recommendations on what foot wear for grip on wet/raining streets

[mark.]

Hi I have a pair of north face walking shoes great when dry but and ice ring ( slip and slide ) in the wet. I need some better grip on wet street. What works for you? HELP thank you
mark

 

[Diogo92]

Well I think that there isn't a perfet sole, but shoes/boots with VIBRAM soles have a great grip.

The only problem that i have with the grip from VIBRAM soles, is when I use my boots on the portuguese traditional cobble streets.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[mark.]

The north face hedgehogs I have do have a vibram sole and on paving stones in Santander and London do not offer me any grip and do not fill be with confidence. After ending up on by backside three times. In. The dry or on a trail they are great but most of my training is in town.

 

[Diogo92]

The north face hedgehogs I have do have a vibram sole and on paving stones in Santander and London do not offer me any grip and do not fill be with confidence. After ending up on by backside three times. In. The dry or on a trail they are great but most of my training is in town.

You have to understand that those kind of soles are made mostly for outdoors. The soles from Quechua (Essensole) are better for instance for paved walking, but they don't go has the VIBRAM go in the outside.

Salomon Contragrip soles are also great, but tend to get very used when used long times in tarmac or in paved streets. VIBRAM for me are the best, but once again, notice that they are designed for dirt/trail roads, not paved streets.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[Leaningforward]

I'm inclined to think there is no one shoe that will perform optimally in all conditions: wet/dry, hard/soft surfaces.

I am very pleased with my Keen Targhee II low cut shoes (wide toe box and sole, combined with leather upper, provides ample room for toes and excellent lateral stability); however, I understand from reviews the shoes perform poorly on wet stone ... so I walked on ice (here in New England) for an hour yesterday. The experience was a bit like Bambi (a deer) on ice -- without my trekking poles.

My point is that it's probably best to select shoes based on distance comfort and stability (and weather), and to augment with poles (or other accessories) where needed.

 

[Leaningforward]

I forgot to add: I walked five miles in Crocs, on asphalt and concrete, with snow and ice, and the grip was quite good -- without trekking poles. Those Crocs made my must have list for my winter camino.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I wear New Balance trail runners and have on all my Caminos.
They're great!
No breaking in.
Wear them out of the store and onto the Camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Our Hi-Tec boots have a good grip on city streets and work well wet or dry. The only place we were careful was the steep uphill paving (granite setts) out of Pontedeume when it had been raining. Even then it was the cobbles that were worse. Good in wet, mud etc too. It might be worth checking out their website.

 

[Diogo92]

Our Hi-Tec boots have a good grip on city streets and work well wet or dry. The only place we were careful was the steep uphill paving (granite setts) out of Pontedeume when it had been raining. Even then it was the cobbles that were worse. Good in wet, mud etc too. It might be worth checking out their website.

Tia Valeria, has an owner of Hi Tec boots and shoes, what model's do you have?

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[Tia Valeria]

Diogo, we both have the Altitude IV Waterproof boots. The men's version is still available but the ladies is discontinued. The ladies boot might come back but the nearest two pairs are these:- an 'upgraded version' and this style which looks almost the same as mine.

 

[Diogo92]

Diogo, we both have the Altitude IV Waterproof boots. The men's version is still available but the ladies is discontinued. The ladies boot might come back but the nearest two pairs are these:- an 'upgraded version' and this style which looks almost the same as mine.

I have a pair of Figaro, which I think that was discontinued. I also have a pair of Tornado Mid WP. They are great. Both of them are VIBRAM, and the Tornado are waterproof.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[newfydog]

I think I know the slippery soles you mention---I had some Nikes with a recycled rubber sole which seemed fine most places but was like banana peels on wet roads. Never saw that problem in any Keens.

 

[grayland]

I really find Keens to be comfortable. The waterproofing is outstanding.

However...I won't wear them again on a Camino during wet season due to slippery traction. I have slipped and fell several times on wet rocks and hard surfaces. I have tried several times with different pairs, at different times, thinking that I might just have got a problem pair.

I do not have this problem with Vibram soles and now look for them in new shoes.
I would stick with Keens in a minute if not for this problem.

 

[backpack45]

Do your shoes have a deep tread or do they have a smooth sole? My trail runners have a good grip. If you need to wear your shoes for training at home on pavement with ice, maybe Yak traks would work. I know they are sold at LLBean. http://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?freeText=Yak+trak&init=1 However, I don't know if they are intended for long hikes.

 

[AJ]

Our Hi-Tec boots have a good grip on city streets and work well wet or dry

I have found Hi-Tec to be good on wet streets too. It's the carbon rubber sole. The downside is that they don't last as long as Vibram

 

[siseale94]

I used the Lowa Renegades and was very pleased with their performance. Out of the box ready, though I did change to Sole inner soles. These boots gave great ankle support and gripped well on tricky down hill treks. Oh, I never had a blister but I'm sure the Smartwool liners and socks helped also. Needless to say I'm a big fan of this foot system and will use it on my next Camino. Buen Camino.

 

[mark.]

Thank you all I have just gone out and got a pair of the Hi-Tec Figaro's on discount in sale, so I will be out with them next week.

 

[mark.]

I like my new Hi-tec Figaro's I have put Superfeet insoles in. Had them on now for two weeks and the grip out in the wet and the winds of this week in Santander is fantastic feels like they stick to the road. Just need to be out in the rain to see how wet they get any day now in this area. Thank you big time Diogo not a brand I would normally look at not in my usual shops but think I will try and get a second pair if I can find them.

 

[Diogo92]

I like my new Hi-tec Figaro's I have put Superfeet insoles in. Had them on now for two weeks and the grip out in the wet and the winds of this week in Santander is fantastic feels like they stick to the road. Just need to be out in the rain to see how wet they get any day now in this area. Thank you big time Diogo not a brand I would normally look at not in my usual shops but think I will try and get a second pair if I can find them.

Hello Mark.

I've also changed my insoles, for some Dunlop Gel Insoles. But for my Tornado MID, I will get probably some Ironman insoles.

Well, the Figaro are not waterproof, but they have a Hi Tec system that helps moisture to be expelled very quickly. I've tried them once in a walk, where I had to cross a little river, and they dried very fast. I think that with a lot of rain it could be a heck of a problem, unless you have waterproof socks. You can always add waterproof spray to it, but I think that it won't last a lot of time. They are a great pair of shoes; I use them mostly for my training walks at weekend, and in summer walks. But I've never tried them in the rain; only in that small river (it was more a creek, than a river to be very honest with you).

I don't know if you have ever seen the Figaro presentation video, but I will let it in here:

Hi Tec is a very good brand, I used to have a lot of pairs of Hi Tec shoes when I was a kid, but I don't know why, they some sort disappeared from Portugal. I now order things from the UK here to Portugal, so I can find a lot of their products.

Best Regards
Diogo