After hiking footwear?

[Rambler]

Any suggestions for light after hiking shoes for a person sensitive to blisters?

My daughter just informed me that her Crocs give her horrible blisters and she cannot walk around much in them. Needless to say, we are looking for alternatives. Best would be a light sandal that could be used for shower and as a walk around town, eat dinner shoe. Plus they need to weigh less than 21oz (596 grams). This is how much her well worn running shoes weigh and she will just take those unless we can find something lighter. We went to a local outdoors store and tried Tevas, Keens, and a differnet style Croc. All were either too heavy or uncomfortable.

There is something about the material in Crocs that cause her to blister easily. She says she can walk in them only a short distance and it will start.
We are already battling a few blisters from our practice hikes and we have 4 days till we leave.

:?: Rambler

 

[Lillian Rodriguez]

Hello Rambler,

I also tried them all, Tevas, Crocs, etc. While some in this phorum have used Crocs to walk the camino without any problems, others, including myself, have had difficulty walking with them. On my mid April/May 2007 camino I took Keen Venice waterproof sandals, weight 22 ounces. Very comfortable and sturdy. I intended to use them in the shower and to walk around afterwards. While they didn't dry quickly in springtime nights, they were perfect to walk in the meseta while recovering from blisters in both heels.

By the way, I wore them with socks, to keep sand and pebbles from getting into and causing more blisters.

Hope you find a suitable alternative soon!

Buen camino :arrow:

 

[Rambler]

Thanks Lil.
And thanks for the comments on the blog. She tried the Venices (I think) and they had a ridge in the footbed that didn't align with her toes. At this point, I think it will be running shoes and Zories for the shower. We will have to reduce her pack weight somewhere else! :cry:

Rambler

 

[spursfan]

After my walk, I found some Reebok heel-less sandals chosen principally for their lightness (225gm) - you might find them sold close to swimming gear - alternatively you might try flip-flops - 600g is a lot to carry just for short walks in the evening and in the shower (can't say I felt the need for the latter or much of the former indeed) unless you need them as an alternative to your main pair of walking shoes

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I think I mentioned before ( :? ) for folk in the UK that Clarks have a range of Superlight footware - casual shoes at under 500gs - amazing.

 

[Rambler]

Thanks for the input. She ended up buying a pair of the Keen Venices, Lil. For some reason, the 2nd pair fit her better than the first ones she tried. At 22oz, they are not light, but they are lighter than her running shoes AND a pair of flip flops.
JW, we could not find the Clark's shoes (for women) that you spoke of at the local Clarks retailer. We may have confused the sales person though talking about after hiking shoes that could be used for walking and showering but can't be heavy and can't cause blister but should be light and waterproof....

Rambler

 

[JohnnieWalker]

We have to get more shoe sales people to walk the Camino!

 

[Artemisofephesus]

It's a good question, about what shoes to take for after a long day's hike. What about in winter? You could hardly wear thongs or sandals in November/December, could you?

 

[viajero]

I walked in March. I brought Crocs as my after hiking/shower/evening footwear. I wore them with socks. It did snow a few days here and there but there was usually not much snow on the ground and I remember getting my feet wet while wearing the Crocs only one time. I had not worn Crocs before the Camino and brought them based on others' recommendations. They were so lightweight and comfortable. I'm glad that I brought them. With socks I thought they worked great as my evening shoes. In fact, I find them more comforatable with socks than without. I don't recall my feet being cold at all.

 

[Artemisofephesus]

Hmm, I suppose crocs would be a good idea. They're definitely comfy. And you can just hang them off your pack somewhere so they don't take up any room.

 

[marniedent]

Does one really need "flip flops" for the shower?

 

[suzannedarosa]

Having just finished the walk, what happened to me was blisters on both of my little toes about 3 days before Logrono. I had a stretchy light tennis shoe type shoe to wear, but they hurt the blisters and also, I had nothing to wear for relief in walking when I knew I could go further but my boots were too much on me.

So in Logrono, I went shopping and purchased a 10 euro pair of sandals (that only weighed about 6-8 oz) that were like a heavy foam rubber or something and they were fantastic, not only that, cheap, but the best thing was that I could walk in them in socks and they did not even touch my sore places so I was able to go for many miles in them. they could have been used in the showers but I didn't bother

I would suggest rather than bringing a second pair of something with toes and heels, to definitely get something that has open toes and heels that could be adjusted and worn with socks to walk if any foot problems occur with blisters/sores etc.

here's a photo of mine. Ugly but they worked great, and were soft everywhere yet believe it or not, enough support for about 4-6 hours of walking.

Here is what they were protecting -- I had not even a pain when I wore these instead of my boots.

Good luck!
PS I normally wear Keens or other of that type of sandal & I think if I had brought the ones I normally wear, that they definitely would have rubbed my sore toes, which these very soft ones did not.

 

[Lillian Rodriguez]

Hello marniedent,

From personal experience:
Flip flops, crocs or sandals: your choice but always the lightest. But DO wear foot protection to guard against fungus infections! The albergue showers, even if they are disifnfected every day, are used by so many people with different hygiene habits that they DO pose a threat.

Take a sandal or croc that you can wear in the shower, to walk around town and perhaps wear in the trail for a couple of days just in case you get blisters. And, if you are one of the lucky ones who never gets a blister, your toenails will tell!

Buen camino :arrow:

 

[windeatt]

I took some black leather ballet shoes and put a foam insole inside. They were S O comfortable to put on inside in the evenings - I could wear them outside but they were not very practical on cobbles or in very wet weather. However, their main virtue is that they weigh about 100g - I couldn't find anything else as light. I'm still wearing them now (a year later) as indoor slippers.

 

[notion900]

I used just my hiking boots plus some pretty little beaded flip flops from Accessorize, which were perfect for going to the bar in the evening and showering. These have subsequently been all over Asia and New Zealand with me, and are still going strong!!