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Hi,

 We are off to Switzerland on holiday in a few weeks and are looking to buy some lightweight walking boots. We already own some good heavy walking boots which we will take with us for the high altitude walks, and we are looking for some light-weight summer boots for rambling at low levels where the weather might get pretty warm.

 The issue for me is, that I still want these lighter boots to have good grip in wet, rocky conditions. A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of Merrells for this purpose and found that the soles were so slippy I might was well have been skating. A pair of flip-flops would have more use when walking on wet rock or a wet pavement.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on choosing a pair of lightweight summer walking shoes that have good grip on wet rock. I don't really fancy open sandal shoes, just a lightweight walking shoe.

I have spoken to a chap in Milletts today and he was recommending Merrells to me. I explained my experience ahd he said he had never heard of Merrells slipping. I did a quick search here and it seems lots of people have had this problem. Do all Merrells slip or is it a particular model? 

At the end of the day I just want a comfortable lightweight shoe that would be safe to walk on rock in wet weather. At first I thought that surely can't be difficult, but now I'm beginning to wonder!!

 Thanks

 Stephanie

Perhaps take a peek at Inov's?

Although I am not impressed by their longevity (I tend to destroy shoes fast for some reason) they have a couple of models with very sticky soles.....

Thanks for the quick replies.

Thanks Parky Again. I had the Merrell Radius which don't seem to have ovals on the sole, more sort of L-shaped wedges with a curve cut through one side if you see what I mean. So, I don't think they were the Octogrip.  Are any of the Merrells a good bet for what I need or should I avoid them all?

Thanks ed h, I will have a look into the Inov's. I don't mind too much how long the last, as long as they are safe to use on slippy rock.

Thanks Robin. I'll also take a look at the Salomon Fastpacker.

It does seem pretty tricky buying these lightweight shoes as you can only tell if they are lethal when wet after you've bought them. I wish I could ask the shops to wet their noddy little climbing test areas so I could see if the shoes slip, but that probably wouldn't tell me anything anyway!!

Thanks for the advice.

I have these Five Ten Camp Fours having previously had the Five Ten Insight and am happy to recommend them, especially if you are after grip.

A lightweight boot seems a contradiction to me. You only really need support when carrying a heavy load and this is provided by the heel cage rather than anything at your ankle.

Thanks for the advice Robin and Ben. It is great to have some specific shoes to look for.

Hi-Tec V-Lite Recon Mid eVent.  As seen here.  I picked some up from TK Maxx for £30 a few months back.  Having forgot to take my trail shoes this weekend just gone and wearing them at a cub camp in temps around 25C+ for two days I was happily surprised that my feet didn't cook.

Very light for the size, comfy and the grips pretty good, loads better than any Merrell shoe I've had, but not quite as much as my Inov-8 Terrocs.  These I would recommend as super light weight, super grippy, but not all that durable, the durability is offset IMO because I find they perform so well in every other way. 

Stephanie Alderson wrote (see)

I don't really fancy open sandal shoes, just a lightweight walking shoe.

I wouldn't rule out some of the specialist walking sandals. I have these Teva's with good grip and a toe guard. Walked happily in them last summer in the Dolomites.

They don't seem to make that exact model anymore but Teva do others (the Omnium?).

A friend used Merrells in the Alps these last 2 weeks and liked them in dry conditions - but they were hopeless in the wet - a liability on steep slopes. These had an octopus-like tread which slid around on wet stone and mud.

I've found the waffle sole pattern on some Salomon shoes (e.g. Pantera) is equally useless on sideslopes (wet grass or snow), but good when going straight up or down.

I used some Salomon Elios Mids which are a close relative of the Fastpacker, with, I think the same sole material but a different pattern, and found I slipped off rocks from time to time, even in the dry. They're good, nimble little boots otherwise.

I also used Montrail Continental Divide and Hardrocks, which gripped significantly better. The CDs had a slight edge in agility and grip, but I expect the tread on Hardrocks may last longer.

All this presupposes you have narrow, lowish volume feet, like me

Cheers Judy

Thanks for all the great advice guys.

Robin, I've looked into the Salomon Fastpacker, but I am having trouble finding them. None of my local shops seem to stock, including Milletts/Blacks and a couple of others. I'll have to keep looking a bit further afield.

Andrew and Ben, I have managed to find a shop that stocks the Camp Four, so I'll pop along there this weekend.

 Judy, The Montrail boots sound good, but I can't seem to find anywhere near me that sells them. Did you buy yours from a local shop, or was it a chain?

Ben, although I love sandals for their coolness, I hate getting stones in my sandals while I am walking, which is why I would prefer enclosed shoes.

Shed Dweller, thanks for the recommendation of the Hi-Tec V-lite Recon. I'll have a look at them this weekend.

Thanks for all your advice. If only it was as simple as trying on the shoes to see if they fit!! Up till now I've generally bought boots with ankle support, and have tended to go for Brasher/Raichle and have never had any problems with slippy soles. I really don't understand why some shoes sold especially for hiking/walking offer no grip on wet rock.  

Montrail not eay to find in general. A little bit of stock in the lakes/outside in Hathersage. They do have a midheight version of the '09 hardrocks but even finding the low cut version of those very tricky recently.

All I can say is that their streaks are a bit more forgiving of mildly broader feet (as me) and certainly grip nicely. Pretty minimalist running style shoes those.

Wet rock is quite hard stuff to grip to There is also a trade off of sorts between grip vs sole durability.

My first pair was purchased in Blacks. I loved them so much I bought a second pair from The Complete Outdoors (online). The second pair are now being stored against the day the first pair wear out. I expect the membrane to go before the sole wears out, it usually does.

 I've bought most of my footwear online. Salomon/Montrail/Aku/Zamberlan all fit my feet well. Meindl/HiTec/Innov-8 don't suit my feet.

Hi Stephanie

Yes, Montrails seem hard to find! Bought mine from Itchy Feet in Central London - they are also in Bath. They couldn't have been more helpful.

Cheers Judy