Saga of the Sandals#2

[jo webber]

Having decided on my Ecco Yucatan Sandals, it's on to socks. I bought a very nice, thick pair of hiking socks - then did a dumb thing. I doubled my miles and doubled my pack weight all at once. My feet hurt, ice is my friend.

The additional pack weight was due to not thinking, I just added what I would want at the coffee shop without removing some of what I had in the pack. It was also chilly as I started out very early, so wore a jacket. The jacket ended up in the pack after about 30 minutes, adding more weight. My other error was not repacking, so the weight was not sitting correctly. Then because I just did not take the time to do things right, I suffered for the remainder of my walk to get coffee. And the walk back home was difficult.

Oh, the socks. They were very nice and gave me a great cushion for the shoe and I did wear knee high stockings for the under sock. However, they were far too hot. It was 28C by the time I left the coffee shop after a nice rest. I did not take off my sandals and socks.

I did buy three different weights of socks by two different companies. So I will see which works best. Or maybe use all three depending on temp as the day goes on.

I am learning by my mistakes. Ice is my friend.

 

[jo webber]

Having decided on my Ecco Yucatan Sandals, it's on to socks. I bought a very nice, thick pair of hiking socks - then did a dumb thing. I doubled my miles and doubled my pack weight all at once. My feet hurt, ice is my friend.

The additional pack weight was due to not thinking, I just added what I would want at the coffee shop without removing some of what I had in the pack. It was also chilly as I started out very early, so wore a jacket. The jacket ended up in the pack after about 30 minutes, adding more weight. My other error was not repacking, so the weight was not sitting correctly. Then because I just did not take the time to do things right, I suffered for the remainder of my walk to get coffee. And the walk back home was difficult.

Oh, the socks. They were very nice and gave me a great cushion for the shoe and I did wear knee high stockings for the under sock. However, they were far too hot. It was 28C by the time I left the coffee shop after a nice rest. I did not take off my sandals and socks.

I did buy three different weights of socks by two different companies. So I will see which works best. Or maybe use all three depending on temp as the day goes on.

I am learning by my mistakes. Ice is my friend.

Question about ice in Spain. Is it possible, if I have a large opening water bottle, to get ice along the way? If I can then I could put the ice / water in a 1 gal zip lock after a couple of hours and stick my feet in the bag.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I didn't try but I imagine you could ask (even offer to buy) at a cafe along the way. You might also be able to freeze a small water bottle the night before in the albergue refrigerator and place it in water or roll it under/over the area in question. But I hope this is a "what if in case" type question. If you think you will need to use ice every night now, then I suggest you get better/professional advice re your feet and footwear. This is not supposed to be torture.

 

[Kanga]

Yes, many cafe's will give you ice. I always buy something else and offer to pay for the ice, and leave a decent tip if no money is asked.

 

[jo webber]

Thank you for the information. It's good to know, if needed, I can get my feet cooled down. My walk this morning was with regular socks, not the wool. After 3 miles my feet were ok.

Lesson learned, shorter walks and build the pack weight slowly.

 

[FLEUR]

It's a good idea to change socks after a few hours of walking. Also take sturdy walking sandals to change into on the walk. (recommended by the podiatrist I saw in Viana)

 

[JillGat]

I wore sandals with no socks most of the time. And when I came to a fountain, I just stepped right in to cool off my feet.

 

[FLEUR]

I kept the socks on with sandals (lovely fashion statement!) just to protect my blisters from the dirt.

 

[FLEUR]

Some of the Spanish supermarkets might sell bags off ice.
I heard one story about a walker who needed ice for an injury. The cafe wouldn't / couldn't offer this so fellow walkers bought sangria and donated their ice from the drinks to the injured walker.

 

[Kanga]

I'm a sandals and no socks fan. Love not having to wash them every night!

 

[Chuck Cunningham]

I'm a sandals and no socks fan. Love not having to wash them every night!

Surprised sandals are so popular. What type would you recommend? I would like to look into them. Ciao

 

[Kanga]

@Chuck I wear Ecco Off-Road but that is because the last suits my feet and my podiatrist says she will divorce me if I change them - my feet are her ultimate challenge. Try different brands to find the ones that your feet like, and that will carry out over the whole distance without breaking down.

 

[Karen2017]

@Chuck I wear Ecco Off-Road but that is because the last suits my feet and my podiatrist says she will divorce me if I change them - my feet are her ultimate challenge. Try different brands to find the ones that your feet like, and that will carry out over the whole distance without breaking down.

Hi Kanga, do the Ecco off road have arch support ?, I brought Teva and not happy with them as the arch is not sufficient and the for foot Velcro straps can't go small enough. I pronate so need a decent arch.

 

[Kanga]

Yes. Find a shop that sells them and try them on. And whatever you do, don't buy a pair online, like I just attempted to do - and found it was a scam website!

 

[Karen2017]

Yes. Find a shop that sells them and try them on. And whatever you do, don't buy a pair online, like I just attempted to do - and found it was a scam website!

Oh no, I was just looking online as I live in Geraldton with no shops.

 

[Kanga]

Check the security rating of the website; make sure it has a genuine SSL certificate. And don't believe those websites where the prices are too good to be true! @Tigger and I have both had to cancel credit cards, and we're going to have a fight to get our money back. The Ecco lawyers are investigating and trying to get the fake websites taken down but apparently new ones spring up all the time.

Here's the Australian Ecco online website: http://au.shop.ecco.com/womens-sandals

 

[jo webber]

When I first got my Eco Yucatan sandals I hated them. Very stiff, hard foot bed. After 100 miles - I love them. Because they are built to last and cover rugged terrain it takes a bit to get them comfy. No blisters from day one and I can adjust to narrow heels and wide front feet. I can also adjust to thickness of socks for warm or cold weather.

 

[JillGat]

Chaco sandals work for me, the classic Z-1 (without the toe loop). I brought them for the end of the day and ended up wearing them on most the Camino. Good arch supports and worked perfectly for my feet. They had already been used for awhile when I left for the Camino and were in great shape afterwards. I finally sent them back to Chaco to re-sole. Like others said, you have to try them to see what works best for your feet. (The authors of the Village to Village Camino guide also both wear Chaco sandals).