So I've plagued you with various questions in advance of a long walk I've got coming up. This might be the most fundamental actually. The walk's 50 miles. I did it a few years back with material goretex Scarpa boots bought about 15 years ago. They fared OK. Feet were wet and battered at the end, but I think so were everybody else's. I'm wondering whether newer boots would have more life in the soles, and whether I'd benefit from newer technology, lighter materials, and better breathability and waterproofing... but with only 6 weeks of 2 practise walks and some walking to and from work to break them in. What would you do?
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.jpg) Is there enough sole life left for 50 miles in the old pair? If so, wear them they work and you know it. Confidence is worth a lot.
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.JPG) like most Long Distance challenge walkers I've seen, I'd do it in (non-lined) trainers. Whatever fits and is comfy, with sufficient grip. (I prefer Inov8 Terrocs, but plenty of brands to choose - one guy I know always wears Nikes and he has done 16 100mile challenge walks as well as countless 'shorter' ones) Your feet will still be wet, but not half so battered. Also, nonlined with good socks means less likelihood of blisters if feet get wet in my experience
I suspect the midsole (often have an EVA heel section))of a 15year old pair of boots will be compressed by now, so not that comfy for looonnng walks...
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Gah, conflicting advice! The rules (and the organisers are pretty anal about the rules) state footwear must be "Strong walking boots with cleated sole and ankle support". I think there's more flexibility for the teams they know, but we need can't afford to take any risks (it's for charity and in memory of a friend).
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 Silly people those organisers  If you wanted a fight you could get info from the LDWA etc. Really though, rationally entirely sensible to go with what you know fits your feet and can be coped with. Unlined trail shoes probably are a little better for such things I think, but if misfitting even a bit can still quite easily blister etc. Maybe worth investigating if planning to do this sort of thing on a regular basis or some such. New tech I wouldn't especially worry about
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 > The rules (and the organisers are pretty anal about the rules) state footwear must be "Strong walking boots with cleated sole and ankle support". Oh dear. Someone's performed a 'risk assessment'... Lightweight boots, just as heavyweight boots, need to be 'worn in'. Or, in the case of lightweight boots, it's more your feet that need to get 'worn in', to get used to the exposure to rough surfaces through a thinner, softer sole generally found in lightweight footwear (e.g. Terrocs). If you're not used to walking in thin-soled footwear, your feet are likely to get sore (like bruising). Your feet toughen up after a while.
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 Oh dear. Someone's performed a 'risk assessment'... Maybe they found one buried in the ground. They do seem to materialise after people have stuck their heads there... 
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As a volunteer organiser for an event, we ended up seemingly anal and unreasonable regarding our rules and regulations - simply because what some participants definition of what is suitable (footwear and water proofs for instance) can be...um....interesting..to say the least. I have had stand up arguments with participants at scrutineering when they suggested the "essential" emergency list didnt apply to them (first aid kit, bivvy bag, headtorch, map and compass) even this was the night stage of a 24 hour event! On top of that, whatever insurance company is used by the organisers can have their own definitions as well - and I have had some very interesting discussions in the past with an underwriter as to the nonsense of what he required, including referring him to his own company's technical advisor who I knew personally... Anyway, I'd go with your old boots. slip in a pair on shock absorbing insoles by all means. The organisers arent being arsy for the sake of it - they will have some reason for the requirement.
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 Old boots, plenty spare socks, zinc oxide tape.
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 Personally... I have no wish to return to the dark days of 'breaking in' boots. In fact, I don't like boots at all now, and when I was faced with four glacier treks during the summer, I chose to do them in the 'world's lightest boots', which were little more than trainers with a bit of ankle cover. These days, I really only wear Inov8 shoes, literally straight out of the box and straight up the hill, and they're no problem at all.
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 Thinking back, some of the discomfort i put up with simply because i was taught it was the 'right' thing to do! Boots are the work of the devil!
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Interesting stuff - I had looked at the Inov8 stuff and wondered if they'd get past scrutineering. Not sure if I can take the risk!
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Well if you're interested and prepared to take the time to find a pair of shoes that actually fit then why not ask them? Make clear still got a decent sole unit etc. Don't specifically obsess on inov8 too much in case they don't fit as there are plenty of good other options if going that way.
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TBH... supportive ankle and cleated sole...that'll be a TK Max or Sports direct fabric special offer then. Not quite as light at Innov8...but nothing like as heavy as a 15 year old leather boot and last time got a pair - £20. Should be OK out of the box. Maybe get a size upand whack in a pair of shock abosorbing insoles...maybe not. At the end of the walk..keep or throw. At £20 does it matter a huge amount?
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It does if they don't fit 50 miles in not quite right fitting footwear is going to be deeply unpleasant.
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 I took a pair of old boots on the Anglesey Coastal Path in May 2010 but found that they ended up doing me more harm than good since the soles gave way part way round. I ended up having to get a bus into Bangor and get a new pair. Breaking them in by doing 20 or so miles a day was no fun at all. If you have the time to break them in and the money going spare I'd get a new pair just in case, otherwise they should be alright for one last trip.
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Fiar point Martin - and that advice applies to foot wear..
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