Recommendations for womens walking shoes

[jazzy33]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend any good walking shoes for women (preferably waterproof trail trainers rather than stiff hiking boots) New Balance is apparently good but wanting to hear from those that have walked the Camino and hopefully had some good shoes that had good support they can recommend. Any advice for preventing blisters?

many thanks.

 

[jastrace]

This varies so much between person to person. You will need to experiment and find out what works for you.

I (the 'tracey' part of jastrace) have broad feet and rather short, fat toes. For our first camino, I found that my beloved, well broken in boots turned into devices of torture (despite training in them for a year with no blisters). Most of my blisters occurred underneath my little toes. So, after lots more research and training, I think the best combination (for me) are Keens hiking shoes -lovely and wide- and a 2 sock solution of injinji toe socks as liner socks (annoying to put on, but FAR less annoying than having to tape individual toes) and then wright socks (which are double layered themselves) as the outer sock. I still have problems with my feet getting too damp/soft, but possibly because we currently live 5 degrees south of the equator and train in 95% humidity

So, for me, I think the best combination is: Keens shoes, plus injinji and wright socks. But maybe you should ask me after our camino next year....

Tracey

 

[gittiharre]

Hi everyone, I have gone through many boots and shoes of varying brands including Meindl boots and recently I reckon I have nailed the perfect specimens, Grisport Womens Timber super comfy, great fit, great looks, great ankle support, very light, waterproof, breathable and cheap! Italian design in Ecofactory, available from Amazon. Check out the reviews! Cheers, Gitti

 

[Tia Valeria]

We have recently bought new Grisport boots too and they are very comfortable. We have yet to walk the Camino in them, but they feel good on training walks. Lightweight leather, waterproof, breathable etc as Gitti says.

I have bought the men's Quatro boots as they were more comfortable than the women's for my feet, when worn with my full set of walking socks.
Buen Camino

 

[backpack45scb]

First some general rules. Your feet will swell a half to a full size over the course of the Camino unless you normally walk miles every day with a pack, so allow for that expansion. Try men's as well as women's shoes. Sometimes the men's will fit better. I prefer non Gortex, non waterproof, because once the waterproof ones become wet, they take a very long time to dry, while the non waterproof ones dry quickly.

Susan has used several brands over the years, but men's ASICS Gel Nimbus was her favorite for many years. Currently she is using men's Brooks Cascadia 7, mainly because it has a more cleated sole, which gives a better grip on rough hiking trails.

 

[jazzy33]

Thanks backpack45scb, they are great suggestions however I am small with size 5 feet so mens shoes will swim on me. great to know re swelling halkf size up though- thanks for the tip.

 

[C clearly]

I wore "Salomon Elios Mid GTX 3 Light Trail" from Astorga to Santiago without a hint of a blister. They have Goretex but it turns out that they aren't fully waterproof - perhaps that is good. They fit like gloves from the moment I tried them on in the store. I even took a half size larger for a walk around the mall, but decided that my foot was too loose in them. So I went with the smaller size although worried that my feet would swell up too much. I used a medium weight sock, rather than a heavier one, and brought along a light weight sock just in case. However, the boots remained perfect throughout. (Perhaps my feet had already spread as much as they were going to, because I always wear flat comfy shoes and I walk quite a bit.)

I think the lesson here is that a shoe must be the right shape for a particular foot, not too big and not too small, and then you have some room for final adjustment with your choice of sock. Test them by walking 20 minutes briskly through a mall, and return them if you have any discomfort at all.

 

[toddlermom]

In preparation for our May 2012 Camino, I bought a pair of Merrell Moabs. I tried them on, walked around REI for 30 minutes and thought I’d love them. I was wrong. I walked a couple of miles every day through the end of January. My feet were fine right up until I put on a pack. As soon as I started carrying weight on my back I’d get horrible aches along the arches and balls of my feet. Thinking that the boots just needed more breaking in, I continued to wear them through the end of March. By then I’d put on a couple of hundred training miles, many with a pack and my feet still hurt. So I went back to REI and traded them in for some Keen Targhee IIs (yes, REI took them back, gave me a full rebate, no questions asked). I immediately loved the Keens and continued to love them along our 500 km+ journey on the Camino through this day.

