One more vote for hiking in running shoes and not carrying anything else.
One more vote for hiking in running shoes and not carrying anything else.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Many people use these (i sell a lot of them anyway)
http://www.theunderwearguys.com/prod...roducts_id=218
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
Madame and I both use Crocs and love them.
WOW! Was not going to read this thread, I just saved about 8 ounces or so, getting closer to 30 lbs with food and water by the hike, great ideas, love the shoes out of a pad w/duct tape. Good stuff AT'ers!!!
i wear the walmart version of crocs. they aren't too heavy, just as comfortable and there 1/4th the price.
You might consider the Croc for Maine/NH for stream crossings. Not having a second pair of footwear means that your only pair will be wet most days.
I do more backpacking these days on non-AT trails where there are fewer bridges and Crocs are great for stream crossings.
6.4 ounces, you are fortunate. Try size XXXL.
Frosty
I wouldn't hike if I couldn't have camp shoes. No matter what you wear or make for camp shoes, they make quite a difference at the end of the day. Sure, your light weight runners are comfortable but your feet are your most important piece of equipment that you have out there. You may feel that you don't need the camp shoes but your feet will certainly enjoy the break.
I carry a liter of whiskey....if 12oz. of campshoe is going to ruin your hike, you need to stay home.
My 1990 pack weight was 70lbs. at Springer and down to 42lbs. by Damascus. My 2002 pack weight was 28lbs. with the whiskey. All of the gram weenies out there need to understand that 30lbs. is light weight.
Go as light as you COMFORTABLY can. You will enjoy your hike alot more with 1 or 2 small light weight comfort items.
geek
New Balance 790's. Weigh 7.9 oz.
I don't "camp" like most people. I don't stop walking till I'm ready to crawl into my tent and sleeping bag for the night.
I carry a pee bottle, so once I'm in my tent, I don't crawl out till after I've had my coffee and breakfast in the morning and I'm ready to start walking again.
I carried camp shoes on my first thru and sent them home along with anything else I hadn't used in the first couple weeks of that walk.
I prefer fording a stream or river in my road running shoes and they do dry quickly if it's a dry day and dry trail.
I'm not sure if I could even pick up a 35 pound pack.
I'll make sure I bring some whiskey for you next time I'm on Springer for New Year's Eve though.
Stumpknocker
Appalachian Trail is 35.9% complete.
Amen!
I'll gladly carry the extra weight to give my feet a good, healthy, and comfortable rest after a day on the trail. As far as I'm concerned, my crocs are gram-shaver camp shoes. Maybe I'm rough on flipflops, but I think I'd need to carry the same weight in duct tape to keep repairing the blue foam flipflops.
As said earlier, go as light as makes for an enjoyable trip.
The thing I like about Crocs over flipflops or other sandals is that the Crocs offer toe protection. I don't always take camp shoes, but when I do I feel Crocs are the best option given the toe protection, the strap to help keep them on if I want to use them for stream crossings or hiking, and the ability to wear them with socks. I once hiked 6 miles in my Crocs and my feet felt great.
If you're truly going ultra-light, sneakers or trail runners and no camping shoes are the way to go. But camp shoes do come in handy. Flip flops are basically useless, though.
Don't forget that camp shoes are good not just for in camp, but for IN TOWN. When you take three zero days in a town -- and you WILL take three zero days in a town -- you're not going to want to walk around in your sneakers that whole time. Consider putting the crocs in a bounce box to the cooler trail towns, Hot Springs to Damascus to Pearisburg, etc. That way, too, if you change your mind and decide you want them on the trail, you could always just take them with you instead of mailing them on.
The camp shoes/no camp shoes is not an irrevocable decision. I started without them, then bought some Crocs when I got to Monson. (I got tired of wearing filthy trail runners all the time.)
If you choose to start with some, then decide you don't want to carry them, you can send them home.
I would argue, though, that you shouldn't devote a lot of money to them before you start your hike. This is also another question that can be answered before you start your long hike, during shorter weekend hikes.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
Look for sandals made by Komodo at Big 5. Made from same material as Crocs but they fit better and are a lot more versatile. Excellent as a camp or town shoe.
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
Here's a link to a discussion thread on Practical Backpacking regarding the Komodo knock-offs. Looks like they may be an ounce or two lighter than regular Crocs. I can't determine why they would be more versatile, but I'll check them out the next time I'm in Spokane and can find a Big 5.
GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014