Sources of footwear

[Orafo]

I walked the Camino Francés this fall and experienced some blisters on one of my feet during the first week. I was surprised and disappointed, since I hike a fair amount in the mountains where I live and never get blisters. My feet differ somewhat in size, and I think the left shoe (on the larger foot) was just too tight, especially after my feet swelled initially from walking so far for so many consecutive days. I may need a custom shoe for future Camino walks. Does anyone know of a good source for custom-fitted hiking shoes? I realize I would have to pay more, but I'd at least like to know how much more.

For what it's worth, for years I have preferred sturdy hiking shoes to boots, but I would not rule out boots if that's what it takes to get a good fit.

 

[camino-david]

Maybe you could try wearing two socks on the smaller foot as it might save you the cost of custom shoes

 

[NicoZ]

Virtually EVERYBODY has one foot smaller then the other. Unless you're seriously off the scale you're just normal.

Did you try on both in the shop?

I'd start with going to a shop that can measure your feet correctly

 

[Orafo]

Thanks for the hiker's wool suggestion, Lise, and for the two-socks suggestion, camino-david. And NicoZ, yes, I tried on both shoes in the shop (it's an experienced local outdoor outfitter that knows how to measure feet), and they seemed to fit fine there. I realize having differently sized feet is not unusual; I'm just curious whether others have ordered some kind of custom-fit shoe rather than an off-the-rack one in the standard sizes. But keep the suggestions coming! Buen Camino.

 

[TaraUltreia]

I found out that my feet swell terribly on multi-day hikes. It usually takes about 4 days to swell up completely, but at that point my feet are 2 full sizes larger than normal. Needless to say, this resulted in some *horrible* blisters on my first Camino. I stopped off at the Decathlon in Logroño and bought new shoes that fit my swollen feet and left my old ones behind. I wore those shoes on my second Camino this year and they were fantastic all the way through. Interestingly though, my feet have only just recovered from the swelling 6 months after I finished (although I did hike the Hadrian's Wall path in August too).

 

[Orafo]

I found out that my feet swell terribly on multi-day hikes. It usually takes about 4 days to swell up completely, but at that point my feet are 2 full sizes larger than normal. Needless to say, this resulted in some *horrible* blisters on my first Camino. I stopped off at the Decathlon in Logroño and bought new shoes that fit my swollen feet and left my old ones behind. I wore those shoes on my second Camino this year and they were fantastic all the way through. Interestingly though, my feet have only just recovered from the swelling 6 months after I finished (although I did hike the Hadrian's Wall path in August too).

Oops! Didn't mean to post a blank reply. Just wanted to say that I, too, noticed a lot of swelling of my feet in the first week or so, which I am sure contributed to the blisters. After that, they returned to a more normal size, and I was not troubled by new blisters.

Feet are clearly the most critical body part to care for on the Camino! Well, and knees, and hips, . . .