Isle Royale Forums

So I recently bought some new hiking boots http://www.backcountry.com/vasque-clari ... -boot-mens I wore them for a few days with no problems and went on a couple 3 mile hikes. After that the top part of my foot by the tongue of the boot and my ankles are really sore anytime I walk with the boots on. So I didn't wear them for a few days and I tried them on today again but I am still having the same problem. Is this normal? Should I continue wearing them through the pains in smaller intervals till they are broken in or just go with another pair of boots? Thanks! P.s. I have been wearing Smartwool Light hiking socks with them. Also I am getting significantly more pain in my left foot. This is my first pair of hiking boots.

One more hike

I've been bending them by hand trying to soften them up. Should I wait till my left foot feels better before I even try them on again? I might have had they laced too tight in the beginning and my foot was not bending when I was walking. I'm thinking this is why my the top of my foot hurts. Sorry I'm probably rambling lol.

Compulsory disclaimer: I'm not a podiatrist or anything close, but it seems that anything that causes extreme or strong pain is indicative of something wrong beyond just a simple break-in. I scanned the user feedback from the link you provided and it seemed that a large number of people made note that these boots were unusually stiff and required extra break-in. Still, I would not punish my feet trying to break them in. A moderate amount of discomfort is one thing but extreme pain seems out of bounds. Do you have any known foot problems? I have flat feet and until I got custom orthodic inserts giving appropriate arch support I suffered with terrible plantar fasciitis but this causes heel pain not ankle pain.

One hundred and fifty bucks is lot to throw away so you might consider seeing a real podiatrist to see if anything in particular needs attention. He/She could certainly analyze the suitability of these particular boots and even if you needed to abandon the boots, the doctor might be able to steer you correctly for the next pair. There's nothing wrong with asking ahead of time what the charges would be for such a service and given your foot pain any insurance you might have probably would apply.

Otherwise, if you want to continue to break them in, I'd suggest changing something (e.g. thicker socks, looser lacing, etc.) until the pain goes away during light walking. The changes might not be suitable for stable walking with a pack but they might be OK for just wearing them during daily work. In other words if you can get them semi comfortable then just wear them all day but don't take any strenuous or concerted hikes until they are broken in. There are also various oils and such that can help soften the leather.

~Ed

Scotty,

My initial thoughts were, that you possibly over-tightened those boots over the instep.

Ray Jardine(Backpacking Light) is quoted, that a pound on your feet equals 5 lbs. on your back.

Those boots you mentioned weight 3.1 lbs!

A majority of todays' hikers have gone over to trail runners, myself included. I have hiked Isle Royale the past two seasons in trail runners exclusively. I will not return to boots, except for winter excursions(and sometimes not even then). I have hiked Isle Royale in trail runners, with packs of 50-30 lbs., without any ill effects. Hiking is more enjoyable, when one lightens the load on ones' back, and ones' feet.

Good luck in your dilemma. My suggestion - lighten up. Try trail runners.

I know you probably don't want to do it but I good way to break in rough boots is to break them in by walking in water, getting them wet and letting the leather stretch is one way to get the stiffness out. This can be very painful process and seeing it's march and cold as can be in MI, I would wait. Walking in shallow streams is a good way to do this. If you are a fisherman, take them to your favorite fishing spot and use them for crossing and standing in the water casting. I know it sounds like a horrible idea but it does work

colvinch wrote:... good way to break in rough boots is to break them in by walking in water, getting them wet and letting the leather stretch is one way to get the stiffness out.

I have heard of this method but have never tried it. I suppose the goal is to keep the boots on until they completely dry, thus somewhat reforming to your foot?

scotty wrote:I've been bending them by hand trying to soften them up. Should I wait till my left foot feels better before I even try them on again? I might have had they laced too tight in the beginning and my foot was not bending when I was walking. I'm thinking this is why my the top of my foot hurts. Sorry I'm probably rambling lol.

Hello, one thing that I always do when hiking is stop after 30/40 minutes and retie the laces to loosen the boot slightly-our feet tend to swell slightly after walking for awhile-relacing/loosening the boots can help. I also wear a thin liner sock under wool-helps to cushion slightly. Also, remember that we all have one foot that is larger-always fit boots to the larger of the two.

My wife bought a pair a Merrells, which are good boots, but she was never able to break these in and they ruined her IR trip. Even though they cost $100+, they were in the trash when we got home.

If you want to feel somewhat good, donate them to Good-will or something but my suggestion is to get rid of them, your feet are trying to tell you something. Like someone else said, go with runners or like me, try Keen boots. I have wide, big feet and these fit almost perfect the first day I wore them and after a year of wearing them on the trail and around town, they are going strong. In fact, I wear them almost every day and my feet love them.

http://www.keenfootwear.com/product/ss1 ... ze%20green

PatrickBDunlap has the right idea. If it feels good wear it as much as you can. I also wear my hiking socks with dress shoes, etc. If it feels good, go with it.

jerry wrote:I also wear my hiking socks with dress shoes, etc. If it feels good, go with it.

I also wear light dress socks inside hiking socks as liners. Works pretty well! (and feels good too )

Can you return the boots? I haven't had much luck ordering boots. I would not keep boots that made my feet sore.

I wore trail runners my last trip to Isle Royale. They are much more comfortable than leather boots and need no breakin time. If you really want to keep the boots the quick way is as someone else suggested: Get them soaking wet, inside and out. Then wear them until dry. This is the way we broke in most new boots about 60 years ago. It is less painful but still not fun.

You might also try not lacing them to the last holes at the top.

Depending on where you got your boots from, you may be able to return them. I know REI will take them back as long as nothing out of reason is wrong with them.

Otherwise, try to hock them on Craigslist. You could at least recoup some of your cost.

But, as a person who's very anal about my boots (I just spent 1 hour and 40 minutes Friday trying on boots at REI), there's a few things you can try before you return your boots:

1. Socks: wear comfy socks that you are going to be wearing on the trail. SmartWool I've found to be the best, but I also use Bridgedale light-cushion ski socks.
2. Liner socks: helps with blistering, if that's what you meant by "rubbing"
3. Inserts: As previously mentioned in this thread, a set of $40 SuperFeet can cure almost everything that ails you, ESPECIALLY if you have flat feet like me. Otherwise, there are some stores that will do custom inserts, or you can even go to a ski shop and have them done, but be aware that custom-made inserts also cost upwards of $200 if you have them professionally done. I also know that Wal-Mart (shudder) has those do-it-yourself inserts machines by Dr. Scholl's.
4. Give them time: sounds like you've done that, but I've been wearing my new boots all weekend already.

Boots are one of the most critical things for backpacking, make sure you have something that fits and works. Don't try and sell yourself into anything less than the best: if you've tried everything and they don't work, get something that does.