[pct-l] footwear

[Town Food]

On my thru-hike in 2016, I used the Lone Peaks, and I did find the lack 
of padding to be an issue with the factory insoles in rocky areas like 
the High Sierras and areas with lava rock.  Actually, the factory 
insoles were so thin and squishy I wouldn't consider them appropriate 
for more than weekend trips.

Certain aftermarket insoles were better than others -- green Superfeet 
were okay, some kind of cork thing I got in Shasta City was bad, but the 
grey "Sole"-brand insoles, were terrific.  Even Oregon lava rock was not 
much of an issue with those.

I'm not sure how much that affected weight -- perhaps my Lone Peaks plus 
aftermarket insoles were heavier than an Olympus, I've never used the 
later.  But I was very pleased with the results, and was not about to 
mess with a system that give me no blisters at reasonable weight.

Maybe I'll try Olympus as my next pair, but Altra seems to consistently 
do some things wrong (e.g. the toe always delaminates), so I'd be 
suspicious that any factory insole from them would be inadequate for 
long distances.

  -=Town Food

On 3/19/20 12:38 PM, JimLBanks at verizon.net wrote:
> Hi David, I also started with Lone Peaks and then switched to the Olympus
> for a little more cushion.  The initial buzz over Altras has died down, but
> from my own observations from section hiking and being on the trail doing
> maintenance I still see many hikers wearing them, maybe a majority, and lots
> of Dirty Girl gaiters.  Anyone deciding to go with the Altra zero drop heel
> should give themselves plenty of time to get used to them, it can take a
> little adjusting.  I am to the point that now I can't wear any other kind of
> shoe.  The wide actual foot shaped design is so comfortable, why did it take
> shoe manufacturers so long to come up with this?  Altra is suppose to come
> out with the new version of the Olympus in July, but with the shut down in
> China I suspect it will be delayed.
> 
> I-Beam
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pct-L <pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net> On Behalf Of David Hough reading
> PCT-L
> Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2020 7:45 AM
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] footwear
> 
> 
> Getting back to business, hikers occasionally comment on my Altra Olympus
> trail running shoes and Dirty Girl gaiters.
> 
> I tell them the last time I checked - several years ago - Altras and
> Dirty Girls were part of the outfit of PCT through hikers.    I've never
> through hiked the PCT, but if you get an outfit you can be a through hiker
> too.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fYCvA-G9Iw
> 
> It was Altra Lone Peaks at that time.    I tried a pair and decided the
> intimate trail feel was more of an issue than the slight extra weight, so
> based on some advice from this list, switched to Altra Olympus which are
> similar but with thicker soles, though still zero-drop.
> 
> That was then.    Has the herd consensus moved on these days?
> 
> Here are the websites if you need them
> 
> https://www.altrarunning.com         you can get them from REI too
> 
> https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/		they play well with Altras
> 
> 
> And more to the moment -
> 
> https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/19/recreate-in-place-how-people-are-safe
> ly-getting-outside-to-exercise-in-the-coronavirus-age/
> 
> 
> And the alternative to through hiking, bits and pieces -
> 
> http://pcnst.oakapple.net/
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> 
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>