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For me that would be a good decision. The only problem I have had with trail running type of shoes ( I use Saucony Peregrines) was that the insoles wore out in about 500 miles. My solution now is to bring an extra set of insoles. On my first Camino I stopped at a pharmacy and bought a generic type of insole which saved my pilgrimage. (I now need insoles with arch support and metatarsal pad) YMMV.
Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
I second that - my NB's seem to soak up water like Kleenex. Insoles are called "plantillas" in Spanish.1. Since you know how they feel, that will be an excellent decision. Take an extra pair of insoles so that if you shoes get wet, you can swap insoles if the shoes are not completely dry after drying out all night while you sleep.
2. I tend to wear Smartwool lightly padded PhD socks. I keep my shoes tied fairly loose, which allows any slippage/shear/friction to take place between the insole of the shoe and the outside of the sock. This keeps blisters at bay. However, when going downhill, I tighten my laces to keep my forefeet from banging against the toe of the shoes. You might consider getting the shoe one size larger than your street shoe size. This will help keep your toes from getting banged up.
3. I have over 5,000 miles of backpacking with similar shoes (mine are the New Balance Leadville). Less weight on your feet equal less fatigue in your legs over the miles walked.
4. Keep in mind that if you find yourself in difficulty with your shoes, there are sporting and specialty shoe stores in Spain. You can always get something else if needed.
Heard an unfortunate Irish girl had to have 3 toe nails extracted in Santiago hospital over a week ago.Her feet swelled in the heat and pushed her toes into the front of the boot. Perhaps she should have gone a half size or full size up or had worn the wrong socks propelling her feet forward. Hope she is ok and on the mend.
Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
I (like you) am a REI oldie, and still get my boots from them, mailorder. AND I have extremely wide feet, one with a varex toe from an old fracture. Not many boots fit me, even the ones that say they have a wide last. But Keens seem to fit perfectly, even regular widths. Have you tried them?BUT THEY DON'T CARRY WIDE WIDTHS IN THEIR INVENTORY.
@Alberte, when I looked for Buffalo as a brand all I found was a company that makes teen cowboy and biker style fashion footwear. I couldn't find any hiking or trekking footwear in their collection. If that is the case, it is probably a wise decision not to wear them on the Camino if they are already giving you problems.I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Yes, excellent idea. I use thin socks and Keen water shoes. They are perfect.
And a bit off topic, sorry, but wanting to reply to Dave's comment:
I (like you) am a REI oldie, and still get my boots from them, mailorder. AND I have extremely wide feet, one with a varex toe from an old fracture. Not many boots fit me, even the ones that say they have a wide last. But Keens seem to fit perfectly, even regular widths. Have you tried them?
I tried a pair of the Keen Targhee II Mid for my camino in 2016. They have had good reports on this forum and elsewhere. On the face of it they are a brilliant lightweight hiking boot, the wide toe box is great to walk in etc, etc. But despite good reports elsewhere about their endurance, the soles on my pair had already worn through in patches on the walk from SJPP to Najera, and the compression layer of the sole had completely collapsed by the time I reached Santiago. My wife has a different pair which she had worn on the Milford Track before doing a shorter (~5oo km) Camino in 2016, and they are now showing similar wear patterns on the sole.But Keens seem to fit perfectly, even regular widths. Have you tried them?
With a heavy boot it can be dificult to feel your toe in the boot to see if you have room. Similar to what @davebugg wrote above is this advice I got from a REI salesman. Jam your foot as far as it can go to the front of the boot. You should be able to get a finger down between your heel and the back of the boot.5. With the shoe laces properly tied to minimize your foot from sliding, try to jam your feet in the shoe so that you can feel if your toes touch the front of the shoe. Toes touching the front of the shoe is a BIG no-no. Forget about what size you normally wear, you are shopping for a trekking shoe in the size that you need!!!!! That can mean a shoe size one or more sizes larger than you normally wear.
Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
I always worry that we see what we want to see to confirm our own choices. The really bad cases of blisters that I recall seeing were pilgrims wearing trail shoes or trainers, not boots. Certainly blisters weren't confined to people wearing shoes, but cases such as the woman who had both feet completely taped from heel to toe were shoe wearers.My observation in most cases, the people I encounter with the worst foot issues are in almost 100% of the cases wearing hiking boots. I see so many inappropriate heavy mountaineering style hiking boots which are completely wrong for most people and not needed.
Another technique to consider is to remove the insole from the boots, put them on the floor and stand in them with your heels where they would be if you were wearing the shoe or boot. You need to be wearing socks similar to those you intend to use, and follow the other tips already mentioned by others here. You can then quickly see how much space is going to be in front of each of your toes quite easily and quickly. How much room is enough? Up to you, but I like there to be at least a centimetre, but not all that much more.With a heavy boot it can be dificult to feel your toe in the boot to see if you have room. Similar to what @davebugg wrote above is this advice I got from a REI salesman. Jam your foot as far as it can go to the front of the boot. You should be able to get a finger down between your heel and the back of the boot.
