HikeArizona.COM

Ok, here goes... in attempts to keep this civil as long as possible, can we leave out WHY we like one type or brand over another and let's just see how big a variety we get. After we get a good sampling than feel free to come back and post why you like a specific brand or style foot gear.

What is your favorite foot gear under the following conditions?
1. Short, or easy terrain hikes
2. Long hikes
3. Tougher terrain
4. Backpacking (20-30+ lb packs?)
5. Cold weather use
6. Snowy hikes

Of course, my favorite foot gear pretty much reads like a broken record:
1. Older pair of Teva Terra-Fi's
2. Teva Terra-Fi's or Terra-Fi 3's
3. Teva Terra-Fi 3's
4. Teva Terra-Fi 3's
5. Teva Terra-Fi's or Terra-Fi 3's with either wool or neoprene socks
6. Teva Terra-Fi's or Terra-Fi 3's with neoprene socks

joe bartels wrote:A basic rubber boot would seem suitable if constantly standing in water.

True, but we often had to hike moderate distances through sketchy terrain to reach the study sites. This would mean doing said hike in rubber boots ( :yuck:) or carrying an extra set of boots into the field with me (also :yuck:). Hence, having a waterproof set of real hiking boots is pretty nice under such circumstances.

Plus, partly for financial reasons, I prefer to have 1-2 versatile pairs of boots rather than a different set of hiking shoes for each circumstance.

CannondaleKid wrote:While they did their job not to allow water to pass through, it appeared to me neither did they allow air to pass through, at least enough to allow heat to escape.

that was my suggestion- that while goretex keeps water out, it also keeps it IN.

CannondaleKid wrote:
What is your favorite foot gear under the following conditions?

1. Short, or easy terrain hikes - Oboz Dash
2. Long hikes - Oboz Dash
3. Tougher terrain - Oboz Sawtooth or Oboz Dash
4. Backpacking (20-30+ lb packs?) - Oboz Sawtooth or Oboz Dash
5. Cold weather use - Oboz Sawtooth
6. Snowy hikes - Oboz Sawtooth with neoprene socks
7. Lots of water crossings - whatever older but usable hiking or workout shoes I have available
8. Campshoes - down booties with outer shell in the winter and teva flip-flops in warmer weather

Lots of water = Chacos
Everything else = Keen boots (and thick wool socks). Got them at Bass Pro Shop and love them. Totally waterproof and very supportive and comfortable.

Uh, whatever is lying around that still has a sole and not too many holes in the uppers. Toughen up your feet enough and you don't feel blisters or cacti underfoot (within reason).

I've done my three trail runs this week at 4.2mph or greater in my GoreTex (it is still kinda chilly up here). Still no foot sweat problems. We'll see how they work tomorrow on the longer run.

Camp shoes - Chaco Flips. Pack down small and are super comfy (for me). I don't like the idea of bringing another full size pair of shoes along for a backpacking trip.

I still hike in 8' leather Hi-Tech boots. Light, fit my feet perfect, I don't twist my weak POS ankles and my feet don't sweat. Now that I have made most of you cringe, here comes the big one...I still wear cotton shirts and Levis too!

kevinweitzel75 wrote:I still hike in 8' leather Hi-Tech boots.

Wow, eight FOOT boots??
Hmmm, methinks it may be a tad tough to see out the top to even know where you're hiking
Either you're Paul Bunyan or it must be getting a little deep in here. ;)

I wear boots most of the time. Tevas sometimes. The boots are light-weight Lowas. Lowas are available in narrow widths, which I have to have. I seem to keep up with Jim_H, at least some of the time, so they are not slowing me down much.

Have to say that the Merrell Moab Ventilator was absolutely the worst shoe I ever wore. I got a pair for free, and even the women's are SUPER wide, and I had to use thick insoles to take up the volume, but even the thick insoles did not do the trick. About every other step my ankle would twist inside of the danged things. My whole foot would slip around to the side, inside the shoe. After a couple hikes they started kind of curling around to the inside (making me look pigeon toed). I gave them to the thrift store.

I tried on some Salomon light hiking shoes at Summit Hut. I might buy a pair later on. They actually seemed to fit me, which is a small miracle in itself. They don't come in a narrow, but they do run narrow.

Very few companies manufacture narrow sizes. I rarely can find a good fit. I would definitely buy the Lowa Renegade GTX Mid again.

Liz the Saloman XA pro 3D ultra?
i have a pair, second set. they are great on narrow feet, i dunno about AA but i wonder if those are the ones you tried.
the XA ultras definately have a cult status. i dont get the unjustified 140 buck pricetag tho. i got mine for $86. but i also scored a pair of brand new (worn in the kitchen for an hour) Montrail runners from Goodwill.. get this.. 10 bucks.
thats like the 4th super good outdoor deal i have found there. got 2 pairs of REI trekker pants, NWT and sold them for a $40 profit. Then there was the brand new UnderArmour hiking tee that i scored for 2 bucks.
Goodwill rules.

