I've bought a hiking sandal pair for two upcoming whatnots.
The one I'm excited about will be a 120 km two day ruck. How fricked are my feet if I only want to use picrel? The track will have sand and concrete sections, and will overall be flat, no elevation whatsoever.
I've tried to break it in with a few walks in the past week or so, but setting the straps too tight made blisters and irritation at some points. I've adjusted them since, but some advice would be welcome. Any pointers, or bets on how bloody I'll come out after the second day?
bring socks
Thanks, will do. The sand'll be a pain in the ass tho.
The sand will be a pain in the ass in tevas regardless. I would sooner take regular leather birkenstocks than those. Those constantly get gravel in them. At least in birkenstocks you can just slip out and back into them.
I hiked lots in these, including non-rocky mountains / hills. Once for 10 days straight.
If the sandals fit and have a decent sole, it plays well. Never had blisters / irritation in these.
You just need to be careful as you step, as if you'd hike barefoot not to twist your ankle.
And not to hit with one foot a dry twig that you stepped on with another foot. That was a baad injury.
ive been hiking and swimming in the same pair of luna sandals since 2016 theyre hella durable
thanks this is the feedback I needed, I'll be ordering a pair tomorrow
Only issue with the luna's are the straps not staying in place so I have to tighten them every so often
Sandals will frick your feet up for normal shoes. The longer you wear nothing but sandals the more difficult it will be to go long distances in regular shoes.
That's not really an issue I see - although I do like to run from time to time.
Rucking's done (for me) mostly at summertime, so if my flat feet and other problems will bother me less, and the only price I'll have to pay is no foot fungus, then so be it.
>This isn't a problem for me
Because you obviously live somewhere with shit PrepHole and short trails. The rocks and roots alone make it impossible to not wear shoes on all but the most basic b***h of trails in my region. You also can't live near any significant mountains if you aren't concerned about rapid weather changes...
So your advice is shit and you're moronic.
Not true at all. I hike in the exact sandal OP linked. I've done many big day hikes and multi-day trips in them through the west.
Fingers crossed then
>I've done many big day hikes
No you haven't
>Multi day trips
on flat ground, nowhere near a mountain or scree
>Celsius
>Mostly flat
you shouldn't be giving footwear advice to anyone.
You don't want to wear shoes--that's fine--but don't pretend sandals are better than shoes in all but the shit, flat, eurotrash country you're in.
You're so incredibly mad mate, it said hiking, not mountain or arctic trekking, why are you so pressed? If the idea is going up a volcano where it's blowing pumice and sulphur shrapnel, or cutting through the brush in Congolese mountains, then I think everyone Intuit's that sandals are not going to be of any use. You come off as very insecure because everyone needs to wear your big boy boots to enjoy the PrepHole they have or simply want. Lay off the crack.
Hiking means up and down a mountain. Otherwise it's just walking.
t. western usa
>intuit's
Just had to try a fancy word, didn't you
>US literacy figures.
> No you haven't
Lol yes I have. I don't know why you think it's so hard
> on flat ground, nowhere near a mountain or scree
Lol again. I wouldn't waste my time "hiking" on flat ground. The scree part is true though. Closed toes shoes would be much better for that.
>I wouldn't waste my time "hiking" on flat ground.
can this homosexual larp just die?
if you type these words its painfully obvious to everyone you don't go outside and your idea of a hike probably comes from legend of zelda games
Nah
>I have friends
obvious lie
he is probably Somali
>lives in Europe but hikes in sandals
Definitely a N[sfw], that much is obvious.
>You also can't live near any significant mountains
correct, I don't.
> rapid weather changes
Yea, a storm comes from time to time, it can pour down in half an hour after spotting the clouds, but that's the most extreme that happens, and only lasts a couple hours. Also, going from 37°C to 28 is not exactly an unwelcome change. Come, visit the country sometime. No earthquakes, no large hurricanes, no big natural disasters. The largest thing that we can call a mountain is 1014 meters high, so about an hour and a half to climb on top.
Different places, different tastes.
The longest trail you can follow is 1170 km, so a bit more than a month with comfortable tempo.
That is not the one I plan to go on. I specifically choose sandals instead of trail runners, because I don't plan on going for long.
joke's on you, I'm not a fan of cashing out 25% of my income just to not have blisters.
He also didn't carry a tarp for 4 people, sleeping bag, water, or clothing to change into.
I'm also about double the weight he was when he's done it, and about a head taller. Not everything's for everyone.
good for u that ure a tough man who only goes on the big boy trails but the outdoors is not just about mountains and people enjoy nature in various ways
Time to upgrade to the ultimate footwear
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Portland-Boot-Company-Men-s-EVA-Athletic-Sandal/806038385
You'll regret those Tevas quickly. That front buckle = blister city. Personally Chacos are still the best in my mind, but I would not recommend sandals for hiking. Unless you know it's a soft boy biome with good trails. Rocks are a PITA. Cutting feet is super easy as you tire, and you likely will not have tough enough feet to make it sans blisters. It's ultimately up to you tho. I've seen plenty hike with sandals and tried it a bit myself, but I prefer shoes or boots
I don't know why you want to hike with a full pack in sandals but I agree with this anon. Chacos are the best, just unbelievably durable. I recently had mine resoled, they will probably out live me.
