Thru- Hiking In A Single Pair of Boots?

[Saprogenic]

I'm thru-hiking the AT this year, heading sobo this summer. Is it really a given that you will go through several pairs of boots? I'm a boot person, worn them my whole life, and am not switching to trail runners. I bought a pair of Danner Pronghorns http://www.danner.com/pronghornr-gtx...ing-boots.html , and have been breaking them in. Should I expect to need a second pair? Or is it likely they'll last the trip? If they last the trip, think they'd be done for by the end, or still usable?

[ScottP]

You'll probably buy a pair of lighter boots/trail runners within the first month

[swjohnsey]

A shame that Danner is now sellin' stuff made in China. My guess is that they will last the trip but not much more. I've worn Danner boots for years.

[moldy]

You can make it easy with one pair of boots. Especially leather boots. Most people who go through boots, do so because there feet hurt and try to feel better with other boots. Check out AWOL's book. He must go through a half dozen pairs looking for something that may not even exist. The other thing that happens is that people don't like to fix their boots. I examined a bunch of the old boots hanging from the rafters inside the store at Neil's gap. Most of those boots are fixable. Shoe repair is a lost and almost dead art but you can find places all along the trail to have them fixed. I mostely fix them myself. The toe's of my Hi-Tech waterproof boots started peling back from day one. I just glue them up over night and press on. A good pair of hiking boots is like an old friend.

[trucker2015]

I wear hiking boot every day all day. (Timberland) and I know I get well over 2000 miles out of a pair.

[leaftye]

I bought a pair of Danner Pronghorns http://www.danner.com/pronghornr-gtx...ing-boots.html , and have been breaking them in. Should I expect to need a second pair? Or is it likely they'll last the trip? If they last the trip, think they'd be done for by the end, or still usable?

They have an EVA midsole, so theoretically they will only last as long as running shoes.

[Edwardo Rodriguez]

I will plan on it. Personally am planing to go through at lest 3 pairs of boots just got a pair of North Face hedgehog GTX and starting on my training walks so far so good.

[CrumbSnatcher]

montrail moraines----1999

[Blissful]

If your feet go bad, so does your hike. Take care of them and they take care of you. The first eight weeks of trail are tough SOBO.

[bigcranky]

They have an EVA midsole, so theoretically they will only last as long as running shoes.

Yeah, +1 on this. The EVA foam gets compressed and loses its ability to cushion. Modern serious boots have a rubber midsole, old fashioned Italian mountaineering boots used leather.

Plus they weigh almost four pounds.

These are designed as hunting boots. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm sure they'd be just fine hiking, but there are good reasons why many (most?) long distance hikers wear trail runners.

[DavidNH]

Expect your boots to die.. probably in pennsylvainia (all the damn rocks). I'm a boot person too. Tried trail runners (i.e. sneakers) for a few hundred miles. worked fine till conditions got wet. then they were torture boxes. Stick with boots.

[handlebar]

My LaSportiva Makalu's made it the whole way, 2650 mi, on the PCT, got resoled, and I'm still wearing them. Tried trail runners in Oregon, but my feet were aching after 25 miles, so I switched back to the boots. The main thing is they need to fit well, else it's blister city.

[Grampie]

I did the whole trail in 2001 useing one pair of boots. They were Montrail AT Hikers. Had them resoled after about 1500 miles. At the end of my hike they were totaly broken down and I through them away.

[timmy_toes]

I hope my Innv 8 make it the entire length! if they do I would bronze them

[leaftye]

I hope my Innv 8 make it the entire length! if they do I would bronze them

They won't.