Gabi Wehler
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Planning to walk the Camino Frances mid May 2018
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I am certainly no boot person. Have a wide foot and one which is permanently swollen. Found some Salomon trail runners which fit perfect with 2size up from normal shoe size. Love them as they have this quick easy do-up string which holds n grabs my foot in place n prevents it from slipping forward on slopes. Great for avoiding blisters n blue nails. Trained over 6wks now. Not a single blister. BUT. They are meant for trails n soft ground. As am training often for miles on tarmac I now noticed that the grip is wearing off and I need to buy another pair for the Camino. A sales cleark told me I’d be better off with runners as they last longer if walking long distance and on hard surface. However, I am a bit concerned whether they’ll let me down on lose gravel and on slopes and whether they’ll have enough grip. Just bought a new pair of trail runners. Havn’t worn them yet and wonder whether I should swap them for some runners. Your thoughts / ideas would be appreciated. Many thnx in advance
Thanks. Good to know you survived in sandals. Am taking my Tevas. Love them. In fact, will be walking today in them to see how I get on walking long distance with my pack as so far only wore them without a backpack. But am confident I’ll be fine. No problem yesterday on 5km. Think I will switch between trail runners n sandals depending on terrain. That way I’ll be covered for all cases. Also, in rain, better to wear sandals as avoiding blisters when walking in wet socks in closed shoes. Feeling more confident in knowing what to do when. My goal is to be bluster n pain free. Want to enjoy, not suffer.I love my La Sportiva Wildcats. I am a pretty avid trail runner and have done lots of hiking in them. I've even hiked the Appalachian Trail and Kilimanjaro in trail runners. BUT.... the Camino was different. Walking on hard surfaces in the heat (I did the CF in August/Sept.) was tougher. My feet swelled and I had the worst blisters of my life. After about 350 km I switched out to Keen sandals, which are cooler and allow for expansion. They were wonderful. So as I am planning for my next trip when it will be cooler I think I will go to a version of Keens that are wider. But I may stay with sandals.
That’s exactly the same one I have. As walking on lots of tarmac they have already lots quite a few of the grip. Now I got Xtreme with more grip and different thickness. The cross 4 are for soft surface. Although I love them decided to go for another pair. But again from Salomon. Someone told me about Salomon 3D Pro. She did the Camino in those and loved themI wore Salomón Speedcross 4 w Goretex Trail runners for my recent Camino del Norte (finished 2 weeks ago) . Loved the tread as the first 2 weeks were lots of trail, mud, rocks, dirt paths. But it rained almost every other day and by week 3 I started to have foot pain which I attributed to walking long days on pavement (the only negative aspect of El Norte - too much pavement). The treads were flat by end of my Camino and I still have the foot pain (2 weeks since I finished and still with tendon/ligament problems) I think developed because that nice grip fit was lost with so many days of wet walking (yes goretex but not 100% waterproof) then drying at night ie the trail runner lost its form. But they were fantastic for heavy mud and forests. I also,don’t do boots so now I’ll have to try something else for my next Camino.
Muchas gracias mi amigo. I appreciate your kind words and feedback.You seem to have an optimum attitude for a successful Camino. Well considered decisions on gear, packing, or any other aspect of your Camino, the the best kind.
It is a variant of the old saw...”measure twice, cut once...” the sentiment applies here. Think two or three times, consider pros, cons and options, then act with confidence.
Have a great camino. It is life-affirming, and life-altering experience. Once you do it, you will forever be a different person.
Hope this helps.
PS. I’m passionate about positive thinking/ psychology. I like to walk the talkMuchas gracias mi amigo. I appreciate your kind words and feedback.
Never heard of that brand. Don’t know whether available in NZWore Hoka runners in WIDE for CF last Sept/ October. No problems at all and I’d wear them again, fully appreciative of the spongy base, which still has tread left. But they might have been slippery if we’d had heavy rain.
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