Crocs

[Just_Me]

Judge not those you see walking with Crocs instead of 'proper' shoes because it may just be the one ones left they can tolerate wearing when Achilles tendonitis strikes.

A few people asked me if I was seriously walking in those Crocs.
No, I started off with broken-in, good fitting trail runners but ended up with Achilles tendonitis which is so painful and completely crippling that the Crocs are the only ones that do not put pressure on the tendon and nerves.

Would recommend taking Crocs instead of thongs to wear in the shower because they might just be needed for more than just a shower, though I did see a couple of men walking the Camino in thongs too.

 

[Bradypus]

Judge not those you see walking with Crocs instead of 'proper' shoes

Of all the prejudices that there are around walking the Caminos the attitude that some people have to another person's choice of footwear must be amongst the most ludicrous. I walked the Via Francigena a few years ago - a route with a huge range of different walking surfaces and challenges. For more than a week a young French woman and myself kept pace with each other and met up most days. I was wearing my usual long-distance footwear: steel-toecap builders' boots with a reinforced sole plate. Marie was wearing the lightest of leather sandals which were barely more than flip-flops. Over bare jagged rocks, tarmac, gravel, mud and more combinations of those than I could name. Neither of us had any foot problems. So which of us made the right choice?

 

[paleoirish]

I did see a couple of men walking the Camino in thongs too.

It's a bit nippy for that isn't it? Pretty sure I'd have noticed men walking in thongs, saw a few wearing flip flops though

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Judge not those you see walking with Crocs instead of 'proper' shoes because it may just be the one ones left they can tolerate wearing when Achilles tendonitis strikes.

A few people asked me if I was seriously walking in those Crocs.
No, I started off with broken-in, good fitting trail runners but ended up with Achilles tendonitis which is so painful and completely crippling that the Crocs are the only ones that do not put pressure on the tendon and nerves.

Would recommend taking Crocs instead of thongs to wear in the shower because they might just be needed for more than just a shower, though I did see a couple of men walking the Camino in thongs too.

My wife walked close to 200 kilometers in her Croc's this year as her primary shoes were giving her a problem with a nerve in her foot. She didn't have a single blister and kept a great pace in them. Whatever works is fine.

 

[Caminogoat]

Yes, whatever works should be fine. Avoid being judgmental, and not being judged by others is one of the virtues on the Camino,I thought.

 

[TonyC]

Judge not those you see walking with Crocs instead of 'proper' shoes.......
....I did see a couple of men walking the Camino in thongs too.

That brings very weird visions to me living in the UK where 'thongs' are VERY different type of (mainly) women's clothing. The mind boggles, as they say.

 

[RumAndChupacabras]

This thread has just put me over the edge. Now I must get a pair of Crocs. Thanks!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

My wife walked close to 200 kilometers in her Croc's this year as her primary shoes were giving her a problem with a nerve in her foot. She didn't have a single blister and kept a great pace in them. Whatever works is fine.

Just be careful on wet, slick surfaces - my efforts to stay upright over Cesare Borgia's memorial stone was worthy of a Winter Olympics' Gold.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

It's a bit nippy for that isn't it? Pretty sure I'd have noticed men walking in thongs, saw a few wearing flip flops though

Gosh, I remember that joke - Germaine Greer in 1984 wasn't it?

 

[J F Gregory]

Judge not those you see walking with Crocs instead of 'proper' shoes because it may just be the one ones left they can tolerate wearing when Achilles tendonitis strikes.

A few people asked me if I was seriously walking in those Crocs.
No, I started off with broken-in, good fitting trail runners but ended up with Achilles tendonitis which is so painful and completely crippling that the Crocs are the only ones that do not put pressure on the tendon and nerves.

Would recommend taking Crocs instead of thongs to wear in the shower because they might just be needed for more than just a shower, though I did see a couple of men walking the Camino in thongs too.

My thongs/slippers are Crocks.

 

[Sho]

I do Zumba 4 times a week in Tevas, which works fine but always elicits comment. For the Camino, I have Crocs sandals (not clogs) for showers and evenings because my wonderful Tevas don't dry quickly.