I agree that if you have footwear properly fitted for a walk like the camino, it is likely to be larger by a size or more than one's normal footwear. But rather than use some magic number rule like this, I would recommend that you get your footwear properly fitted at a good outdoors store. It is worth it to prepare yourself by walking as much as you can beforehand, going later in the day, having the socks and any special insoles you are intending to use with you, and taking time in the store to use the fitting slope and pronation test if they have one. Perhaps in the extreme, such as being unable to visit a shop with appropriate fitting equipment, using a rule of thumb like this might be the best way of proceeding, but it is still no guarantee of getting the right sized footwear.One size larger is almost too small in my own experience, consider one and a half larger if walking in summer . Unless you are replicating a Camino in training nothing prepares you for the constant 30k plus days of sweaty feet .
Shun anything gortex lined , in hot weather it is the invention of the Devil.
Yes, excellent idea. I use thin socks and Keen water shoes. They are perfect.
And a bit off topic, sorry, but wanting to reply to Dave's comment:
I (like you) am a REI oldie, and still get my boots from them, mailorder. AND I have extremely wide feet, one with a varex toe from an old fracture. Not many boots fit me, even the ones that say they have a wide last. But Keens seem to fit perfectly, even regular widths. Have you tried them?
I bought a pair of wide width Lowa Renegades, size 13, at REI in Baileys Crossroads, Virginia, in May 2015. The footwear expert there stated that they carried a significant amount of stock from manufacturers who produce wides.When I shop for trail shoes, I cannot shop at REI because they do not carry shoes in a wide width ---- even if a shoe manufacturer that they stock makes shoes in wide widths. ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!! . . .
I too have a wide foot and have found that Keens seem to work for me.Yes, excellent idea. I use thin socks and Keen water shoes. They are perfect.
And a bit off topic, sorry, but wanting to reply to Dave's comment:
I (like you) am a REI oldie, and still get my boots from them, mailorder. AND I have extremely wide feet, one with a varex toe from an old fracture. Not many boots fit me, even the ones that say they have a wide last. But Keens seem to fit perfectly, even regular widths. Have you tried them?
Well said. My foot problems came from NOT wearing the boots that I have always worn on long distance hikes. Deciding to try the latest (to me) craze and go for a hiking shoe was a disaster. I have what is called a Morton's foot and that makes me prone to Plantar Fasciitis. Which I never knew I had because I never had blisters or pain issues with my boots.I think if we were to line up a dozen naked feet from a dozen different people, they would all be shaped differently. Long toes, short toes, skinny toes, fat toes, wide feet, skinny feet, bunions, flat feet, high arches, low insteps, high insteps, etc. That is why what works perfectly for one person, may be awful for another.
I only need to buy my camino shoes 1/2 size larger, not a full size as I have narrow heels and too large a shoe would surely wreak havoc on my heels with blisters with the extra space and width. Also, on my spring Caminos my feet do not seem to swell. I have worn rather inexpensive Asic Venture 5 trailrunners and have had no blisters in 800 kilometers. Even in wet circumstances I am able to walk with entirely wet shoes and socks and no problems. My sock of choice is Wigwam hikers. They are not scratchy wool, but softer with thick bottoms and I attribute them to this success. They hold up well and I am 100% happy with them. I do not use vaseline or sock liners. "Less is more" if it can work. That's just me. Any of you could need a completely different shoe and sock.
Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
I think most important is size, feet swell, and footwear especially boots need to be 1-2 sizes bigger than the correct fit! After that think about your socks.Hi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
Shoes or boots, boots or shoes, there are more answers to this question than you have time to readHi guys,
I am leaving in two weeks from now on, and last-minute decision is to leave my new Buffalo boots at home. I think it will be the wrong shoe for me, as I think it will give me one too many blisters in the heat! My skin is very sore and even though it was the perfect fit for me, it just doesn't feel right.
Instead I decided to bring my lovely SALOMON SPEEDCROSS 3, as they are very comfortable and protects my feet.
Is this a good decision? And has anyone walked the camino with the equal Salomon shoes?
(In addition to this - Which socks do you use? I would prefer very thin ones, but will they irritate my feet and give me blisters?)
Sorry for the long explanation, but I hope that you guys can help me out as this is my very first camino and I am pretty nervous!
/Alberte
Totally the right decision! I struggled with 2 different pairs of hiking boots on my first two Camino's. During training at home they felt fine on my 8 to 10 kilometre training walks, "
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