested in this trip to let my ego get in the way.
> >
> > All this being said, what are yall doin' 'bout camp shoes this year?
> >
> > jason
> >
> >
> >
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