I've been reading the threads about trail shoes, particularly the one about inov8 terrocs with interest.
The one thing I don't understand is what happens when its boggy and wet underfoot but not raining - do you just live with imtermittently wet feet as you go through a puddle or wear sealskinz all the time ? The mesh sides to these trail runners look like they will let the slightest bit of wet in and it extends down quite close to the sole

I'd like to dump my leathers and I like the idea of trail shoes but don't want linered ones. I wonder though just how practical these are for wet ground.

ecco -shoes are rubbish for bogs unless you like wet feet all day - but fine for intermittent wet stuff on a dry day. You will pobably do more leaping about and tussock-hopping than you would in boots though.

Lined trail shoes just fill with water (or sweat) in the end anyway.

I have had good days out wearing sealskinz/trail shoes in even very wet conditions as long as it ain't too warm. If it is, sandals are much better at coping with water, but not so great for mud unless you LIKE that squishy feeling between your toes.

I think the trouble with traditional waterproof boots is that once water has gone over the top of them then you are wet anyway, even if you manage to keep your feet out of the puddles for the rest of the day.

IMO, it's not that much harder to keep trail shoes dry than boots: there is only about 3 inches difference max in their height. It is possible to buy goretex trail shoes and there are lots of brands available. However, when saturated, all goretex footware takes much longer to dry than the cheaper options.

ecco,

You get wet feet. But this doesn't mean that it is uncomfortable. With Smartwool socks your feet stay warm. And they do dry out very quickly when you get into the dry.

Have you ever got waterlogged boots? I'd rather be in trial shoes than soaking Scarpas (as I was at New Year). It took a couple of days for the Scarpas to get in this state - but they stayed like it for ages!

Thanks guys. I think if its really wet then its a non-issue. I'd put sealskinz on in the morning and accept an degree of wet feet, since any footware would be wet.

However, if its dry and I've got my smartwools on and I got wet feet from a few puddles or bog where I wouldn't have done wearing boot, then that might be a tad irksome.

Still, I think its got to be tried so I'll give it a go and see how I get on.

on low level stuff I have been moving more and more towards trail shoes. Yes, feet do get wet, however, they dry out very quickly. For me I enjoy the freedom of wearing light footwear.

Ecco I would say there designed primarily for fell running. I looked them up myself as everyone keeps going on about them, but unless its like the middle of summer I don't think I'd be wearing them anywhere off the path.

I'm intrigued with the reviews these terrocs are getting. THe concept of light weight footwear is appealing, however i'm a big guy and I don't think these would give me the support needed. Also most of my walking is in the scottish mountains, a bit rough for these?
However i'm thinking of getting a pair and carrying them for long walk-ins/and outs.. Especially at the end of the day when you've done 10 - 14 miles and theres still 3-4 miles of walk out, these would be great on the feet. The weight is not that much if the benefits are worth it...
And any way if that doesn't work then i'll have one cool pair of treads for the school run!!!!

Oh Jamie - I though you were a lightweight!
;-)

I've used mine quite happily "off path". Going backpacking this weekend in the Lakes - quite tempted to use them (but may treat it as an experiment and take boots too...)

I am a lightweight (worried about the double meaning of that, Matt! :-/) but of all the pieces of kit I have that are all lightweight now my boots remain the only thing I cannot find a satisfactory lightweight solution for. I wear an old pair of Karrmimor KSB Summit GTX (the older better once with the rand) that were in there time lightweight for 4 season boots and still sort of are. I like to scramble and slide down scree and would not be comfortable wearing the trail shoes doing this obviously, plus I play alot of footy so my ankles are ageing quickly. I can't afford to buy multiple pairs of shoes at the moment but once I can I may get a pair of Terrocs for simple path use in summer.

Jamie, it sound a familar situation - I've also gone light weight in everything except my miendl borneos. I put them on the other day and wondered about ankle movement - I could still flex my ankle as much as without boots and I wonder whether this boot/ankle thing is all in the mind. I'm reluctant to lose the ankle protection since I've had a few spills in the hills that gave the joints a bash but reading fell running books (feet in the clouds)reinforces my suspicions - perhaps you don't need it.

