Isle Royale Forums

Personally I am a fan of lightweight trail runners. They are not waterproof (mostly mesh uppers) and I love them. My feet dont overheat and sweat in them (which means no blisters for me). They also dry out super fast. At one point I was in knee deep muddy water on the island and no waterproof boot wouldve ever dried out after that. Fellow hikers I have met on trail have had "waterproof" boots on and were miserable with wet blistered feet. The only time I wear boots now is when the snow is deep and cold. Otherwise I use trail runner exclusively now.

If you can keep water out of them, they're great. If you can't, then you're looking at wet feet the entire time.

Wth the right choice of socks and gore-tex, it's my preference in cold or cooler weather. Warm weather (lows in the 50s), I like something that will dry overnight.

I took lightweight nylon/leather hiking shoes, not waterproof, on a trip to IR a few years ago, and the shoes turned out to be sponges for all the water on the underbrush along the trails. My feet were soaked each day. Fortunately they dried in the evenings while I wore sandals in camp. After that, I switched to waterproof/breathable boots. Not convinced on the breathability but my feet did stay more dry under similar conditions. Even if I had trail runners, I would still want the w/b layer.

I have tried a few fairly expensive "waterproof and breathable" boots over the years. The waterproof goes away in a few days and they just become water holders. The only truly waterproof boots I have found are full leather Asolos (tps 520). They have lasted 5 years and hundreds of miles and are still going strong. They still look fairly new and with wicking socks, my feet don't get wet or too warm. I have hiked plenty of miles in the rain with shorts and gators; my feet stay dry. I did have to do some serious breaking in on the stairs at work before they were ready for the trails.

I have lightweight feet, so trail runners don't work for me on The Island.

I bought trail runners with the intention of using them exclusively on the island... but after this weekend I am bringing an extra pair of boots just incase. These shoes are great in dry conditions, but got soaked and stayed wet into the next morning. very uncomfortable.

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In my opinion I agree with some of the above. I was a firm believer in Asolo boots, they are Italian made and fit my feet! After a few wet slogging hikes they became wet bricks tied to my ankles. Now I wear Merrel Moab ventilators with super feet greenies insoles and DT socks, lightweight gators if debris or mud is a concern. Less moving weight the better.

Happy trails
Ted

Ted4bp wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:09 pm In my opinion I agree with some of the above. I was a firm believer in Asolo boots, they are Italian made and fit my feet! After a few wet slogging hikes they became wet bricks tied to my ankles. Now I wear Merrel Moab ventilators with super feet greenies insoles and DT socks, lightweight gators if debris or mud is a concern. Less moving weight the better.

Happy trails
Ted

Ray Jardine claimed in "Beyond Backpacking"," A pound on your feet, is like five pounds on your back."
I agree lighter is better.
I now like the Keen brand, it is available in Wide for many sizes; in comparison to many other brands.

JMHO, YMMV, HYOH.

Isle Royale Rocks!

jrwiesz wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2019 11:13 am

Ted4bp wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:09 pm In my opinion I agree with some of the above. I was a firm believer in Asolo boots, they are Italian made and fit my feet! After a few wet slogging hikes they became wet bricks tied to my ankles. Now I wear Merrel Moab ventilators with super feet greenies insoles and DT socks, lightweight gators if debris or mud is a concern. Less moving weight the better.

Happy trails
Ted

Ray Jardine claimed in "Beyond Backpacking"," A pound on your feet, is like five pounds on your back."
I agree lighter is better.
I now like the Keen brand, it is available in Wide for many sizes; in comparison to many other brands.

JMHO, YMMV, HYOH.

Isle Royale Rocks!

How have they held up for you? I have a pair H20 sandles that have had stitching come lose on both of them in the same place and pair of Targhees that only lasted 2 seasons before the laces chewed through most of the eyelets.

Hooky,

I've looked at the H2O sandals plenty of times, never purchased, however.

I don't recall the name of the Keen boot I have at present; it's like an urban hiker, all leather high top with non-aggressive lug sole.

Love it for the wider foot/toe feature. Keeps my feet happy.

Isle Royale Rocks!