tgo magazine live letters archive

I've tried, over the last couple of years, to take some steps towards embracing the lightweight philosophy.

In terms of footwear, this now means that boots have become a rarity - reserved only for the worst of conditions - and, wherever possible, I try to stick with shoes.

My problem is that I happen to live in an area where purchasing gear isn't the easiest and I'm presently having something of a struggle. Based on the following criteria could anybody come up with suggestion?

1). No waterproof lining. I already have a pair with E-vent linings which I can wear even in most winter conditions; but they are just too hot for summer wear.

2). Wide toebox. This is absolutely critical for me as I have wide forefeet, one wider than the other (which pretty much rules out purchasing on-line as I always need to try on first)

3). Preferably light in weight and with a good sole (to cope with scree, slate, flint, etc.).

Hi-Tec shoes fit me as well as any, and I've used them in the past, but they don't seem to be quite durable enough to stand up to the punishment they get from me. Most of the 'name' brands seem to be made on lasts which are simply too narrow.

Any suggestions would be most welcome, so thanks in advance.

See if you can try some Montrails. They're got a huge range of trail shoes from fell running to scrambling. Mostly wide toe box, rarly lined great sole units.

Salomon Extend Low - quite wide fitting - if you want them waterproof you can spray them with 'G-Sport' as they have no waterproof membrane.

I would second Montrail. I have one foot wider than the other and often get a squashed little toe. I have tried on a few pairs of Montrails and all fit me nicely in the toe region. Also give New Balance a go as they sell their range in different widths and are easy to find in the shops. Someone else will have to suggest a suitable hill shoe though.

A third vote for Montrail - we find them to be the best fitting footwear we have ever tried.

We have Montrail Stratos at the moment (this particular model does have a membrane), and the fit is superb and can be varied quite a bit with the lacing. They are in fact the only footwear we have found that grip the rear of the foot very snugly but leave plenty of room at the toes. I have developed a soft corn on my little toe which is very sensitive to pressure, so I make the lacing slack at the toe end and tight further back - a good firm overall grip with no pain.

I think lack of durability is the one inevitable penalty you pay for light footwear, depending on how much hammer you give them. We replace ours on average once a year (which is about every 1000 miles backpacking).

Regards

Hi there,

I don't think you can really buy shoes without trying them on :(

If you can try them, I'd suggest trying some Inov-8 RocLites. I have a wide foot, and I've found that Inov-8s suit me very well. Everyone's foot is different, though.

The reason I suggest trying them is that they're light, they have no lining at all and they (i.e. the RocLites - not all Inov-8 shoes) have a cushioned mid-sole. I've found them perfectly comfortable on rocky paths in the Lakes and Scotland.

Because they have no lining, though, they let water straight in. The idea is that they'll let it straight out again afterwards, but I've found that my feet won't dry out if I'm walking all day in wet conditions. I suppose it stands to reason: socks get wet and they won't dry out if they keep getting wet.

A solution is to wear Sealskinz or something similar, if they suit you. They do suit me, but some people find them too warm. Alternatively, you may not mind wet feet, in which case it's not a problem: I don't mind wet feet unless it's a cold day, but in those conditions I start to get cold.

So! I'd suggest trying the Inov-8s as long as you're not put off by the idea of having wet feet if you're walking through puddles. Whatever you go for, though, do try them first.

Good luck :)

Thanks for the replies so far. It seems to be the case (at least in our local outlets) that more and more shoes come with a lining and unlined shoes are becoming the exception.

I'll look up the Montrail and Inov-8 websites and see if there are any dealerships within reach. Otherwise I'll muddle through until I'm next in Scotland or somewhere with a better selection of gear outlets.

PW, warm wet feet wouldn't bother me too much but, I agree, cold and wet can be a miserable combination.

Does anybody have any comments to make on this Keen shoe for trails, bit of rock, hopefully mainly dry terrain??? Im only just buying into the lighter footwear for my trip to the alps in a few weeks (can't be bothered to lug my SLs over there)...

They are in fact the only footwear we have found that grip the rear of the foot very snugly but leave plenty of room at the toes.

hear hear!

I've made the transition from boots to lighter footwear and purchased a pair of Five Ten via ferrata's.. Although these are goretex xcr lined, they don't seem to be too bad and they have the benefit of rock shoe type lacing for precision fit and stealth s4 rubber for grip. Used them for 5 solid days scrambling in Snowdonia recently and they were brilliant.

My Saucony Approach shoes grip my heels superbly and there is plenty of room for my forefoot which is unusual for me since I have narrow heels.
My Teva Steep XCR are more rugged but still much lighter than boots. They have a self adjusting heel cradle integrated in the lacing system which really seems to work too while again being nice and roomy around the forefoot. They grip like pitbulls wet or dry and the midsole is pretty stiff so they're great for rocky terrain.
A bit warm in our present weather though.
Difficult to get hold of.

I have been using Innov 8's for trips into the Lakes recently. Carrying a 7ltr pack, they have proved superb, light, comfortable and grippy.

Just throw another one into the equation and confuse you a bit more, I just bought some Merrell Reactor Ventilators which are wide toed and very 'ventilator-y'
I haven't had them out on the hills yet but from wearing them around town and coving quite a distance they seemed very comfortable.

Same thing with water - flows straight in but then flows straight back out again.

If you don't have outdoor gear shops try the yellow pages or interweb for a local running shop. They will sell the sort of trail-running/walking shoes you desire.

Note "running shop" NOT a so-called "sports shop" which sell only footy shirts for armchair 'players'.

I wear Salomon XA Pro 3Ds and they fit me perfectly - I usually get rubbed little toes due to shoes not being wide enough there. However they are nice and snug round the heels. There is also a GTX version for those colder days. Montrails are too high round the back of the heel and irritate my achilles tendon.

JJ, would you say the XA Pros perfectly adequate for slightly rocky (but well walked) paths, carrying up to a 35L pack? Ive been put off Salomon since soles of the pair I bought last summer started breaking up, after very little use (mainly worn for work in a shop one day a week!).

Um well I've worn then on all paths both very rocky to scrambles to normal for a year (except winter conditions) and also with a backpack :)

What I did find was that they're best (for me with my sensitive feet) with smartwool running socks. I tried the shoes on a 19Km backpack a week ago with twin-skin anti-blister socks and I almost blistered up after a particularly rough bit of open country. Had to tape up 3 red hot-spots.

Only 1 week later with feet still a bit tender we did a 17Km walk over a lakeland horseshoe with the smartwool extra-short running socks and I was perfectly comfortable. I've also started doing some trail running in them and the soles are still great.

I have been wearing the Xa pro's with smsrtwool light hiker socks at the Lakes last weekend and they were very comfortable,my feet dried out quickly.