 

[Mark Barnes]

I took Swiftwater Crocs on my Sept - Nov 2017 Camino Frances. I love the Swiftwater Crocs and still wear them all the time. The Swiftwater Crocs is the only model Crocs that I wear as all other model Crocs do not work well for me.

 

[Mark Barnes]

Just be careful on wet, slick surfaces - my efforts to stay upright over Cesare Borgia's memorial stone was worthy of a Winter Olympics' Gold.

when the bottom of Crocs get smooth ( tread/grove pattern is worn away) they do get slick in wet surfaces. To fix this you can add “shoe goo” to the bottom and that will solve the slippery steps. I have done this many times to greatly extend the life of a pair of Crocs. You can “shoe goo” at Walmart or Amazon for about $5:00 .

 

[Wendy Werneth]

Thanks for this tip @Mark Barnes , I've never heard of shoe goo before!

I was crippled by extremely painful plantar fasciitis on my first Camino. After reading several reports that Crocs had helped people suffering from this condition, I bought a pair in León and walked the rest of the way to Santiago in them. The Crocs were miracle workers!

The only problem was that they rubbed on the top of my foot and created a painful bump, but I managed to fix that with a kitchen sponge and some tape.

The Crocs did wear down quickly and become slippery, though, so the next year I got a different pair, which were Swiftwaters. These had a soft top so didn't cause the bump problem, but they didn't work as well for plantar fasciitis.

Maybe I'll get some shoe goo and try going back to the original pair.

 

[Swift3]

Thanks for this tip @Mark Barnes , I've never heard of shoe goo before!

I was crippled by extremely painful plantar fasciitis on my first Camino. After reading several reports that Crocs had helped people suffering from this condition, I bought a pair in León and walked the rest of the way to Santiago in them. The Crocs were miracle workers!

The only problem was that they rubbed on the top of my foot and created a painful bump, but I managed to fix that with a kitchen sponge and some tape.

The Crocs did wear down quickly and become slippery, though, so the next year I got a different pair, which were Swiftwaters. These had a soft top so didn't cause the bump problem, but they didn't work as well for plantar fasciitis.

Maybe I'll get some shoe goo and try going back to the original pair.

Here is a decent trick for smoothing shoe goo.

I've also wrapped my shoe, before the goo dries, tightly in plastic wrap, like Saran Wrap, as a sort of flexible vice, a way to keep the bonded pieces together.
Here's a link to the product. It comes in clear, black and maybe a few other colors:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PBOJE8/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Mark Barnes]

Here is a decent trick for smoothing shoe goo.

I've also wrapped my shoe, before the goo dries, tightly in plastic wrap, like Saran Wrap, as a sort of flexible vice, a way to keep the bonded pieces together.


Mark Barnes - I just squeeze it out on the bottom (surface that touches the ground/road) in lines and let it dry for 12 hours. This has lasted me longer than a year and I have done this to the same pair of Swiftwater Crocs that I have worn for over five years. I wear these crocs a lot since I retired.
Here's a link to the product. It comes in clear, black and maybe a few other colors:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PBOJE8/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[RumAndChupacabras]

Over Easter weekend I tried a pair for the first time but, didn't like the way the footbed nubs felt neither did my guy. I had bought a pair of croc-like shoes from ebay and they weren't as nubby but, didn't quit fit right.

A couple of days ago, I walked into a "Ross Dress For Less" store for the first time ever and they had Crocs galore at $14.99, so I tried them on. Lo and Behold...NOW I 'get it' about Crocs ! These fit perfectly and the nubs didn't bug me like the ones I had first tried. So, now I'm the owner of TWO pair of Crocs and my guy is getting a pair for his upcoming birthday!

 

[Sho]

Which style did and didn't work for you?

 

[RumAndChupacabras]

Which style did and didn't work for you?

It was the croc-like knockoffs from eBay didn't work.
The Crocs I bought for myself are both Classic style (one is Graphic). I like them!
EDIT: Oh also, I tried on a pair of Crocs in the Crocband style but, didn't like the way the footbed curved the front of the foot (toes) upward.

 

[Portia1]

crocs with pockets! Now you’ve got some options!