[philmont] blisters

I'll agree with Jim - if the boot fits, it does not need a lot of
breaking in. Both of my sons and myself had some minor blister issues
on our first Philmont trek in 2001. Nothing major, but we each had a
few blisters. Later, we all upgraded boots (much more concerned about
fit than anything else when purchasing) and switched to coolmax liners.
That combination resulted in no blisters for two of us in 2003 and all
three of us again in 2005 including shakedowns. I have a hard time
finding a boot that fits my wide foot. My boots are not worn out, but
getting there after about 500 miles. So I purchased a new pair of the
exact same size and model and put them in the closet figuring that they
will change the model about the time I really need them.

Phil Brown

-----Original Message-----
From: philmont@troop47.com [mailto:philmont@troop47.com] On Behalf Of
James H. Moss
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 12:56 AM
To: philmont List Member
Subject: [philmont] blisters

Modern good boots fit like gloves and don't need much breaking in. I
don't
totally understand the breaking in your feet theory, but I'll check it
out
with the boot manufactures in a couple of weeks.

Based on what I know and have been told, get a good boot. Good boots
fit a
lot better than my shoes and now days are a lot lighter.

First find a last you like Different companies use different lasts and
may
even use different lasts for different boots. My La Sportiva Nepali
Extremes
(high altitude mountaineering boots are size 13 (4'9"). My La Sportiva
Makalu's are size 11. My Makalu's took about 10 minutes to break in (3'
They are different from the current version of Makalu's.) I've spent 5
hours in them with one pair of socks. Not carrying loads, but no
blisters
and no problems. I have them fit by a professional. For a lot of my
boots
I also have orthotics. The orthotics take longer to break in then the
boots.
Although with orthotics you may be breaking in your foot?

Boots are not only getting lighter the support needed to hike is now
considered a lot less. Most long trail hikers (CDT, ATC, PCT, etc) use
beefy
trail running shoes.

Some people argue that lightening the load on your feet is more
effective.
Your foot lifts up and then down. The more weight on your foot, the
harder
you have to work to lift you foot. Not sure the theory is right, but it
sort of makes sense.

Jim Moss

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Received on Sun Jul 23 20:33:44 2006