shoes? how long will they last?

[theresmorethanthis]

What shoes are best? How long will they last? can I get them on the trail? do I need to mail drop them?

[Bucherm]

What shoes are best? How long will they last? can I get them on the trail? do I need to mail drop them?

I like boots(although some prefer trail runners). As for "what shoes are the best" I would just go and try them out. I think that you can expect to go through at leats one pair of boots/shoes while doing a thru-hike, although I am not a thru-hike(although I play one on TV)

[Don H]

I got about 500 miles out of my trail runners before the inner cushioning started going. I could have went further on each pair (ended up going through 5 pairs) but didn't want to run the risk of Plantar Fasciitis. Some people went the entire distance on the same boots so it just depends on what you choose. There are places to by shoes along the way. Cabelas in Hamburg, PA near Port Clinton comes to mind, they have a huge selection. Most outfitters along the way will have a limited selection. I had my shoes sent to me but you have to be sure your foot size doesn't increase if you do that. Just my experience, hope it helps.

[Papa D]

I wear this shoe - I have two three pairs - 2 in good shape and one worn out at about 600 miles of AT - delaminating around the toe and heel - that includes about 60 miles in snow with Yaktrax - I do replace the footbed (insert) every now and then - maybe every 250 miles or so.

http://www.sportiva.com/products/foo...fc-eco-2.0-gtx

[Papa D]

For most people - unless they are really big or plan to be in a lot of snow and mud - shouldn't plan on hiking the AT in boots - trail runners are a much better choice

[Bags4266]

I only get about 300 miles on them before they start to delamante.

[moytoy]

grenson-rag-bone-boots-02.jpg
These should last a complete thru hike.

[moytoy]

PMC41302_1_167x167.jpg
I'm guessing about 100 miles with these.

[Spokes]

I went through 6 pairs in 2009. YMMV and is really weather dependent. Most every modern hiking boots and trail runners soles and welts are glued together.

I had boots mailed to me a couple times but found the easier way was to just order them online from Zappo's and have them direct ship them to my next hostel stop. Be sure to call the hostel ahead of time to give them a heads up and to make sure they'll accept your package.

Cheers!

[garlic08]

The best shoe is the one that fits you. You will be very fortunate if you find one quickly. It took 2000 miles, lots of painful steps, and four pairs on my first long hike to find one that worked for me, the New Balance 8XX series.

Most trail runners, a very popular and growing choice for the AT, seem to last an average of 500 to 600 miles. You can often push them beyond 700 or 800 miles, but duct tape will be your friend. Most start loosing cushioning around 300 miles. You can add cushioning insoles at that point for comfort. I needed four pair of NB 813 for the AT. (I almost made it with three, but the last pair broke down near Monson. It was easy to get a pair shipped from Zappos when I needed one.) I've heard some have reported hiking the AT with two pair of shoes.

[Tinker]

What shoes are best? How long will they last? can I get them on the trail? do I need to mail drop them?

Answers:
1) Whatever fits best (features are meaningless if your feet become a mess of blisters). I've hiked in expensive and cheap footwear, had success with both, though the more expensive stuff seems to hold up better. As far as type, probably 80+% of thruhikers choose low cut, breathable shoes (if not at the beginning, they seem to switch once the weather warms and snow becomes a non-issue). Note that any footwear you wear on the AT for a week or more will eventually become wet, so choosing something that dries quickly is usually more important than trying to maintain dry feet, and anything that's waterproof is less breathable, so may cause your feet to sweat, which is one of the causes of blisters.
2) Depends on how heavy you are, how fast you walk, and the quality of the shoe (also, if you dry them by a campfire, like one of my fellow hikers did on my last multiday hike) maybe not long at all. He melted the laces and lacing hooks.
3) There are many places to resupply along the AT. Chances are that you will be able to replace worn shoes along the trail. If you find that there is one shoe that you MUST have, buy two pair (not at the same time, because your feet are likely to swell and change shape, so you might want to get refitted after several weeks on the trail) and buy a pair to send home for a family member or friend to send them to you when you need them.

[moytoy]

I recently switched from boots to Trail Runners NB814's. Mostly because of info I got on this forum. I did a section in N. Ga. three weeks ago and now have about 200 miles on the NB shoes. They don't show much wear so far. The hiking was perfect and dry. Wetter conditions would have caused more wear. Under good conditions I'm thinking 800 miles would be easy to do. I use Spenco Polysorb inserts. I mention all of this info because you can use threads on this forum to shorten your decision process about which shoe to buy. In the end tho you will have to get out there and wear some shoes out.

[Spirit Walker]

How difficult is it for you to find shoes that are comfortable? If you are easy to fit, you can probably get by with shoes you find along the trail. There are several outfitters along the way, and if nothing else, they can order what you need. OTOH, if you are hard to fit (wide or narrow feet) then you will probably want to order a couple of pairs in advance. If you haven't done much hiking though, your feet are likely to get larger (flatter) so I would wait to order them until you have been hiking a while to see what happens to your feet.

Also, try out your shoes in advance. I am generally comfortable in running shoes, but my husband, who has high arches and very wide feet, is in agony if he wears them for anything more than a couple of miles. He prefers wearing light boots (Lowas) which he can get in wide sizes.

[Tinker]

How difficult is it for you to find shoes that are comfortable? If you are easy to fit, you can probably get by with shoes you find along the trail. There are several outfitters along the way, and if nothing else, they can order what you need. OTOH, if you are hard to fit (wide or narrow feet) then you will probably want to order a couple of pairs in advance. If you haven't done much hiking though, your feet are likely to get larger (flatter) so I would wait to order them until you have been hiking a while to see what happens to your feet.

Also, try out your shoes in advance. I am generally comfortable in running shoes, but my husband, who has high arches and very wide feet, is in agony if he wears them for anything more than a couple of miles. He prefers wearing light boots (Lowas) which he can get in wide sizes.

Here's thousands of miles of experience speaking. One of the unsung "Legends" of the AT and several other trails.

[Echraide]

I went through 4 pairs on my thru. I usually replace them about 500 miles anyway.

[HeartFire]

I have a pair of Hi Tec light hikers with over 2000 miles on them, they still work well, though look very beat up. I just did the Wonderland trail in them. I have a few pairs of Hi Tec light hikers, only this year they quit making them (as far as I can tell) for women - now I hav to figure out new shoes.

[Trailbender]

Used 2 pairs on my thru, still wearing the second on hikes.

[Don H]

grenson-rag-bone-boots-02.jpg
These should last a complete thru hike.

That looks like a horse shoe on the heel! I guess if they wear out you could have new ones nailed on.

[moytoy]

That looks like a horse shoe on the heel! I guess if they wear out you could have new ones nailed on.

Yep..It's called a heel iron and is standard on most hob nailed boots as is an iron toe piece.

[swjohnsey]

I was using regular running shoes, New Balance 883, and I was getting about 500 miles.