[pct-l] Footwear again

[Gary Minetti]

Patrick,

I went with street running shoes - Asics Gel - and it was one of the best decisions I made.  Normally, I wear size 11.5 and I went with 13 extra wide.  With orthodics, the heel cup fit perfectly and I had plenty of room in the toes to absorb the occasional slam against the root or rock that I did not see.  I had 0 blisters, 0 toe nail loss.  My base weight was higher than most - 19 lbs.

The first pair lasted to Kennedy Meadows, approximately 702 miles, the second to Castella and the third got me to Canada.  That said, all 3 pairs had major tears and holes, predominately where there is mesh.  None delaminated.  

They performed well in all conditions and seemed to dry out reasonably quickly.   I would not attempt another thru hike without them.

Best wishes.

Gman
Class of 2012  
On Nov 21, 2012, at 3:27 AM, patrick griffith wrote:

> 
> Hi All,
> The planning for 2013 is coming along nicely, and I'm counting the days before Kick Off! I recently bought Yogi's guide which I'm finding extremely useful, but it has raised an old question for me regarding footwear and i'd like some opinions. Several PCTers mentioned in Yoggi's book wear running shoes, as in not trail runners or light boots but running shoes,as in what I personally use when i'm running marathons etc. I have a make/model and insole combo that are perfect for me and I never get blisters (although obviously i understand that trail conditions are different to roads), would you all advise using this setup on trail and avoiding trail runners and boots completely? will running shoes survive the ruggedness of the PCT? I am extremely tempted to give them a go!
> Patrick 		 	   		  
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