[pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such

Sun Mar 1 00:56:50 CST 2009

I know, I know, I tend to think out loud.  But note that in my case sandals 
are first an airy break for my feet from shoes a few miles a day, and in my 
case suplimentary luxury item second.  I hike in sandals often on trails for 
day and afternoon hikes in Utah and in the Sierra.  But like a couple folks 
added, it's just more stuff, and part of the joy of the trail can be the 
simplicity asserted by bringing only what is needed.  And then there's the 
weight thing.  And on top of that, these folks are pretty much onthe money 
about stop and flop at the end of a long hiking day, esspecially if cooking 
supper and moving on a few miles afterwards.  When I was doing big mile days 
with big elevation changes in the Sierra I was wearing Merrel trail runners 
or light hiking shoes and never needed or wanted to carry anything else.  My 
thinking was then and still is to some extent, "Do I need to carry this all 
day if I only need it for a few minutes at the beginning and end of it?"  Or 
something to that effect.  Someone else said much the same thing.  So that's 
where I get wishy-washy when it comes to adding anything beyond my base 
necessity.  For a longtime now I've carried only (besides the t-shirt and 
shorts I wear hiking) a very light base long sleeve top, light fleece vest 
(doubles as nice pillow), the lighweight Capalene bottoms, and a light rain 
wind shell, and have been in good shape through frosty mornings and millions 
of bugs above timberline.  I just found a paclite gortex rain/wind shell 
which replaces my old faithful and knocked a 1/2 lb off.  Pricey.  But the 
thing that I grapple with is being careful not to trim off weight only to 
think, "Well hey, now I can take this other thing."  While that thing is 
ussually some piece of camera equipment over the last eight years, it's now 
sandals, or zip off pants legs, or some other thing that while it doesn't 
weigh more than a few ounces would add weight back to my kit and I wouldn't 
even consider if I were having to haul non-edible camera gear.
Also, depending on where I send my bear canister home would probably be 
where I'd pick up the sandals and If I decide not to hang onto them send 
them back home.  No big deal.  But why do I feel kinda silly having spent 
ahundred bucks to knock have a pound off and have a breathble shell only to 
add a pound of sandals back on to my 1 lb pack I just got also?  Never had a 
pack before that weighed less than my footwear.  Very cool.
take care,
Stephen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jason moores" <jmmoores at hotmail.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 7:00 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Camp Shoes and Such

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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