How much do shoe treads wear?

[Terrri]

I have some hikers that are really comfortable and I was intending on wearing them on the camino. My dilemma is that now I am worried that because the treads are worn a bit they won't last the whole camino. Does anyone have experience with this or had similar issues?

It seems that most people buy new shoes for this and I am not sure if it is because they don't own hikers or if it is they want newer shoes with plenty of tread.

 

[ausmarko]

Hard to know. Hot dry conditions will wear them out faster than muddy soft conditions.
You shouldn't have a problem as long as they are not badly worn. If you can see the tread and it is not smoothed off then there won't be a problem. I had brand new boots and the only problem was a lace that wore through because of the constant pounding. I would carry at least one spare shoe lace set with you because of this reason and it will definitely be on my packing list for my portugues walk this year. (I will be using the same boots that I wore on the Camino Frances by the way).

I found a great Outdoor store in Astorga (You can't miss it. Main square and he had a huge Deuter bag out the front) that appeared in just the right spot and replaced them next day. The special purpose laces will be hard to find and will invariably break in the middle of nowhere

 

[Kiwi-family]

Depends on the shoe I think. For four years I owned one pair of sandals (Keens Newport). They were the only things I wore on my feet in that time (including our Camino walk and a lot of hiking and road walking at home). By the end of four years they were well and truly worn but still servicable.

 

[ffp13]

I wore the same boots for two caminos and a little bit of training, they died about 100 km before Santiago they were so comfy like an old glove, but the sprung a leaks that sucked in water from even the lightest rain shower. Total km I estimate 2000+ they had a vibram sole, they were an American brand Garmont, which had the contract to supply combat boots to the US military.





The replacement boots were purchased in an outdoor store in Austria, goretex but no vibram sole, the sole was the shoe manufactures own propriety composition, they have only completed one Camino and some training walks for my next Camino all up about 1200 km, after checking the wear of the sole I started breaking in a new pair because I knew they would not last.



The life of a shoe is also dependant on ones walking style and weight

 

[dfitzg773]

I walked the Camino Frances (SJPP to SDC and on to Muxia/Finesterre) last fall. I was not sure how long my hiking boots would last and was surprised by the end the mesh near the tops of the toes was beginning to rip.

They were new at the start of my training last year and by the end of the Camino I figured I walked 780 miles in them.

When I returned home, I emailed REI (where i bought them) to aske about how long they should last and they said 350 miles--I was surprised. The treads sill are fine, it is just some little rips in the mesh on top.

FYI.

Dan

 

[nreyn12]

From what I've heard from hiking boot salespeople, the average hiking boot is meant to last for 500 miles (of course the better boots will last longer). The question is, what actually wears out? Is it the tread? The inner support? The soft parts on the outside tops?

I have never had a pair of hiking boots long enough to wear out the tread; the other stuff always goes first. If your boots are in good shape otherwise, maybe just do a careful review of the treads. If there are no weak points or vulnerabilities, they should see you through a Camino walk.

Nancy

 

[Sojourner47]

I have some hikers that are really comfortable and I was intending on wearing them on the camino. My dilemma is that now I am worried that because the treads are worn a bit they won't last the whole camino. Does anyone have experience with this or had similar issues?

It seems that most people buy new shoes for this and I am not sure if it is because they don't own hikers or if it is they want newer shoes with plenty of tread.

How long is a piece of string?
The only answer is: it depends.
It depends on how much you weigh (and how much you're carrying), how you walk (a surprisingly large number of people scuff their feet on the ground...), what kind of terrain you're covering, etc etc.
You can perhaps get an idea from looking back at approximately how far you've walked in the shoes already - as others have said, if there's still a fair amount of tread, and, most importantly if they are comfortable (can you feel stones through the soles?) they should be OK. Much of the camino is on pavement/tarmac, which is harder on shoes than springy grassed paths...

 

[Kathy F.]

Timely question. I had been worried that I was going to wear out my boots in my efforts to break them in. I bought them just before Christmas and have been wearing them just about every day. But, from the information on this site, I think they'll last for the Camino. They are comfy as all get out!! A brand that was unfamiliar to me from a mall shoe store, on sale (50 euro!!!). Vibram soles, high tops, excellent for slogging through mud. I've put some serious mileage on them and not a hint of a blister (I also am careful to wear sock liners and clean, comfortable socks).
Kathy

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I think the tread on my two pairs would have gone on forever. But after 1500km or so from Le Puy the fabric round the ankles on my first pair had worn through to the plastic inner. I just use them now to mow the lawns. Last year I was really disappointed with my second pair as the outer layer near my toes seemed to perish and come apart after only ten days walking. Somehow managed to nurse them through seven weeks then binned them.
Margaret

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I get about two caminos out of a pair of boots, and one camino out of the rubber tips on my trekking poles. While boots may seem to be lasting forever, they give out quite suddenly, and in the most inconvenient places! I suggest you work in a new pair of shoes, if you old ones are showing wear. Getting a good fit in Spain may be hard, and they won't be worn in at all.

