[pct-l] sandals on the trail

[Dave Osborn]

Steel-Eye:

Here's a good remedy to the debris in the sandal issue - I wear the sandals very loose on my feet; in fact, the straps on my Teva's are maxed out as far as they can go.  This allows for the debris - pebble, wood chip, fir cone scale, etc. to fall out easily or kicked out with one tap of the foot.  The loose straps have the added benefit of a barefoot feel while walking - no constraints on the feet.

Wearing the straps loose seems counterintuitive, but I've run into other sandal clad thru-hikers who have independently come to the same conclusion.  

Finally, after a few hundred miles or so, most types of sandals stretch out considerably - up to two sizes larger.  My foot size is 10 1/2.  I buy size 9 to start out with (foot barely fits in footbed) and they fit perfectly within a few weeks.  I get about 700 miles 'treadlife' on average before the straps start wearing out.  

Happy Trails,
freebird