CannondaleKid wrote:Wow, eight FOOT boots??
Hmmm, methinks it may be a tad tough to see out the top to even know where you're hiking
Either you're Paul Bunyan or it must be getting a little deep in here.

Opps. Forgot to hit the "shift" button. I have big feet, but not that big.

te-wa wrote:Liz the Saloman XA pro 3D ultra?
i have a pair, second set. they are great on narrow feet, i dunno about AA but i wonder if those are the ones you tried.
the XA ultras definately have a cult status. i dont get the unjustified 140 buck pricetag tho. i got mine for $86. but i also scored a pair of brand new (worn in the kitchen for an hour) Montrail runners from Goodwill.. get this.. 10 bucks.
thats like the 4th super good outdoor deal i have found there. got 2 pairs of REI trekker pants, NWT and sold them for a $40 profit. Then there was the brand new UnderArmour hiking tee that i scored for 2 bucks.
Goodwill rules.

I hear you can get XC skis at the Goodwill in Mesa or somewhere. Not sure they include poles, bindings and shoes. $25 is what I heard. My son saw them, but thought that was too expensive. And you'd have to know how to pick them out, what to look for, how to fit them, etc.

I can't for the life of me find the business card with the exact name of those shoes written on the back. I'll let you know when I do.

I used to get a LOT of free stuff when volunteering for Apache Rescue Team.

I started hiking last year and purchased Moab Ventilators Mid and love them. I've never backpacked before, hiked in snow or subjected them to water.

As a man of limited funds, I've found that if I wait until the REI garage sales I can usually find exactly what I want for dirt cheap. This has worked out pretty well for me. Last time I got a $175 pair of Vasque Wasatch GTX for $25 brand new. They've proven waterproof in snow and they have Vibram outsoles like my last pair of boots which I really like. They're so far sturdy and were pretty comfortable out of the box. I also have a really nice pair of Teva's I got dirt cheap from the garage sale a couple years ago that I might try doing some more hiking in when it gets warmer. I was never a believer in Teva's until I had use them for the first time on a 14 mile hike this fall where walking through water repeatedly was going to be unavoidable. I was pretty pleased with them but need to adjust the straps better to slide around a little less. But in general, I like boots the best cuz I'm extremely clumsy and tend to bang my feet around a lot. It's not about ankle support-- its about not losing a toe!

@Tough_Boots
I have the Wasatches, which I bought from Campmore, not knowing how heavy they are, and because they actually had them in my size, a small miracle. So, I did some backpacking with them, and found that if I wore them all the time I got used to them. I did a LOT of dayhiking in them, just figured the extra weight was like a training device! They fit me like a dream, really great fit.

When I bought the much lighter in weight (but all leather) Lowa Renegades, I kept the Wasatches to use for snowshoeing. Have not used them for that yet, though.

Tough_Boots wrote:I've found that if I wait until the REI garage sales I can usually find exactly what I want for dirt cheap. This has worked out pretty well for me. Last time I got a $175 pair of Vasque Wasatch GTX for $25 brand new.

For some reason, this post just reminded me of the time that I accidentally gave azpride's new-ish Vasque boots to Goodwill. :sorrry:

I got 'em back, though!

VVebb wrote:

Tough_Boots wrote:I've found that if I wait until the REI garage sales I can usually find exactly what I want for dirt cheap. This has worked out pretty well for me. Last time I got a $175 pair of Vasque Wasatch GTX for $25 brand new.

For some reason, this post just reminded me of the time that I accidentally gave azpride's new-ish Vasque boots to Goodwill. :sorrry:

I got 'em back, though!

I remember that!

Altama 8 Inch EXOSpeed Boot- greatest boots i ever had. Ideal for our terrain and climate.
Short, or easy terrain hikes- NB trail runners

This discussion has come up time and again, but I notice there's a poll up right now, and that more people prefer boots than shoes. I prefer boots, but mainly because I'm hard to fit, and can find boots that are comfortable, but have had trouble with finding shoes that fit properly. The ultralight crowd (of which I'm a fringe member) is adamantly fanatic about wearing shoes, to the point of being overbearingly didactic in telling others they must wear shoes, too. The implication is that if we prefer boots we are somehow less cognizant of reality. Sigh...

I voted against boots, not because I preferred shoes but Teva sandals. Although I've dabbled off-and-on wearing low cut Merrell's I'm back to Teva's again.