 

[dougfitz]

There was a similar discussion on this last year, at http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/pilgrim-introductions/topic12656.html. Since my posts to that, I have traded in my Scarpa Treks - they had become marginally too small as my feed have spread. There was still plenty of wear on the soles after nearly five years of regular use and a couple more of infrequent use, including the Camino Frances.

Soft soled boots are a different proposition, even those with soles from Vibram. The Asolo TP535s I wore on St Olav's Way last year showed considerable wear after only 700km, mainly at the heel. They will last a fair bit longer yet, but I don't expect them to do as well as the Scarpas.

Regards

 

[rickster]

Agree with Nancy, most inner soles wear out long before the tread and it is difficult to tell when they are worn out enough that they should be replaced. Could still be fairly comfortable but not great on your feet.

 

[Tincatinker]

I set out last year on the Frances in a broken-in but not well worn pair of Brasher Hillmasters. They had maybe done a hundred and fifty miles. StJdP to Santiago and later Santiago to Muxia and Fisterra; well they won't do that again but they're fine for walking the dog and a re-sole is going to be about a third of the cost of a new pair. Vibram soles from the local boot- mender probably less. New boots on the Camino ain't like new panties on a first date. Comfort scores over glory every time.

 

[annakappa]

My Merrel's last each time 2 Camino's ( Roncesvalles to Santiago, or similar). They have Vibram soles and, strangely wear out inside, especially around the heel area, before the outside! Anne

 

[Tia Valeria]

Agree with Nancy, most inner soles wear out long before the tread and it is difficult to tell when they are worn out enough that they should be replaced. Could still be fairly comfortable but not great on your feet.

We find that the inner wears out first too. Walking downhill can lead to feet feeling slightly bruised and means it is time for new boots. Our latest pairs for this year (Grisport) have replaceable insoles so hopefully will last their soles out. Our first Hi-Tec boots wore very well, training plus walking, but the present pair have only done about 350 - 400 kms (Inglés and Tineo to Santiago) on the Camino. We have worn them this year as training wear and the inners have compacted as we have had to road walk for months. This is partly what wears the boots out, both inside and out, so we are waiting as long as possible before wearing the new ones (although they did get a trial to check comfort).

 

[AJ]

Soft soled boots are a different proposition, even those with soles from Vibram. The Asolo TP535s I wore on St Olav's Way last year showed considerable wear after only 700km, mainly at the heel. They will last a fair bit longer yet, but I don't expect them to do as well as the Scarpas.

I usually wear Asolo with Vibram sole. They are very worn, especially at the heel, after 1800 km. The best I have done with them is Rome to Burgos. I have also worn Hi-Tec with a carbon rubber sole. These died at about the 1300km mark

My experience with wear on the linings seems different from other posters. The linings and uppers have always been in good condition when the treads were worn out. I would gladly have had the boots resoled but for the expense. This applies to both Asolo and Hi-Tec.

 

[camino-david]

I have a pair of HI-Tec boots that have taken me several thousand kms and the uppers are in good condition and they fit me like a glove. they have just been resoled and heeled with Vibram and are now like new again. This repair is a specialised job carried out by repairers approved by Vibram - thus only one company in England and one company in Australia are approved. If you want a top repair that will last a 1000 km or more, suggest you contact Vibram for the repairer in your counry.

 

[Terrri]

Thanks for all the responses. My boots are just cheapy ones I bought a couple of years ago from the Bass Pro shop that were so comfortable the second I tried them on. Unfortunately for me they don't make them anymore or else I would travel the distance to buy another pair.

My boots are just starting to get a bit of a flat spot in a couple of places and I am not expecting them to be coming home with me but still not sure if I should risk them falling apart on the camino. The upper and inside is in perfect shape and I just bought a new insole for some extra cushioning.

I have tried keens and merrils but they just don't fit my feet properly. Living in a small town with only a few outdoor stores doesn't help with the options either.

Our weather seems to be like the camino right now so not sure if I would even get a chance to wear sandals while walking to balance out the wear of my shoes. We are having snow right now. Leaving near the end of next month and still indecisive!