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Recommendations for Wide and Light Hikers with Gortex layer for Trail Running

Martin 888

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF ‘19 and ‘22, CP ‘23 and ‘24, CN ‘24
I have searched the forum before posting this question but I couldn’t find an answer…..sorry for another boring shoe question.
I have wide feet (ee) and these days walk most of my miles in Altra Lone Peak 6’s which are excellent for people like me with ‘hobbit feet’! However, as my Hanwag Gortex lined hikers have now started to leak, I want to supplement my kit with a similarly light and wide hiker/trail runner that has a Gortex layer for those wet days. My next outing is the Portuguese in March when you can experience all sorts of weather.
Any recommendations/advice would be most gratefully received.
 
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Altra has several "all weather" water resistant shoes. Here are a couple.

Men's Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Mid 2 | Altra Running

Feel light and free on the trails in the Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Mid 2. Hike in comfort with a water-resistant, lightweight upper and responsive midsole.
www.altrarunning.com

Men's Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low 2 | Altra Running

Hike in any condition with the Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low 2. Water-resistant bootie construction and a grippy MaxTrac™ outsole let you explore all day in comfort.
www.altrarunning.com
 
If you’re looking for a hiking shoe to replace your Hanwags, let me suggest what has worked well for me on several Caminos: the Merrell Moab.

Moab 3 GORE-TEX®

For over a 15 years, the Merrell® Moab has been the choice of hikers when a choice needs to be made, making it the bestselling hiker in the world. Famous f
www.merrell.com

Of course, as with any shoe, what fits me well may not work for you. But, the Moab 3 does have Gor-tex and it does come in a wide width. My last ones now, after many miles, suffer from leakage too so, I’ll be picking up a new pair for my spring Camino.
 
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I know that you are asking about trail runners, but , after the crazy weather changes in the Norte I decided to change back to hiking boots, wide and comfy and after looking around settled on this pair from keen, They are the most comfortable hiking foot wear that I have ever used ... just my two cents !

Men's Durand II Waterproof Boot Wide

This wide version of our classic waterproof hiking boot is tough, dependable, and—most importantly—comfortable. Explore farther with the superior underfoot comfort of this American Built boot using materials from around the world.
www.keenfootwear.com
 
Topo is my latest wide gortex shoe to use. I liked this pair even more than rhe many Altras and Oboz I have hiked in. They are light, wide, and kept my feet dry. My wife latched on to the New Balance gortex Hierra (sp?) version 6 which has now been replaced by the v 7. They are also wide.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
There is at least 2 opinions for every pair of feet we have! I have wide feet but I doubt as wide as yours. I have walked a lot of caminos. My completely unscientific and with no basis in fact whatsoever except for my eyes. I can say without a shadow of a doubt I have seen more and more severe blisters on people who wear boots than on people who have trail runners. There is also a school of thought (and this does have legitimacy) that you are more susceptible to blisters with waterproof shoes than non waterproof. I have walked over 7,000k on camino and another 3-4,000 (maybe more) kilometers training and I have had only 4 blisters with my Brooks Cascadias, and none since 2015. I never have waterproof Brooks and I have walked in rain, snow and sleet. Some newspaper stuffed in your trail runners when you get to the albergue and if you can again before you go to sleep leaves you with dry shoes in the morning. Having said all this you are probably better off going to a good running store and checking a bunch of shoes out and hope thy have a good return policy. Hokas are a favorite of lots of people too. Don't know if either of these brands have shoes wide enough for you, and don't know if any of my advice is relevant for you either.
 
I gave up on goretex or other waterproofing years ago, for the reasons already mentioned. They inevitably leak if you walk in the rain long enough, and they then trap all the rain inside your shoe. I think the breathability goes a long way to reducing blister forming moments.

I also have had the same experience as @lt56ny, seeing way more people with blisters in boots than in trailrunners (in fact, I think I may have only seen one blister from a trailrunner user). But I know there are many forum members who swear by their boots and that’s fine if they work for them.