Yep, this is what I know of Americans when I'm in airports and such. I can always spot you by your sandals, and your penchant for wearing hats while indoors (at the same time as sandals which is kind of ???).
Thanks, but I'm in (and from) Hungary.
Had an awesome boot, that I bought in hiking shop 4 years ago, leather and fully comfortable with almost no blisters unless I ran in it.
Tried to buy the same, or similar, but now the shop had no leather (or even waterproof) boots, and if I can't have ankle support, might as well buy something that my feet can breathe in, and not get swampy after some lousy rain.
In this area and trailtype (not much elevation and no rocky parts) I feel that trailrunners just don't provide that much more, compared to these.
Also, I don't wear hats. Friction leads to baldness. Would be nice against the sun, but I have my sunglasses for that.
I've been using these Tevas for the past few days, and if the front buckle is not too fastened, it'll leave the blisters alone.
But yeah, I'm plannning to bring some sealskin if it gets too bad.
Thanks, will try those (likely next year, after these rot off of my feet)
No
Keen is the best brand for hiking / active sandals. Buy Keen.
I concur, teva is good too, decathlon has cheap contenders too
I've worn various sandals river guiding for years.
The plastic buckles on Teva have always caused issues if I wear them for more than a couple of hours. Chacos have been the best for me personally as it's all stitching, no significant amounts of plastic.
Other guys swear by Teva though - just go with whatever is best for you.
If you think the ones you got are likely to cause problems, you'll be better off just going and getting something better, it'll cost you lot less than the pain of 120km in something that chafes.
Also, 60km/day is a hell of a walk man, are you serious?
Well.. I usually go with one or two friends, have attempted this same route for the past 10 years now. Only managed to go the full length in the last 3 years, and even then, only finished at 11 am on the third day, in the latest (2 pm before that, and 5 pm before that).
Basically my grandpa bragged about doing this trip in 2 days when he was 20 (I believe him, he was a farmer from young, very slim and fit), and I'm trying to at least replicate it. He had the advantage of not bringing water because farms were everywhere back then (there is now some forests and whatnot) and he could just ask for it if he became thirsty...he also said that he couldn't walk for the following 2 weeks 😀
Sooo, on last years attempt we discovered a route that was not next to cars, and gave only a small detour, also, we decided to push it and keep going into nighttime (good decision, my legs were much less swollen and tired, due to less heat), and I hope we can do the same on the first night as well, getting past the most arduous parts at nighttime, thus being that much closer.
We have a roughly 6-7 km/h tempo, and try to start at 8 am, and go until 11 pm (or 12, if I'm slow ) with some rests.
I personally carey roughly 5 liters of fluids, refill them at midday (we have some wells and cities we cross, but there is one last push at the end of the first day where there's no water for ~ 24 km).
It's fun.
There were 2 or 3 years when I tried to go fasted (you don't carry food and don't need to poo), but that lead to incredibly slow pace by the end of the second day, so I'll eat at least something.
We’ll best of luck mate!
I’ve done a few 20-30km days on NZ bush tracks when I was super fit and it fricking destroyed me! Our tracks are pretty shit though, basically a marker nailed to a tree every 20-50m and no track maintenance and virtually zero use so it’s often slow going or splitting up for a bit to find the next marker, regrouping and then moving again. Weather can go from oppressive heat to hail and sleet in minutes then back again so we typically carry a fair bit of gear. But still, 60 a day is massive, let us know how you get on!
fun fact
If you actually wore shoes you'd be able to make it. Your grandpa did it with shoes on--that's why he crushed you.
I probably should buy some
I hike I those exact same sandals. I get blisters every spring but once I'm past that I can hike all day in them. I think they are faster and more comfortably than shoes
Took that exact model on a marathon ruck to test them out. A particularly rooty stretch of the trail where my stiffer boots work just fine ended up pummeling the shit out of my arches so you should watch where you step and aim for flat ground. If you wear socks with these your feet will slide forward inside the sock and push your toes together which can cause pretty gnarly blisters. They're very light which is fantastic for avoiding fatigue but to me they felt too soft for trails with lots of rocks and exposed roots.
Bought a pair of pic related recently because summers here recently have been brutal. I use them without socks.
The good:
>by far the most comfortable hiking shoes I ever tried
>not really any less stable than regular low hiking/approach shoes
>only semi-open so any larger detritus stays out of the shoe
>if you ford a stream you can just let them dry on your feet and it's mostly fine
The bad:
>after I bought them I heard you're supposed to buy the leather ones because durability might be an issue(so far they're good)
>only semi-open and dark colored so if it's super hot, your feet still get somewhat toasty
>if you're walking on sand/fine gravel you will get some inside eventually and they don't fall out without taking them off
>you get a funky striped suntan on your feet
Very happy with them.
B R Ö T H E R !
Bought myself a pair of Keens two months ago on recommendation, as I have wide feet. Now I've switched out all my other shoes and boots with barefoot shoes. My feet have never been happier.
>funky striped suntan
easily fixed with socks, in fact you may find they're much more comfy with socks.