The best option for footwear/socks/rain gear

[Boot of the Beast]

In May 2017 I am planning to walk from St Jean Pied de Port to as far as I can get in 3 weeks (Burgos?) and I’m uncertain how I should approach my footwear.

I think it is likely I will face some rain at this time of year.


What I know about myself now:

• I am 55 and exercise reasonably regularly without being any sort athlete;
  
  
• My feet are overpronated for which I have custom made orthotics. I favour shoes which emphasise stability/ motion control (my go to training shoe is the Brooks Beast);
  
  
• I have a habit of going over on my ankles, regular walking and stepping exercises lessen this a lot;
  
  
• I am more likely to feel too hot than too cold.

The foot/rain gear I think I want to use on the Camino:

• Salomon Quest Gore Tex boots (for stability and ankle support + waterproof) with a light to mid hiking sock (less heat build up?) and maybe a very light liner sock (if it doesn’t increase heat too much).
  
  
• A rain poncho, probably a Sea to Summit as that seems to be the most widely available in Australia. I feel like a jacket and pants will be way too hot.

My doubts:

• Am I being a fool to myself by choosing a high cut and less breathable boot that may be too hot for me?
  

• Are the benefits of a waterproof boot less than I might think? I’m thinking here of dark suggestions that they will likely fill with water anyway and then will be buggers to dry out.

My questions, based on your experience, are :

• Is my choice of footwear a sensible option?
  
  
• Are thinner socks cooler?
  
  
• Does a liner sock add to heat? If so, is there a thin liner that minimises this?
  
  
• If I go for a high cut gore tex boot, what extra things do I need to do to lessen the risk of getting wet feet anyway?

Thank you for any advice you can offer

 

[Mark Lee]

You are gonna get a lot of opinions on that subject. ha ha
For the month of May I am sure that poncho will work just fine. Although the odds are that you will get some rain on you, it might not rain on you at all. You never know. My first Camino (July-August) I had no rain days and I'm glad I didn't as I had zero rain gear, ha ha. Not even a pack cover. Total rain days on my other Caminos? About five I think. So that's about five days out of one hundred (approximately) that I was rained on.
I'm a big proponent of wearing running shoes, trail runners or trail shoes on the CF. Not saying that the higher cut hiking type boots are all bad, it's just that I never saw anyone wearing running shoes suffering from blisters and other foot problems. It was the hiking boot crowd with thick heavy socks that seemed to have the most problems.
I own a pair of Brooks Beasts for running. Good shoe for over-pronaters, and they are very well made. You could probably walk your Camino in them during the month of May. Not as grippy as trail runners, but I'm sure they would do fine. I saw a lot of pilgrims wearing running shoes.
I'm also a proponent of thin, synthetic running socks. They just seem to keep my feet cooler and blister free. The main causes of blisters are sweaty feet and poor fitting shoes and wrong sock choice.
cheers and ultreia

 

[Jo Jo]

A couple of suggestions:

1) If you have a tendency to turn your ankle, get a pair of trekking poles and practice walking with them (walk like an animal--front paw (hand) with opposite rear paw (leg). Took me a while, but now is second nature. They have saved me from countless falls (and saved my knees--but that is a different issue).

2) I have turned my ankle as often in higher boots as in low-cut shoes. I just do not think mid or high cut boots provide any protection from that unless you lace them so tight around the top that you end up bruising your Achilles tendon, which I have done. That bruising is very painful and debilitating (read: end of the Camino).

3) Waterproof boots are a mistake in my experience. First, they do not keep your feet dry in any extended rain. Second, they take forever to dry once they do get wet. Third, they are much hotter. In a July 2014 Camino, the heat plus the wet from the rains (plus the concrete and asphalt) resulted in an amazing collection of blisters. A much better strategy is to have footwear that will dry quickly. Walking with damp feet is pretty much inevitable if it is raining, but manageable. The issue is when it stops raining and my feet get hot and there is all that extra moisture in the wet boot. If you tend to be on the warm side (as am I), my feet will pretty much stay only slightly damp even in a hard rain because my body heat will dry them. Having a waterproof membrane around them impedes that evaporative process, even if it is theoretically "breathable."

