RE: [Philmont]: ?hiking boots

> From: g.dboyd@verizon.net
> My experience - Philmont and other - says don't get hung up
> on brands or models. The most important consideration is fit
> and break-in. Get the best you can afford, fitted properly
> (including putting weight on you back) and put lots of miles
> on them before you go. A pair of sturdy $100 boots properly
> fitted and seasoned will treat you better than a $300 pair
> chosen for the wrong reasons and left in the box until your trek.
>
> >From: david richardson <drichi@swbell.net>
> >I am looking for a little help on which hiking boots to take
> a look at
> >for philmont next year. I see that all the vasque sundowner
> boots are
> >made in china now instead of italy. I was going to take a
> hard look at
> >these and asolo 535 tps boots. Has anyone had any experience
> with the
> >new sundowners?
> >
Yeah, Gary hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter what
the price tag is on the boot. If it doesn't fit, around day
3 you are going to start having some very bad days. If it
fits and you wear appropriate socks and keep your feet dry,
you will have a great trek. Although none of the days on
any of the treks at Philmont is particularly tough, some are
more challenging than others, especially for flatlanders who
are not used to the little hills they have in the Sangre de
Cristos. And those long days do accummulate.

I got lucky this year. My broken in boots blew out on a
hike to half dome in Yosemite just one week before our trek.
We were only two miles in, and I had 15 to go on that round trip.
Since it was a day hike, I didn't have any duct tape, so I
was asking everyone we met if they had something.
I had to get new boots that I could only break in by wearing
to work (as an attorney, that worked out kind of strangely :-).
I probably could not manage more than about 3 miles in those
new boots when I hit the trail. They turned out to be the most
comfortable boots I've ever worn, and I had no problems.

BUT, I took an extra long time to find a good fit, and
made sure I got a pretty good pair of boots. But I was
very concerned going into the trek. If I had had time
to break them in, I probably would have gotten a less
expensive boot from a decent brand.

We had only one scout with foot problems on our trek, he
insisted on wearing cotton crew socks in his boots
without liners, so naturally he got some blisters. He
brought appropriate socks but refused to wear them. Since he
was a very experienced hiker, and he didn't let it slow him
down, I didn't demand a change.

So, bottom line: well broken in, appropriate socks, make a
point of keeping feet dry and socks clean (wash socks pretty
much daily, they take about 36 hours to dry)
Regards
Don Roberts
808-K 05
Fullerton, CA

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Received on Fri Sep 23 12:38:25 2005