What kind of footwear is best for the Camino de Santiago?

In my experience, i´ve walked the camino with hiking boots, very similar to those ones in the picture, and they worked very well for me. No blister, no pain.
Those boots, were great in the mud and all kinds of diferent paths. And I think the protection of the ankle is very important.
I would like to know the experience of someone who made the camino with a pair of running shoes. Where they good?

best accomplishments

Ana

I made it from Astorga to Santiago with hiking shoes from Ecco and Salomon. My Ecco shoes were not watertight and my feet got wet in the mountian rain, also the side rubber was so low that it was sometimes abit difficult to cross through muddy patches. In Sarria I changed to a brandnew pair of Salomon, goretex and higher rubber around the edge. I swore I will never walk the with leather boots, I saw so many pilgrims who were cooking their feet (even in april) and terrible blisters. Of course boots must also fit, and perhaps people dont buy them large enough and wear them long enough before they walk the camino. But jumping into perfect fit technical footwear you don’t even need to walk them in. That is my best recommendation. The other thing is to listen to body signals (feet) even the tiniest irritation left unattended with probably cause bad damages after hours or days. Plus a third remark: Do attend properly to blisters and dont stick all kinds of tape and plaster on. Make a decent effort to groom feet every day, and wear correct socks for the season. I also recommend to pairs of thin socks (technical socks), and airing of feet and drying of socks once or twice every day during the breakes.
Best of luck
Karen

If you’re doing it between May and September the cooler the footwear the better. Lots of people wear sandals, though I would recommend extremely light, airy walking shoes as these keep stones out. You don’t need ankle support and you don’t need anything waterproof, but above all you want to keep your feet cool and not overheating as this is not only uncomfortable but also makes you more likely to get blisters. A lot of people wear trainers and are really happy with these.

My hiking boots killed me; way too heavy. Got more blisters tha ever. I couldn’t even think of a very much needed footmassage, sinse it was all blister. Chainged to pair of sandals halfway, and even with a hevy backpacks it was sublime compared to the hiking boots. This was in august.

I agree that hiking boots are overkill – I did my first Camino (Frances) in a pair of trail-running shoes – I started it around the end of April, so it was still quite cold (sometimes close to 0 celcius in the mornings). These are basically running shoes with a sole that has better traction and is more wear resistant. They’re great because they dry quickly (no amount of gortex in a hiking boot will keep your feet dry on the camino), are light weight, and because of the mesh, they naturally expand as your feet swell (which they will, up to an extra shoe size). I found my feet were more than warm enough.

I did the Camino Portuges (the 250KM – Porto to Santiago) in a pair of Chaco hiking sandles – They were comfy enough, no foot or joint pain at all, but I think my size was off a bit and I ended up with one nagging blister alot of the time. Also, a danger of sandles is that your feet, especially around your heels, will dry out and start to crack (to the point of bleeding) and become quite painful, so that’s something to consider. Also, as someone else noted, tiny pebbles will get in under your foot, which just drive you nuts over time, and really break your walking rhythm. On the upside, you get loads of compliments on how crazy you must be to walk in sandals

I started my walk in May with a pair of low top hiking shoes that I had been using on trails at home. My feet were covered in blisters within a few days on the Camino. I ended up buying Salomon hiking boots in Logrono. They were a bigger size which is important. They fit snuggly to my foot and the sole was stiff which was much better for the variety of trails on the Camino. So, buy shoes that are a size bigger than your usual size, a stiff sole and a snug fit around the foot.

Good to see the “albergues” on teh Camino Francés. Remenber that was just the second one. The first St. James Way is the Primitive or North Way. By the time the grave was discovered Galicia as well as the whole northwest part of the Iberian Peninsula (Northern Portugal, León, Zamora, Northern Palencia, Northern Burgos, Cantabria, Basque Country and of course Asturias) belongued to the Asturian Kingdom. Asturian King Alfonso II the Chaste wanted to see what was discovered in HIS kingdom and went there. He was very religious. People started to imitate the king going along the Cantabrian Coast. Only centuries later did pilgrims start to go along the French Way, just when that area was also free from muslims. We would like to see information about the Primitive Way.

Well worn-in hiking boots with Gortex material to keep dry. High enough to support ankles. Low flex thick soles.
The many very stony trails will bruise feet that are encased in running shoes or sandals,
On my first Camino, I was advised to use a light weight shoe or even a running shoe. That was a serious mistake. My feet were constantly hurting and there was insufficient support for the load I was carrying on my back.
My second Camino I was wearing a fairly heavy hiking boot. It was mid-summer and my feet were hot; however, not so hot that my overall comfort was affected.
Learn the Pilgrim’s knot! A special shoelace tying technique that prevents the toe area from being too tight, but allows the top and ankle area to be nice and snug.
Two hiking poles will also relieve the stress on the feet and provide balance.