4) what I finally settled on (after buying 4 pairs of shoes to replace my boots, donated in Santo Domingo), was two pairs of shoes. Keen Sandals (then Newports, but now Arroyo II) for the gravel/dirt roads and during the rain. And athletic shoes with lots and lots of cushion in the sole, for all of the blessed concrete and asphalt. The running shoes should be very breathable (when you blow air one them, a hand inside the shoe should be able to feel the breeze). The breathability means they will also dry fast if wet (although I tend to use the sandals in the rain anyway). A second pair of shoes is heavy, but the most important item in my pack and well worth the weight in my opinion.

5) poncho is great

6) I only use a single pair of liner socks (in my case, Injin toe socks). The double sock system was designed by backpackers carrying far heavier loads in far taller mountains (read: cooler mountains). It was way too hot on the Camino. Actually, even most backpackers have abandoned the system (pack weights have dropped significantly with the advent of newer materials) unless their feet are cold.

Buen Camino,
Jo Jo

 

[trecile]

As far as the liner socks go, I've heard of people that use knee high nylons for this purpose - very thin and cheap too!
Or you may want to check out some of the double layer socks. I just bought a pair by Wright that I like.

 

[Shalaw]

We had 3 days of rain when we did our camino last fall, and I'm talking torrential stuff. So my boots got very wet and even though my fiancé laughed at me, I ultimately put my feet in zip lock bags before putting my boots on. They sweated a little but at least they were not soaking wet!! We would stuff our boots with newspaper each evening and this seemed to help dry them out a bit better. We use Glide or Vaseline on our feet before putting our merino wool, lined socks on which also helped stave off any blisters. I prefer a boot with a good ankle support myself and couldn't walk in sandals, much as I tried. There's also things called gators which are supposed to go over your boots and keep the water out, but I'm not sure how well they work.

Buen Camino!!

 

[james walter purdum iv]

In May 2017 I am planning to walk from St Jean Pied de Port to as far as I can get in 3 weeks (Burgos?) and I’m uncertain how I should approach my footwear.

I think it is likely I will face some rain at this time of year.


What I know about myself now:

• I am 55 and exercise reasonably regularly without being any sort athlete;
  
  
• My feet are overpronated for which I have custom made orthotics. I favour shoes which emphasise stability/ motion control (my go to training shoe is the Brooks Beast);
  
  
• I have a habit of going over on my ankles, regular walking and stepping exercises lessen this a lot;
  
  
• I am more likely to feel too hot than too cold.

The foot/rain gear I think I want to use on the Camino:

• Salomon Quest Gore Tex boots (for stability and ankle support + waterproof) with a light to mid hiking sock (less heat build up?) and maybe a very light liner sock (if it doesn’t increase heat too much).
  
  
• A rain poncho, probably a Sea to Summit as that seems to be the most widely available in Australia. I feel like a jacket and pants will be way too hot.

My doubts:

• Am I being a fool to myself by choosing a high cut and less breathable boot that may be too hot for me?

• Are the benefits of a waterproof boot less than I might think? I’m thinking here of dark suggestions that they will likely fill with water anyway and then will be buggers to dry out.

My questions, based on your experience, are :

• Is my choice of footwear a sensible option?
  
  
• Are thinner socks cooler?
  
  
• Does a liner sock add to heat? If so, is there a thin liner that minimises this?
  
  
• If I go for a high cut gore tex boot, what extra things do I need to do to lessen the risk of getting wet feet anyway?

Thank you for any advice you can offer

i walked in salomon gtx 2 ultra mids...the mids have ankle support but unlike i high boot there is no cause for shinsplints. they are waterproof to an extent but wear like boot sneakers...i also used vaseline and a liner under my wool sock...one blister in 500 miles.

good luck!!

