My kids are inTahoe, sent their dad a couple of pic from todays hike. 
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*** Official Backpacking Thread ***
- Thread starter afoaf
- Start date
Topo makes nice shoes, but they gave me blisters. You should give the altra's a try a again. Will be so much lighter than any pair of hiking boots.
Definitely a bad pair. I've probably had 10 pairs of altras over the years and never had an issue. I always put at least 40 - 50 miles on a shoe before going backpacking with it.
I wish the lone peaks had the vibram megagrips. Megagrip is SO MUCH BETTER than their sole compound. The timp is a nice shoe with megagrip. It's not quite as wide in the toebox as the lone peak though.
Would you resole a condom? You put in work and move on. No time for that back in the day sh!t.
a quality leather boot upper broken in to fit your foot like a glove is not something you wanna toss when the sole is fried especially if you favor soft sticky soles that wear out quickly
that being said, my boot days are done and i toss my running shoes after the cushioning breaks down from trail milage
La Sportiva TX3 if I'm going off trail and have to deal with scree, talus, and climbing@afoaf what shoes you use for hiking/backpacking?
I've had two pairs of $60 Merrells last me over 15 years. Finally the sole is gone on my second pair and a nice vent hole in the side. Would get another pair but everyone saying new ones suck after move to China factory.
Same with Salomon which was bought out by Chinese Conglomerate. Same company owns Atomic, Arc'teryx, Armada, Enve Composites, and Wilson, which all come out of the same factory and people claiming quality has gone down hill.
Considering a pair of Zamberlan as I hear they are top of the mountain for ruggedness and durability.
Zamberlan Italian Hiking Boots, Hunting Boots, and Backpacking Boots
Zamberlan has been handcrafting the finest hiking, hunting, mountaineering, logging, and wildland firefighting boots in the world from their family-owned Italian factory since 1929.www.zamberlanusa.com
This pair of Merrells have been through hell and back with me. They've been to more than 25 countries, countless beaches, and a lot of backpacking / hiking trails, and a tough breakup. My first pair lasted me about 7 years and this pair going on nearly a decade. So many forests, lakes, deserts, and beaches.
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La Sportiva TX3 Approach Shoe
The La Sportiva TX3 is an all-synthetic, durable, sticky rubber approach shoe built to traverse the high mountains.
www.lasportivausa.com
For on-trail stuff and situations when there's a lot of water crossing I will hike in sandals. I use these daily.
Cairn Evo 3D PRO Sandals
Free US Shipping + Free US Returns / Exchanges Our highest performer, the NEW Cairn Evo 3D PRO is the ultimate adventure sandal. Upgraded with a more refined 3D toe-triangle and abrasion-proof wing construction. Extra-sticky Vibram® Megagrip outsole and unique hook-and-loop system locks feet in...
bedrocksandals.com
also worth considering are the Topos
Terraventure 4
www.topoathletic.com
the thing is that the merrells are overbuilt and heavy
the angle nowadays is to keep the shoe as light as possible, wide toe box to accommodate swelling, with an appropriate amount of stiffness (rock plate) based on what you actually do when hiking/backpacking
altras are known to have durability issues
I have pretty strong opinions about low/no drop and low stack...it is optimal for feet health and the dynamics of your stride (and hips and back)
Hokas are bad news...all of those bloated sole'd shoes are a recipe for fatigue and muscle atrophy
tall stack makes it more likely you'll roll an ankle as well
I'm serious about the sandals...it's legit
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My Altra Lone Peaks fell apart quickly too. A shame because I liked them alright.
I used to like Merrel for hiking but my last pair blew out after a couple days in Baja.
The Salomon Ultra 4 gtx are my current favs for up here where it is so often wet but im still looking for the perfect trail runner/light hiker for dry conditions.
I really like the Bedrock Cairn 3d sandals.
I used to like Merrel for hiking but my last pair blew out after a couple days in Baja.
The Salomon Ultra 4 gtx are my current favs for up here where it is so often wet but im still looking for the perfect trail runner/light hiker for dry conditions.
I really like the Bedrock Cairn 3d sandals.
