Yet another Shoe Question!

[sonic]

Hi Everyone,

I read most of the boot/shoe/trainer related questions on this forum. I'm going to be doing the Camino from St. Jean at the beginning of April and was wondering, once again, what you would recommend. I'm the type who hates those thick big boots and I have a nice worn in light hiking trainer with good grip, but unfortunately, not waterproof. Emphasis on the light and negatively, on the non-waterproof.

Considering it's April, even with gaiters, this would be a no-no right? Otherwise, I have to go do some waterproof boot shopping. :x

 

[Portia1]

I walked in the fall--September into October and had lots of rain. I would NOT have used waterproof/Goretex shoes for two reasons. One, the dust would have clogged them up big time as there are long stretches of dirt, dust and mud which do not make for a very breathable shoe made with goretex. There is a lot of pavement walking and believe me, your feet will get hot. Goretex increases the temperature inside your boot and debris blocking the venting increases it even more.

Second, once they get wet, non-goretex shoes tend to dry quicker. Clean them up (I took a nail brush and used that to give them a good going over), pull the insoles out, and stuff the shoes with newspaper and they will get reasonably dry. If it rains steadily for a couple of days (I had ten days of rain) after a while, goretex shoes are going to get wet no matter what anybody says. Gaiters help keep your shoes cleaner and put off the major wetness for a while so they might be something to consider for spring walking, especially if they are very lightweight, but not essential. In addition, my goretex shoes are heavier. I couldn't justify the extra weight--and especially now after I've made the journey. Pavement walking is hard enough on your knees without the added weight on your feet.

I bow to those who walked in the spring but I would go with the shoes you feel very good about even though they aren't waterproof. In the days between SJPP and Santiago, you will probably have many more days of sun than of rain. Buen Camino!

 

[colinPeter]

My wife & I walked from SJPP in April 2009.
We both wore Gortex boots (Merrell & Patagonia) . We will wear them again in October.
I hate heavy boots but the there are lightweight ones with good ankle support.
Buen Camino
Col

 

[Sansthing]

Sonic, your trainers sound ideal - light, worn and with a grip, just like the ones I used on my first Camino. I will wear trainers again this year. The only issue was their getting wet, which happened to me a couple of times. What I did was after putting my socks on in the morning I put each foot in a plastic bag before putting on the trainer. The bags never bothered me during the day's walking and I had dry feet and socks at the end of the day. One or two days with the bags was sufficient for the trainers to dry out. Good luck and buen Camino.
Sandra :arrow:

 

[sonic]

Ah, many thanks for the suggestions!
I'm pretty much going to expect much wetness and go with the goal of inventing some magical drying technique that no one in the world has invented yet. ehem... hair dryer?

Either that or I'll end up buying some relative "waterproof" boot in Spain that gets me soggy anyway and raise my fist to the sky in mock anger and vengeance.

Buen Camino indeed. :mrgreen:

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I have used these mid ankle shoes by Salamon on the Camino Frances in Winter, the Via de la Plata in January and Spring, the Camino Portugues in Summer, the Camino Madrid in August (!) and 5 times on the Camino Ingles - and they are still good to go. They come far enough up my ankle for waterproof trousers to cover them. The only time I have used gaiters is in deep snow. And my feet would only get wet if I stepped in water deep enough to come over the top.

Shoes or boots with a goretex lining for me all the time.

 

[+@^^]

@Johnnie
? hows the ventilation and heat when walking in the summer months
i read that goretex hampers airflow, feet overheat, and blisters abound
? whats your experience

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I have never had any problem although on the Madrid route in 44 degrees I did walk for a while in sandals!

 

[PilgrimChris]

I agree with JohnnieWalker - goretex lined boots every time.

Stories of overheating feet can be heard about all walking shoes/boots when worn for hours, walking 20+ kilometers a day in hot weather. I always stop every couple of hours, take off my boots and let my feet AND boots air whilst i rest for however long i feel like resting.

As for dry feet - well i have never had wet feet even walking for 4 days in the North Yorkshire Moors when it poured down every day and night! Trust me that was not one of my more pleasant wild camp hikes, but it would have been so much worse with wet feet

As for dust clogging goretex lined footwear? Well it may have been the case in early goretex footwear and even in the less well constructed models available, but i have not experienced this. Mind you i do look after my footwear as i want it to look after my feet

 

[sonic]

Hmmm, checked out my outdoor store just in case and I'm giving a go with goretex socks. I heard some people love them, so I'm going to give them a shot considering how non-waterproof my shoes are. Better safe than sorry was my thought process here.

 

[AJ]

I wear Asolo leather boots with gore-tex lining. I walked 1800 km in them last year and had no problems with them at all, even walking the meseta in July. The lateral ankle support was a big issue for me. In the past I have broken bones in my foot when twisting my ankle badly.

 

[sonic]

Probably not the right place to post, but muchos gracias for all the tips.

And... I'm off! Buen Camino! *knock on wood*
Hopefully bump into some people in end of March and/or month of April! :mrgreen: