WTB trail shoes

Hi, before i go ahead and buy a new pair from gooutdoors or the equivelent does any one have any shoes they dont use and want to sell.

  I already have a pair of actual walking boots and tbh dont get on to well with them, so fancy something light weight and more of a shoe than a boot, i have my eye on a pair of salomon mens exit 2 gtx, does any one have any for sale or something similar or even better?

Raichle shoes are nice but go up a size.

Montrail are the same, get a size larger.

Getting footwear without trying it on first is a pot-luck exercise, and I would very strongly recommend you don't do it.

Your feet are a complex 3d shape and for maximum comfort and effectiveness you'll want something built on a last pretty close to them.  Feet, and most manufacturers' lasts, are different shapes so you'll have the best chance of finding the right ones by trying them on in person. 

No matter how whizzy the technical features are, if they're the wrong shape for your feet they'll be a bad buy (for example, on paper Inov8 Flyrocs are the absolute perfect shoe for some of my requirements, but on my feet they're simply not very comfortable).

So don't decide what to get until you've tried a pile on is my advice.

Pete.

Pete

the problem is for a lot of folks is where to try on. My nearest is a Cotswold which doesn't have much in the way of shoes, so it's online for me.

It's often online for me... because I know if I order Scarpa 43 I'm very unlikely to have any problems.

But if I want to try something different I'll usually wait until I have an opportunity.  And if I'm doing something that would be well served by specialist footwear I typically find I'll be going somewhere with access to it, because there tend to be quite a few good places round the outdoors honeypots.

So I bought my XC ski-boots in the Alps, my orienteering shoes from the Compass Sport mobile shop in a field at an event etc.

It's not always possible, but one can usually get by with something else already in the cupboard for a few trips until the right thing comes up, and then you won't have spent money on what may well be the wrong thing.

Pete.

If you've tried and like the Salomons then I'd go for those in preference to something "better" for reasons as above.

Pete.

Your boot problem sounds like a classic. Too many people have had bad experiences like you and learned the hard way that to get comfy bots for serious hill walking you need a good boot fitting service. That said even then boots don't always work out.

The problem with your bruised toes indicates that the shop didn't have a test slope for you to walk on. These test slopes (often with a cobbled surface) help you determine if your toes hit the front of the boot on downhill stretches. They can also help indicate if there's any problem in the heel on hill climbs. Even then with all this help boots don't always work out as your foot can swell up to half a size during a long walk. As for the blisters that maybe resolved by looking at what socks you were wearing. Some people use thick socks. I wear a thin liner sock and then put a thicker wool sock on top. That way the abrasion occurs between the two socks and I don't get blisters. Even the lacing technique can make a difference helping to hold your ankle in place so the foot doesn't slip.   

Unfortunately for you you may have to follow that well worn path of experimentation to find out what workds for you. Good luck.