My point is not that Keens are the right boots, just that you really need to try to find the right boot/shoe for your feet. REI is a great place to buy them because you can return them at any time regardless of how long you wore them or what condition they are in. Having comfortable, good fitting shoes is crucial to happiness along the Camino. I think many of these gear questions, pole or no poles, packs, ponchos, etc. can be sorted out in gear shops along the Way, but you DO NOT want to have to find new boots and break them while you are walking.

 

[DarBur]

Has anyone out there ever walked in hiking sandals? My feet get hot and sweaty and, as I plan on walking in July, I am worried about the comfort (I never wear closed shoes in the summer).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Some discussion:

equipment-questions/topic12609.html

equipment-questions/topic7621.html

 

[theshoe heaven]

I've 2 pairs of flat boots to walk its very easy and cheap.
One of them nike and one Adidas.............
In my opinion you should go with both of.......

 

[Saint Mike II]

In preparation for our May 2012 Camino, I bought a pair of Merrell Moabs. I tried them on, walked around REI for 30 minutes and thought I’d love them. I was wrong. I walked a couple of miles every day through the end of January. My feet were fine right up until I put on a pack. As soon as I started carrying weight on my back I’d get horrible aches along the arches and balls of my feet. Thinking that the boots just needed more breaking in, I continued to wear them through the end of March. By then I’d put on a couple of hundred training miles, many with a pack and my feet still hurt. So I went back to REI and traded them in for some Keen Targhee IIs (yes, REI took them back, gave me a full rebate, no questions asked). I immediately loved the Keens and continued to love them along our 500 km+ journey on the Camino through this day.

Your comments about Merrell is interesting as I have a pair of Merrells - I broke them in with a 95 km (55 mile) walk over 5 days - more than 6 months before my Camino and then did more training. But as soon as I started the Camino with 12-14 Kg on my back my feet started acting up. Now I cannot specifically say it was the Merrells - and yes I know that there are often many differences between female and male feet and shoes. I have previous walk Mt Kilimanjaro (65 km round trip) with out even the signs of a blister so it was really disappointing to have to abandon the Camino. So I would support your recommendation to try as many shoes/boots as possible before hand - I can also support the earlier post about feet swelling as you walk, especially during Summer.
Hope this helps with the planning and decision making - your feet equipment is possibly the most critical!!

 

[Tia Valeria]

We have recently bought new Grisport boots too and they are very comfortable. We have yet to walk the Camino in them, but they feel good on training walks. Lightweight leather, waterproof, breathable etc as Gitti says.

I have bought the men's Quatro boots as they were more comfortable than the women's for my feet, when worn with my full set of walking socks.
Buen Camino

The truth about boots in practise walking and boots on the Camino is that they can feel or behave differently. The Grisport boots were good for training in th UK during the winter. On the Camino, even in the cold weather, they were too hot and sweaty. Great again now for winter training walks, but for the Camino we have managed to get new Hi-Tec boots which have always been good on the Camino. Sizes are vital too and the latest Hi-Tec are sized bigger than our old ones but actually measure the same put sole to sole, so always try your new boots on - with your socks. We will be looking after these new boots very carefully.

 

[JillGat]

Has anyone out there ever walked in hiking sandals? My feet get hot and sweaty and, as I plan on walking in July, I am worried about the comfort (I never wear closed shoes in the summer).

Yep, I wear Chacos. Less likely to get blisters, too, if you can keep your feet dry. And - to the OP - I would advise avoiding waterproof shoes. It's the moisture from your feet that is more likely to cause you problems; not the moisture from the outside.