I'm going to try out some trails in may in cape wrath and see how it goes - look out for a pair of used trail shoes or miendls on ebay in june !

I believe the ankle support thing is, indeed, all in the mind. There might be some value in the idea if you are carrying a very heavy pack but when you have 'lightened up' your other gear, I really don't think the ankle support argument holds up well.

Five years ago I did an LDP, The Bibbulmun Track, in Western Australia with a weighty pack and wearing a pair of heavy duty leather Scarpa Treks. I found the so-called ankle support actually caused a 'toppling over' effect and, more than once, I fell over sideways and ended up 'dying beetle style' on my back. I did the same trail last year with much lighter gear and shoes: I don't think I fell over once.

Another problem with boots is that, classically, people get blisters high up on the back of the heel in the region of the much vaunted ankle support. If there is no material there to rub often they don't get blisters.

Personally, I think ankle support is important but that trekking poles provide it best, as well as taking a lot of strain off the knees.

Of course, that trail in Australia was basically dry, but I have also used shoes in wet weather. Often our UK conditions are so wet and muddy that you are going to get wet feet whatever you wear anyway - and shoes will dry a lot quicker.

If people are unsure about trail running shoes then there are plenty of mid-way options on the market in the form of the various heavier duty approach shoes.

Hi Jamie, double meaning intended, any offence wasn't...

Fair point about the scrambling and scree, I'm not convinced Terrocs would handle scree at all well. But they will handle more than paths - I've used them successfully off-track on hillsides with mixed grass and rock.

As it happens I didn't try them this weekend, but it wouldn't have made much difference - my leather boots were waterlogged all day today, even ended up with water inside my sealskinz socks!

Ha! My feet were dry :-)

So were mine, I just had a small blister on the ball of my foot though........first in a long time

it was dry where i was! ;-)

Where was that Steve - the airing cupboard?

;-)

I had a look a a pair of terrocs over the weekend. Fortunately, they didn't have my size so I was spared an impulse purchase.

They look nice but don't seem too different from normal runners except for a thicker tread. I'd be concerned about the flex in the sole and I think that a few days with a pack over uneven ground might result in sore footsoles.

I've decided to hold off buying them but I'm going to take some old runners to scotland in may (as well as boots) and see how I get on. If they are ok, I'll change my faith.

Here's my slant on things...

Firstly, I don't mind Goretex in my boots/shoes, and I hate having wet feet when I'm walking.

I bought a pair of TNF Adrenaline GTX Mids not long ago. They have revolutionised my walking!

I've been out Munro bagging in the Scottish Highlands in them through bogs, rain, rocks, snow, you name it, and I've still yet to have wet feet. The Goretex doesn't make my feet sweat excessively, and the "Mid" height means you don't get water splashing in over the top of them when going through bogs/streams.

They work for me! I'd only wear boots now in very deep snow. Everything else is a piece of cake in a pair of trainers. In fact, I find the soles on the TNF's much grippier than my Scarpa Trek II boots.

I've also found that at the end of a long day my feet are still tired, but nowhere near as bad as walking in boots.

Like I said, they have literally revolutionised my walking.

Well my opinions are pretty similar to oot n' aboot on this this.

The vast majority of my walking is done in trail shoes, certainly not resticted to the 'middle of summer' and 'on path'.

Mine (Merrel Stretch/ Berghaus Tracklite's)don't have goretex lining, but if it's likely to be wet I'll wear Sealskinz socks instead of normal smartwool socks.

These are fine unless it's a total downpour when my feet do get wet, but even then boots wouldn't be a great deal better as I generally don't wear gaiters anyway.

I don't think ankle support is a great issue either, the only time I've heart my ankle out walking was several years ago wearing Scarpa Mantas.

Each to there own, but I've also found it makes a great difference at the end of long day's walk.