I wear the Lone Peaks without any rain coating (I don’t think they use goretex, but something similar), and my shoes have always dried from one day to the next, even in my fall camino last year, where the temps were not as high as when I walk in spring/summer.
 
Merrell! Never ever anything else for me.
 
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Hi Martin
I walked the Camino Portuguese in December and wore gortex Hoka Alcapa’s and had no blisters or foot issues. Also dry feet throughout even though we had a fair bit of rain and I walked through shallow water a few times. They seem to be classed as a hiking shoe not train runners but are very lightweight. I have wide feet and these were a little narrow so I ended up buying a few sizes up. They felt pretty long, but in the end I feel this extra space was part of the reason for no blisters. Highly recommend!
 
I live in Washington state where it rains alot. I like my Lonepeak 4 Vflex high tops which are waterproof they are great.
 
I used to be an avid PCT blog reader, reading many each season where the most common shoe mentioned were Brooks Cascadias - along with the vivid descriptions and sometimes photos of debilitating blisters, so common that many trail towns/trail angels have blister clinics. My theory since most seem to start in the desert at the Mexican Border is the dust and grit pass through the mesh causing friction rather than dampness from dewy grass, rain and puddles - still damp tho until the rain stops and they dry! I guess all shoes/boots can cause issues if the fit and conditions aren't right and we don't manage them well.
 
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I never wear Gortex as I've said before.
I had to wear them when I worked for USFWS and as well as keeping water OUT, they keep your sweat IN.
Caused blisters for me.
I prefer New Balance trail runners on an SL-2 shoe last (narrow heel and wide-deep toe box)
If they get wet, they dry overnight, but in all the years I've been walking, it's never been an issue.
If it's raining THAT hard, I duck into a bar or under a tree - my ALTUS poncho also keeps my feet dry.
 
- Fit depends entirely on one's own feet. Mine are wide and deep in the toe while narrow in the heel which rules out Keen (wide both in toe and heel). The North Face Ultra 110 trail running shoes work well for me, when home I rotate between 3 pair at a time and wear them everywhere, in town, on trails, light backpacking trips - this might be an older model. The New Balance 990 comes in several widths and also fits me very well, but start coming apart very quickly and are quite expensive. My North Face shoes are much more durable.

- Gortex: I've found it keeps water out for a short while but leaks long before the shoes or boots are worn out, sometimes within a day or two. I also feel it doesn't ventilate freely, despite the hype. When needed I've had better success keeping feet dry with plastic bread bags worn over socks.
 
I'm debating between a low hiking shoe and a trail runner. For me it's just about which feels most at home. The hiking shoes plant a little more solidly when walking and I'm no longer athletic enough to need the running capacity. On the other hand, the trail runners are sure nimble and light and have become much sturdier over the years. Mmmmm? I wore a mid-height heavier hiking boot on the last camino from Porto and I did get a few blisters. But in hindsight, the boots were definitely too tight in the toes. I'm older and smarter now. I'm giving my toes a little dancing room!
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Topo shoes. I've worn many pairs of lone peaks on many Camino's and like Topo shoes even better
 
Another vote for Merrell. I bought these a couple months ago and have been very happy with them. Extremely lightweight and comfortable. I read posts from lots of people who say to avoid gortex, so I wasn't looking for gortex, but tried these on and they were the most comfortable ones in the store. We'll see when I'm walking across the Meseta in the heat if I regret having gortex, but I suspect they will be just fine.

MQM 3 GORE-TEX®

Standing for Moving Quickly in the Mountains, the third iteration of our best-selling multitool of footwear is stable enough to hike in, agile enough to ru
www.merrell.com
 
Gor-tex doesn't last long in shoes/boots, but it always will make you hotter (your feet, that is).
If your feet are wide front and back, consider Keen's offerings. If wide in front/ narrow in back I've had good experiences with Northface Ultra 110 which grip well and are durable, this might be an old model but they should have others. Some New Balance shoes fit as well, and are very comfortable, but I gave up on them after a half-dozen pairs started breaking down almost before they got dirty.
 
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