I need to pick your brain on what you're looking for in a sandal: when I retire, I'm thinking about starting to make custom sandals. Still testing materials and build. In the future, I'm thinking about mapping foot contours (GG would've hated this), like a podiatrist does for custom orthotics, and CNCing the EVA midsole. Choose your top from traction pad foam, like octopus or generic corduroy. Vibram outsole or other generic choice. All sections replaceable and able to purchase separately, so cheaper in the long term (and you're not throwing away the rest of it just bc of one part).
this is a family member on my baby momma's side:
Kiwi Sandals - Premium Leather Sandals
Handmade since 1963 by Lee and Rhett Risler using the finest most durable materials.
kiwisandals.com
their flip flops are the best. the. best. ever. period.
they resole their footbeds as well...when you break in the leather footbed it's amazing
you should consider a custom form for the sole...like the imprint in the 3ds, but bespoke
that would be pretty righteous
I love love love the idea of being able to resole shoes like this
sandals are a superior device when it comes to foot strength and mechanics second only to going barefoot
I've been putting a lot of thought into this. Here's where I'm at:this is a family member on my baby momma's side:
Kiwi Sandals - Premium Leather Sandals
Handmade since 1963 by Lee and Rhett Risler using the finest most durable materials.
their flip flops are the best. the. best. ever. period.
they resole their footbeds as well...when you break in the leather footbed it's amazing
you should consider a custom form for the sole...like the imprint in the 3ds, but bespoke
that would be pretty righteous
I love love love the idea of being able to resole shoes like this
sandals are a superior device when it comes to foot strength and mechanics second only to going barefoot
I bought this:
These aren't custom. They cost about $100. When I was in college (30 years ago), I had custom CF orthotics made by the podiatrist ($400), and the Tread Labs aren't nearly as comfy (mine got stolen when some crackhead broke into my truck while I was surfing and stole my shoes). Plastic custom orthotics go for >$200.
I bought one of these impression kits and made some custom orthotics for myself w some CF I had lying around. They're way more comfy than the Tread Labs. I first tried to vacuum bag it w/ the foam block, but the foam is too soft to withstand the vac bagging. So I laid/wetted out the CF into the mold.
I was originally going to build the custom CF orthotics into the sandal as a CF shank and attach the straps to it, but it feels so good, that I want to be able to take the orthotics out and use it in my normal shoes, too. I think I figured out a solution to be able to do that.
Let me ask you guys what you'd pay for a completely custom (including the sent foam compression kit) hand-built pair like this:
1) removable CF orthotic you could use in your sandals but also use in your shoes;
2) custom sandals in 3 parts, top layer being the nylon webbing straps w/ lycra inner lining in a brushed corduroy EVA traction; midsole is EVA foam to match your foot bottom contour; outsole is vibram megagrip rubber;
3) replacement top layer (if the straps go or you wear out the EVA traction);
4) replacement midsole (if you compress the EVA midsole too much);
5) replacement outsole?
If you want to give feedback, price out 1-5 from above. Keep in mind the cost of custom orthotics and the price of those bedrock sandals.
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I used to climb out there a lot when I was younger. Never in winter but I remember being surprised at how ice/snowy it was in November (I think, could have been October).
So yeah, definitely need ice tools etc. I'd also point out that the trail is likely unbroken so expect to put in a lot of work. Probably best to go in a group so people can take turns doing the work and you should probably consider snowshoes and or skis for the approach.
I wouldn't want to be up top in tough weather but Whitney and even just Whitney portal is IMHO, one of the most spectacular places in the US.
So, I'd say go for it but be prepared to get creative.
you'll get a lot of traction on something like this with backpackers and trail runners
my feeling is that you typically don't go to a (perceived) extreme like this unless you have some pre-existing issue
I really like the modularity you're considering...being able to swap out components to keep the footwear fresh is a great call
gut feeling...I'd say you need to be $150 or under
Thanks for the feedback. I thought about the need for a pre-existing issue, too. I don't think someone would be willing to pay what it's worth, unless they actually wore a custom CF orthotic and felt how much better they make you feel.
For $150, I'm not sure the effort is worth it. Would someone who has never had a custom orthotic be willing to pay an extra $100 for that custom experience (considering the non-custom bedrock sandals are about $150)? I'm not sure I could convince them to make that investment.
The selling point would be to get past the high initial cost, and then save a little money, being able to buy just the section needed in the future. Sales would have to be driven by word of mouth from people who have experienced how good custom feels (GG: you will never experience what I've experienced).
