Shoes for Sarria to Santiago in May

[RubenRuiz]

Hello,

I will be doing El Camino from Sarria to Santiago this May 13 for the first time. I tend to twist my ankles in uneven surfaces and to easily slip on slippery surfaces. I have some Timberland hicking boots which are “OK Comfortable”, but not great. I have a pair of good old sneakers which are very comfortable for walking. I don’t know the kind of surface I will face in this roads. What should I prioritize? Ankle support and good traction with boots or comfortable walking with sneakers? I will also have walking sticks. Attached are pictures of both.

Thanks!
Ruben

 

[Robo]

Hard to say, as it depends a lot on your fitness, body weight, the state of your ankles/tendons.
Our feet are all different.
But I would say IMHO that the boots are a bit of overkill.

 

[trecile]

I would go with something in between. Comfortable trail shoes with a good sole.

 

[J Willhaus]

There are no real difficult surfaces Sarria to Santiago. You do walk on either paved surfaces and woodland paths. I used trail runners without difficulty. Pick something comfortable. It is not a really rocky path. Some steep hills, but they are paved.

 

[RubenRuiz]

There are no real difficult surfaces Sarria to Santiago. You do walk on either paved surfaces and woodland paths. I used trail runners without difficulty. Pick something comfortable. It is not a really rocky path. Some steep hills, but they are paved.

Perfect, thanks a lot. As somebody already replied, the boots might be an overkill, so I will use something more comfortable

 

[trecile]

Perfect, thanks a lot. As somebody already replied, the boots might be an overkill, so I will use something more comfortable

Comfort is the most important thing! I would do some long practice walks - 15 km or more to know if the shoes that you choose will work without giving you blisters. If you can, do long walks on several consecutive days.

 

[lovelyshell]

The boots are probably too bulky and heavy. I have similar Nikes and I think they may be too thin soled, even just Sarria to Santiago. I’d recommend a more sturdy trail runner, and there are some less than $100 that are pretty decent. You just need something with support because even though it’s only 100km, you really don’t want to mess with your feet and end up with plantar fasciitis or something else.

 

[J Willhaus]

I wore boots this winter, but in the summer I wore trailrunners.

 

[RubenRuiz]

I would go with something in between. Comfortable trail shoes with a good sole.

Is there any brand/model you could recommend?

 

[RubenRuiz]

I wore boots this winter, but in the summer I wore trailrunners.

Thanks, any brand/model you would recommend for slippery situations like wet downhill?

 

[trecile]

Is there any brand/model you could recommend?

There are so many!
Favorites among forum members are Hoka, Altra, Topo, Brooks, New Balance, and others.

 

[J Willhaus]

I wear La Sportiva. My husband wears New Balance. Go try some on and make sure the brand and shoe fit you well.

 

[Shefollowsarrows]

Neither of those. It’s all about comfort. Bring sticks for support and to give your knees/ankle some reprieve. Brooks Cascadia. Will get you there in comfort. Size up possible a whole size depending on sock thickness. And use darn tough socks with toe sock liner. Yes both. if you get blisters after doing this, I’ll Venmo you €25.

 

[RubenRuiz]

Thanks! I already bought 3 pairs of darn tough socks and have my sticks. Now for the shoes!

 

[Robo]

There are so many!
Favorites among forum members are Hoka, Altra, Topo, Brooks, New Balance, and others.

@RubenRuiz Sadly we all have different feet and needs.
I had to try 5 different pairs to select a pair for my last Camino.
And they worked well, for me.
So on return I bought three more pairs!
The suppliers are always changing the designs.......

 

[Gringazolana]

Last May I wore Topo Mountain Racer trail runners, and I took a pair of lightweight (plastic) Birkenstocks for evenings. There was only one or two days where my ankles were unhappy; yes, I used hiking poles. Also, I did “half stages”, slow walking and lots of attention-deficit stops to check out interesting buildings, plants, rocks, etc.

I would only wear the boots if you wear them everyday, all day long, including in the summer. Otherwise, get some trail runners and start wearing them now. Get yourself fitted at a running shoe store; I ended up fit into men’s shoes quite a bit larger than my (already-huge) women’s shoes. With two pairs of socks and swollen feet, I was very happy with my choice.

I wouldn’t wear regular sneakers because there are several slippery areas between Sarria and Santiago.

Buen Camino!

 

[lovelyshell]

Is there any brand/model you could recommend?

Solomon’s are great

 

[henrythedog]

The purported ankle support of boots is over-stated; although I live my daily life in a rural environment in Zamberlan ultralites.

If you send us your feet we can give a qualified opinion; otherwise you’re just going to get ‘what works for someone else’.

I’d probably not set out in old sneakers.

I’m afraid you’re going to have to experiment. ‘Trail runners’ are often recommended on here by people whose opinion I respect.

 

[RubenRuiz]

Comfort is the most important thing! I would do some long practice walks - 15 km or more to know if the shoes that you choose will work without giving you blisters. If you can, do long walks on several consecutive days.

Thanks for the advise. I will walk 15K tomorrow with a pair of Salomon shoes I just got, wearing a darn Though socks.

 

[RubenRuiz]

Last May I wore Topo Mountain Racer trail runners, and I took a pair of lightweight (plastic) Birkenstocks for evenings. There was only one or two days where my ankles were unhappy; yes, I used hiking poles. Also, I did “half stages”, slow walking and lots of attention-deficit stops to check out interesting buildings, plants, rocks, etc.

I would only wear the boots if you wear them everyday, all day long, including in the summer. Otherwise, get some trail runners and start wearing them now. Get yourself fitted at a running shoe store; I ended up fit into men’s shoes quite a bit larger than my (already-huge) women’s shoes. With two pairs of socks and swollen feet, I was very happy with my choice.

I wouldn’t wear regular sneakers because there are several slippery areas between Sarria and Santiago.

Buen Camino!

Thanks a lot! I got a new pair of trail runners today and tomorrow I will try 15K with them. I will try to use them regularly.

 

[RubenRuiz]

Neither of those. It’s all about comfort. Bring sticks for support and to give your knees/ankle some reprieve. Brooks Cascadia. Will get you there in comfort. Size up possible a whole size depending on sock thickness. And use darn tough socks with toe sock liner. Yes both. if you get blisters after doing this, I’ll Venmo you €25.

Thanks for the good advise! Based on your comments, I have purchase also the Darn Tough socks!

 

[WalkingLester]

I wouldn’t advise the old sneakers, not enough tread for wet pavement. Don’t ask me how I know!

The boots seem like pointless weight. Trail runners have more aggressive tread lugs and would work better than road runners. Even though there is a lot of road and pavement walking, trail runners will be better on wet pavement.

Alta Olympus has some cushion, and a wide toe box and good trail runner tread. It is a zero drop shoe which I love but may not work for everyone.
I used Hoka Speedgoats for several caminos.

Tomorrow I leave for Spain and will be sporting some Topo MTN racers. I will see how it goes. It has a wide toe box which is important to me.