Alright then, I will just keep wearing my crappy foot wear and enjoying them.
Boots
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Alright then, I will just keep wearing my crappy foot wear and enjoying them.
Oh no, I live in those Merrill Moabs….
Now I need to find a new shoe.
I like Merrell and have way too many of them.
Moab mid WP is a great all-around hiking boot, but around the yard I find myself slipping on the moab adventure moc most of the time.
The agility peak 5 trail runners have replaced boots for most of my outings. Light and comfortable and I have the goretex ones with a built-in gator that keeps the snow out. It's a lowtop shoe but looks like a boot with the gator. (billboard
, but hey they were free)I use their trail glove as my gym shoe.
But most of the time I'm in flip flops. Olukai Ohana.
A good pair is hard to beat. My wife can't understand how I am able to walk around all day in them, but honestly my Tony Lamas are just so comfortable to wear.
Keep on keeping on. Doesn't bother me if they work for you. Lots of people get along just fine with junk shoes.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
I have Thorogood, Irish Setter, Harley (made by Wolverine), Tony LLama, LeHigh, a pair or two that I cannot recall who makes, and even a pair of Vans hiking boots.
All have their advantages, drawbacks, etc.
BTW, I had thought ALL Thorogoods were made here in the USA, but that is not the case... My current pair were made in China.
All have their advantages, drawbacks, etc.
BTW, I had thought ALL Thorogoods were made here in the USA, but that is not the case... My current pair were made in China.
That's the way Olathe's are for me.
In the 70's Justin ropers were still made in USA and were all I wore. Then I moved to Tony Llama in the late 70's. Then Olathe's in the 80's till now,
That would make sense with the wedge design, they are definitely more comfortable. I wish I could have saved some of my joints.
I have non OEM hips with a fused lower back (L4-S1), so I really pay attention to my work boots now. As others have said you will pay up front for a good pair of boots but it's worth it in the long run.
I'll have to look at the difference between the weights of composite and carbon toe versus steel toe. I would figure they would be lighter but I could be completely wrong.
OP
Not as bad as I thought. 45$/yr is half price of 100$ boots!! I will definitely consider these next time. I was kinda under the impression they were more expensive, 400$ isn't allllll that bad
I still feel like I'm breaking mine in, they don't feel great against my heel but they aren't leaving blisters or anything. Getting better I think.
You may suffer from a common affliction called Haglund's Deformity (I do). It's a bony protrusion on the heal, and it makes getting proper-fitted boots somewhat difficult. The symptoms are a local hot spot (it'll turn red) on the outside of the heel. For me, it never manifested as a blister - just a serious amount of pain during hikes.
When I started backpack hunting in steep country, I did a lot of learning about foot comfort. When you are carrying a 50-100 lb pack for 10 miles a day or more, ill-fitting boots aren't just an inconvenience. If you have Haglund's Deformity, boot choice can be limiting. For daily wear, though, it's much easier to deal with; however, when you're spending $500 on a pair of mountain-capable boots and they don't fit, it's a PITA because by the time you figure out they don't work, the manufacturer won't take them back. I spent thousands on boots, and hundreds of miles of training hikes, to find the right pair (Kenetrek Mountain Extremes).
For daily wear, I alternate between my Red Wings (mainly winter) and my Salomon XA 3D Pro trail runners (mainly summer). The Red Wings finally conformed to my Haglund's bump after a couple months. With the trail runners, the Haglund's bump wears a hole in the liner and into the padding, which gives clearance. Those shoes wear pretty fast, so the liner hole is never the reason I replace the shoes (the tread wears out or the soles delaminate). I get better wear out of those Salomons than any other sneaker I've tried, but I still think they could be made better when the delamination occurs before the tread wears out. I'm on my fifth or sixth pair of them now...
OP
Cowboy boots Justin and Dan Post because they fit my suze 13 feet out the box with very little work in time. My every day boots are Timberlake hiking boots. In my experience rubber boots are the only truly waterproof boots. I do use aftermarket waterproofing. The Timberlands last me about a year with nearly daily use. I drag my heals so my heals are the first thing to go. A good pair of Cowboy boots can be resoled over and over with proper care of the uppers.
Well, it's not diagnosed officially. I was having problems with severe heal pain and had heard about it from others in my peer group (backpack hunters), researched it, concluded the symptoms exactly matched mine, and realized that I needed to pay attention to boot fit in the heel a lot more than most. Observations of this hole in the liner of many of my shoes helped convince me.
With most shoes, I never noticed any pain, but once I started looking, most of my shoes had some sign of pressure in that spot. Normal walking is drastically different from spending an entire day hiking up and down steep trails with a heavy pack, though. Once I started doing that, it became obvious that something about my feet wasn't right.
As I said above, for me, once I started having trouble with boots on treks and heard about Heglund's, I started looking at my shoes and most had some indication that there was a particular spot of high pressure at the back of each heel. Whether or not there was a hole depended on how much the shoes had been worn, and how they were constructed. Fabric liners, like in running shoes, being not terribly durable, were the most likely to have holes. And, again, none of those gave me any trouble - I was surprised to see that hole. The Salomons I'm wearing right now are fairly new, and there's only a slight discoloration in that area. I think I have an older pair at home that have the holes. I'll try to remember to find them and snap a picture this evening to show you.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
Thanks for mentioning Haglund's Deformity, @sab. Until just now, I never knew it was a "condition", I just thought it was my feet.
Both of my heels started showing this bump after boot camp.
I also wear through that spot on most of my shoes.
Both of my heels started showing this bump after boot camp.
I also wear through that spot on most of my shoes.
Yes, but not successfully. However, everyone's feet are different, so don't discount it as a possible solution for you. Also, remember that I never even realized it was a problem for me until I started some serious trekking. The deformity is actually more prominent in women, and the nickname is "pump bump." They get it from every-day walking in horrible shoes. I was getting it from walking in horrible conditions in well-made boots. Every situation is unique.
I would imagine boot camp is as hard on your feet as packing out an elk is, so I literally feel your pain! And thank you for serving.
You could also try felt pads on either side, with a slit/gap where the bump is.
Could also use a ball-and-ring spot stretcher, aka bunion stretcher to make a little more room there. May not work on all materials but should be good with leather.
I don't have that problem myself, I have an orthopedic shoe store and deal with foot problems every day.
OP