Anyway, I'm going to continue working on a pair for myself. If it feels as amazing as I think it will, I'll keep making them in my free time.
OT: does anyone have any experience w/ Vibram megagrip litebase? I bought a couple pairs of regular megagrip, and it feels heavy. I'm thinking of ordering some litebase.
I would see a podiatrist. Be careful going that route since your feet may become dependent on them. Long story short nut i had some foot issues that warranted custom orthotics but it came to the point where if i couldn't wear shoes without them. I sort of trsined my feet to wean them and as long as I wear stable shoes for distance/all day wear I'm fine. My feet aren't perfect but I'm much better off overall without them.
In college, I used to wear the double arch Rainbows everyday. I started to get some swelling and foot pain in my first knuckle (bunion starting to grow). I thought it was from surfing, which is why I went to see the podiatrist. He told me it was from wearing slippers everyday, and that I wouldn't want to wear them after wearing my orthotics. Now, even though I have some nice supportive Olukais (w an added layer of corduroy EVA traction on top), I can't wear them for more than an hour before my feet hurt. I wear trail running shoes everyday at work w/ my Tread Labs CF orthotics.
Here's my shoe quiver.
I guess I'm an anomaly. I still wear these old (6-7 years?) Eddie Bauer boots while hiking. I notice when hiking that no one wears old school boots anymore, everyone wears the high tech boots. I've never had any issues with these boots, nor the Timberland ones I had before them (for about ten years until I literally wore a hole through the soles). Both very comfortable. Neither gripped very well on wet surfaces though.
I also wear these homemade sandals.The old ones on the left have actually worn through and I've been just patching them with duct tape the past year. I finally made a new pair (on the right) using the last of the Vibram rubber I bought many years ago for $40. I think I made 5 pairs with the sheet of rubber. Add a few bucks for the nylon webbing and the sandals cost under $15. I made a pair of hiking sandals by adding some Vibram hiking soles onto them, but I don't really like hiking or running trails with the sandals. It never fails that I get a little pebble under my foot. I guess I'm like the princess and the pea.
I started wearing sandals over 10 years ago for running. They seemed to solve the knee issues that developed with long distance running. But lately the bottom of my left heel will get sore if I run over 10 miles. Not to the point where I have to stop running and the soreness only last about 24 hours. I keep hoping it's a little niggle that will pass but it's been a couple months now. Sandal running days could be numbered. Who knows? I hope not. After running in sandals I hate running in shoes. That squishy, spongey feeling seems unnatural to me now.
I also have really high arches which should be problematic for running but hasn't been.
I guess I'm an anomaly. I still wear these old (6-7 years?) Eddie Bauer boots while hiking. I notice when hiking that no one wears old school boots anymore, everyone wears the high tech boots. I've never had any issues with these boots, nor the Timberland ones I had before them (for about ten years until I literally wore a hole through the soles). Both very comfortable. Neither gripped very well on wet surfaces though.
I also wear these homemade sandals.The old ones on the left have actually worn through and I've been just patching them with duct tape the past year. I finally made a new pair (on the right) using the last of the Vibram rubber I bought many years ago for $40. I think I made 5 pairs with the sheet of rubber. Add a few bucks for the nylon webbing and the sandals cost under $15. I made a pair of hiking sandals by adding some Vibram hiking soles onto them, but I don't really like hiking or running trails with the sandals. It never fails that I get a little pebble under my foot. I guess I'm like the princess and the pea.
I started wearing sandals over 10 years ago for running. They seemed to solve the knee issues that developed with long distance running. But lately the bottom of my left heel will get sore if I run over 10 miles. Not to the point where I have to stop running and the soreness only last about 24 hours. I keep hoping it's a little niggle that will pass but it's been a couple months now. Sandal running days could be numbered. Who knows? I hope not. After running in sandals I hate running in shoes. That squishy, spongey feeling seems unnatural to me now.
I also have really high arches which should be problematic for running but hasn't been.
Yesh sounds about right. I was pretty similar but since I started skateboarding more, it was painful at first in vans now they don't boter me at all. My normal shoes are slipons. Sure i can't go on a long hike with them but i can wear them normally. Same with my chacos (and olukai i had before). Can't do several miles but every day stuff ok.