[pct-l] Debating about boots...How many?

[J M]

Crystal, 

I just went through this in my planning process. I hike in Lowa Renegade boots 
and they do have Gortex in the uppers. There is very little break in time. In 
fact I can't remember if my old ones (that I'm starting the trail in) had any 
break in time. My current Lowas are 12 years old and I'm sure don't have enough 
left in them to finish the trail so my question was, would a 2nd pair do the 
trick. I called Lowa and found them surprisingly responsive. We went through a 
full discussion of the new boot designs before deciding that a 2nd pair would 
probably work. 

I purchased them last week and have been training in them. There has been no 
real break in other than figuring out what socks I like best in them. This is 
why I fell in love with the boots to begin with - no pain of break in. If your 
boots are giving you grief get rid of them and find boots better suited to your 
foot. The reason the leather boots used to be so painful to start is the period 
of softening them up and molding them to your feet. The softening still takes 
some time but now you can have the leather boots stretched for you. Everyone's 
feet are a little different and it may take some time to find the right boot for 
you. When you find it then you can figure out if you will need more than one 
pair. 

Good luck! I hope you find exactly what you need. Maybe I'll see you out there. 
:)

Joyce
 
"Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning." 
www.explorationmonkey.blogspot.com
 




________________________________
From: Crystal Mcdowall <crystal_mcdowall at yahoo.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Fri, February 25, 2011 1:56:35 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Debating about boots...How many?

Hey guys!  For those of you that have thru hiked before, I'm still debating 
about footwear and wondering how many pairs of boots I'm likely ruin on this 
trail?  I am definitely gonna go with some-type of boots instead of runners as I 

am someone clumsy and prone to rolling my ankles.  The one pair of "nice" boots 
that I own (Goretex Asolo something-or-others) never fail to leave me with 
horrible blisters.  I've had them for about 3 years and have tried really hard 
to break them in, and really have wanted them to work for me...which has proven 
to be to no avail, and I usually end up switching them up for my chaco sandals 
once my feet get too bad.  I think part of the problem is my feet sweat too much 

and the goretex doesn't allow them to breathe...maybe the toe area is too 
small?  I have cheap leather boots that I wear alot also, but they have the 
nylon type sides and aren't  waterproof...so in wet climates it's a debate 
between soggy or blistery feet =)...no good either way. 


Anyways I'm on a tight budget so my dilemma is this:  Should I buy three or four 

pairs of cheap like big 5 leather boots to tear up on the trail and have my 
sister mail new ones as the old ones wear out, or would it be more cost 
effective to spend the money on maybe two nicer pairs that will last longer?  I 
know this depends on personal preference, but I think my major deciding factor 
at this point will be how long I can actually expect them to hold up on the 
trail.  Are vibram soles really that much more dependable than cheapos?  Any 
advice or opinions are much appreciated.  Sorry if I stir up a huge debate =).  
Thanks everyone!

Crystal



      
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