[philmont] Recommendations on Boots? - or no boots

Last summer we were expedition 701-H1.
No crew member wore leather. Some people wore mid-height and other wore full height
(you know half way to you knees) boot.
 
Only one Scout had blisters to speak off and he had 'borrowed' hiking boots
that his brother had worn to Philmont --- big mistake
 
I think its important to break the boots in walking, hiking, and backpacking but remember to
bring sock liners and thick hiking socks to the shoe store when you shop in the evening.
You feet are a little larger in the evening and after hiking all morning your feet will be larger.
My Merrell's were size 11 but I were size 10 shoes for day wear. At Philmont they seemed just the right size.
 
My Merrell Moab Ventilators mid-heights were lightweight and very supportive except on a few trails where I wish that I had a full height boot. I did not sprain my ankles in them nor did I have sore feet
(well no more than expected for backpacking 3-14 miles a day :)
 
The funniest things about boots is the water-proof claim!
Scouts and trail-naive Adults would point to there boots where the boot actually had printed on it waterproof. They would claim that that meant they were impervious to water. Then at water crossings they would walk through the streams instead of over them on the crossing logs.
When we got to camp, they would put on their camp shoes immediately so that their hiking boots could dry out. (Half the time at stream-crossings, the stream was higher than their boots so water poured through that big hole in the top:)
 
Remember to buy sock liners and then good hiking socks and leave the cotton tube socks at home!
 
My 2 cents,
Sam Taylor
ASM T89, Austin, Texas.
"I used to be a Bear ......
 
Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance"
>>> On 05-Dec-07 at 7:05 AM, in message <MDAEMON-F200712050705.AA0534514pd50004867160@troop47.com>, Terry Pogue <terrencepogue@yahoo.com> wrote:
Great advice on boots and just as importanly - socks. I'm one that doesn't wear boots but I wear heavier trail walking shoes, same kind of merino wool socks described earlier. In 82 I wore Red Wing low cut work shoes and in 05 I wore, and still do, a Salomon low cut heavy hiker - can't remember the model name. Shoes/boots come in all kinds of combinations of leather and fabric. Sometime last year one of the posts said that a doctor on their committee thought that over the ankle boots promoted sprains on some people. The only sprain I ever got hiking was when I was wearing boots - and just a light day hike.
 
Guys in our troop who have had good insoles put into their boots/shoes swear by them.
 
Terry Pogue
Greater St. Louis Area Council

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Received on Wed Dec 5 07:35:38 2007