 

[Urban Trekker]

In May 2017 I am planning to walk from St Jean Pied de Port to as far as I can get in 3 weeks (Burgos?) and I’m uncertain how I should approach my footwear.

I think it is likely I will face some rain at this time of year.


What I know about myself now:

• I am 55 and exercise reasonably regularly without being any sort athlete;
  
  
• My feet are overpronated for which I have custom made orthotics. I favour shoes which emphasise stability/ motion control (my go to training shoe is the Brooks Beast);
  
  
• I have a habit of going over on my ankles, regular walking and stepping exercises lessen this a lot;
  
  
• I am more likely to feel too hot than too cold.

The foot/rain gear I think I want to use on the Camino:

• Salomon Quest Gore Tex boots (for stability and ankle support + waterproof) with a light to mid hiking sock (less heat build up?) and maybe a very light liner sock (if it doesn’t increase heat too much).
  
  
• A rain poncho, probably a Sea to Summit as that seems to be the most widely available in Australia. I feel like a jacket and pants will be way too hot.

My doubts:

• Am I being a fool to myself by choosing a high cut and less breathable boot that may be too hot for me?

• Are the benefits of a waterproof boot less than I might think? I’m thinking here of dark suggestions that they will likely fill with water anyway and then will be buggers to dry out.

My questions, based on your experience, are :

• Is my choice of footwear a sensible option?
  
  
• Are thinner socks cooler?
  
  
• Does a liner sock add to heat? If so, is there a thin liner that minimises this?
  
  
• If I go for a high cut gore tex boot, what extra things do I need to do to lessen the risk of getting wet feet anyway?

Thank you for any advice you can offer

Finding shoes that you like and work for you takes time and patients. I went through a lot of shoes and boots until I founds the Adidas TeraX low and high top shoes. I've been wearing them for almost 3 years. No blisters. No twisted ankles. I have a hard heal strike and push off on the ball and big toes of my feet and blisters and heel pain were problematic. The TeraX are made with Gore-Tex and other man made materials and have built in roll bars and a wide long stiff shank and they last. They forced me to changed my gait for the better and like I said no blisters no twisted ankles. I can't speak about the Solomons but my camino companion bought some for our April camino and so far swears by them.

When you are averaging 15 miles a day your feet are going to get hot sock or no socks. If I wear sock liners I will get blisters. I wear 1 pair of medium weight Moreno wool and synthetic fiber blend socks. I like WigWams.

When it rains in Spain it tends to pour. Lots of deep flowing and freestanding water. Your feet are going to get wet. At the end of the day stuff your wet shoes with news paper. The paper fibers are very absorbent and will suck the water right out of your shoes. I would hit up the occasional news stands for old papers.

I take a light weight wind and rain prof shell with a hood but I also carry a zip up poncho. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[MTtoCamino]

I recommend non gortex even starting in April it gets warm quick my experience my boots got soaked even if I had gortex the mud was deep enough it was always over the top of my boot. For spring take 5 pairs of wool socks I like smart wool, I couldn't wear sock liners, blisters. Then you will find when it is that wet nothing drys very high humidity. You can go max 2 days without a dryer but eventually it will stop you without finding one.
Take rain pants if going in April they will help the mud situation as well.

 

[koilife]

My son walked in 2013 using Brooks Beast, including with 10 days of moderate to heavy rain. He used heat-molded inserts and good merino socks. That's it. One small blister between his toes where he got some toe-on-toe action one day for some unknown reason. Proper lacing remains a key to lock the heel in place.

As to the question of ankle turning, that's not a problem he or I typically face, so I can't comment from experience, except to say that the suggestions about also using poles seem reasonable.

As to rain gear, the poncho should be fine. We used umbrellas instead with a water-resistant wind breaker and were fine in our 10 days of rain. There are religious wars fought on the site regarding rain gear, but the poncho will probably suffice if you're comfortable with it. Also, if you need the poles for stability, then the poncho probably makes more sense than an umbrella anyways.

 

[Rajy62]

My questions, based on your experience, are :

• Is my choice of footwear a sensible option?
• Are thinner socks cooler?
• Does a liner sock add to heat? If so, is there a thin liner that minimises this?
• If I go for a high cut gore tex boot, what extra things do I need to do to lessen the risk of getting wet feet anyway?

Thank you for any advice you can offer

As you can see everyone will have different experiences.....

Ankle high shoes gives me better support and feedback. Do train with your boots and break them in.. I walked two Caminos in non gore-tex high cut shoes.

Weather or not to have gore-tex is entirely upto you. If you are like average person with less sweaty feet, gore-tex should provide a good compromise against rain, mud, cold etc.. In the event that water gets into your boots, place some news papers in overnight to absorb the water.

I prefer mid weight merino wool socks. Liner socks creates an insulation layer hence will result in a warmer microclimate. Why do you think you need liners? It is not for everyone. You have to try and see if it helps you. I don't use any liners, vaseline or anything. Best thing is to let your feet breathe naturally. This earlier thread discusses various blister prevention strategies (a guide by an Australian podiatrist).

When facing torrential rain, the only thing that will help is rain pants that goes over your boots. Most of the light rainy days, i am in shorts and poncho. I use a sleeve-less tarp poncho, similar to the ones made by sea to summit.

 

[MilenaS]

i walked in salomon gtx 2 ultra mids...the mids have ankle support but unlike i high boot there is no cause for shinsplints. they are waterproof to an extent but wear like boot sneakers...i also used vaseline and a liner under my wool sock...one blister in 500 miles.

good luck!!

This is good to here. I have the same shoes but have felt them a little bit warm which has lead to blisters. I hope that the right sock combination will solve this problem.

 

[Magnara]

In May 2017 I am planning to walk from St Jean Pied de Port to as far as I can get in 3 weeks (Burgos?) and I’m uncertain how I should approach my footwear.

I think it is likely I will face some rain at this time of year.


What I know about myself now:

• I am 55 and exercise reasonably regularly without being any sort athlete;
  
  
• My feet are overpronated for which I have custom made orthotics. I favour shoes which emphasise stability/ motion control (my go to training shoe is the Brooks Beast);
  
  
• I have a habit of going over on my ankles, regular walking and stepping exercises lessen this a lot;
  
  
• I am more likely to feel too hot than too cold.

The foot/rain gear I think I want to use on the Camino:

• Salomon Quest Gore Tex boots (for stability and ankle support + waterproof) with a light to mid hiking sock (less heat build up?) and maybe a very light liner sock (if it doesn’t increase heat too much).
  
  
• A rain poncho, probably a Sea to Summit as that seems to be the most widely available in Australia. I feel like a jacket and pants will be way too hot.

My doubts:

• Am I being a fool to myself by choosing a high cut and less breathable boot that may be too hot for me?

• Are the benefits of a waterproof boot less than I might think? I’m thinking here of dark suggestions that they will likely fill with water anyway and then will be buggers to dry out.

My questions, based on your experience, are :

• Is my choice of footwear a sensible option?
  
  
• Are thinner socks cooler?
  
  
• Does a liner sock add to heat? If so, is there a thin liner that minimises this?
  
  
• If I go for a high cut gore tex boot, what extra things do I need to do to lessen the risk of getting wet feet anyway?

Thank you for any advice you can offer

Everyone has strong and often differing opinions on equipment! However I will add my two cents worth - for an Aussie particularly (like me). Instead of a poncho - hot, flappy, and with that hood constricting movement and allowing rain to splash on your face...ugh! Instead we did Goretex two layer jacket, and an Akubra hat - great in sun but also in rain, as it keeps your face and neck dry and allows you to look around with no beastly hood..aaah. It also is a one stop piece of headgear as it is great in sun, too. And a good conversation-starter, lots of people comment and say "Aussie."