Where can I go to find a good pair of hiking/walking boots? I live in the Pittsburgh, Pa area. I googled; don’t trust Dick’s, not sure about L.L. Bean, don’t know anything about REI.
A little background.
The wife and I are planning for our 30th anniversity, a guilded walking tour in the UK. It will involve walking 5 to 7 easy km’s a day. No big deal. But, I have a Morton’s neuroma in my foot which sometimes makes walking painful. I have an arch support that helps and I may get a cortisone shot (damn, they really hurt) shortly before going.
So, I am looking for a place that will help fit me to a proper boot. I want them to know what they are talking about and really be helpful. I also can’t shop online because I am hard to fit. I don’t want this trip to be a bust, we are really looking forward to it.
You may look silly, but you may also want to consider trekking poles. Especially if you’ll be lugging a pack around. Used properly, they seem to take some of the weight off your feet and to your arms.
For the shoes - since I’ve no idea what is in the PA area, I’d also recommend REI. But also know I’ve seen a few hacks there. Try on plenty of shoes, and be sure to break-in whatever you buy.
Also, pick up some nice hiking socks, and possibly liners.
Are you expecting rain/mud/stream crossings? - Look for goretex or other waterproof design
I had a pair of REI boots that lasted me for 25-some years and were just great (a highlight: hiking one summer in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico). I now have a pair of LL Bean boots (similar to but not quite identical to these: Men's Vasque Wasatch Backpacking Boots | Hiking Boots & Shoes at L.L.Bean), which, after a little discomfort around the ankles at first, are now entirely satisfactory.
As a Scout I was taught to have a thin pair of cotton socks on my feet and a heavier pair of wool socks as the next layer out, and that practice has always stood me in good stead.
My friend has neuromas, too. We were going to hike down to Havasu Falls, and I wanted her to get the best shoe/fit possible. We went to REI and found an *extremely * knowledgeable salesperson. He spent almost two hours with us, trying on various boots and light hiking shoes, different types of socks and insoles. We ended up buying shoes, socks, liners, and some “custom-fit-in-the-store” insoles as well. I think we spent almost $300.
All of that effort was kind of wasted, though, because her neuromas started acting up on the hike out of the canyon. (This despite several hikes beforehand to break the new shoes in.) She ended up hiking almost 9 miles in her sandals because the shoes were so uncomfortable. Now, here’s the upside to going to/being a member of REI: I took the shoes and custom insoles back, and they refunded my money no questions asked.
Now you can also get socks that have the liners built in, so you don’t need to buy liners separately. They are the most expensive socks you’ll ever see that aren’t woven out of gold. The wool on the outside is to help keep the moisture away from your tender tootsies. A lot of the lined hiking socks that are not wool, and are a bit cooler in the summer, are designed so the outer layer wicks moisture away and the liners stay pretty dry.
ETA: luvrbcs all good quality hiking shoes or boots can also have the manufacturers insert pulled out. They are not glued in. So if you have custom orthodics to support your arch, you should be able to pull out the foam inserts that come in the shoe or boot and slide in your own.
Ditto for REI and their prices are not bad - you can often find various models on sale. For $100-$150 you will be able to find a very nice pair of boots that will last you for many years. They’ll help you try them out and make sure you get a good fit.
Modern hiking boots require little if any breakin; you’re not looking for a full leather heavy-duty backpacking boot after all.
I’m a nut on the subject of socks. You do not need to spend a fortune on quality socks - without knowing how long you’re going to be out I would recommend two pairs of good wool “light hiking” socks (usually wool with a bit of nylon or other synthetics blended in). Those are around $10-$12 a pair and worth every penny. You can swap pairs each day so they air/dry out overnight. Inexpensive polypro liner socks (Gobi liners, they’re very thin and dark blue) are nice, they really cut down on friction and thus blisters plus your socks will slide right off at the end of the day. Liners are about $6 a pair. You can rinse them out at the end of the day, hang up to dry and as long as they’re in a warm place or in the sunlight they will be bone dry quickly.
I will respectfully disagree with anyone who suggests cotton socks. Never, ever, ever wear cotton socks for anything other than lounging around the house in your slippers. I hike, bike, backpack, snowshoe and run long distances and cotton socks will make your feet miserable. Avoid at all costs.
Sounds like REI might be a winner, I’ll try them and hope I come across someone knowledgable. I once went to L.L. Bean here in Pgh. for something else and was surprised at their meager selection walking by their shoe area.
Yes, I was planning on breaking them in. I don’t think it will be a wet enviroment (streams, etc), because we will be stopping at places to eat or tour along the way. Although, I’ve heard stories about UK weather.
I didn’t think about socks, I’ll look into that. But, what are liners?
The inserts I have do replace the original insole. They cost $40 but they do help.
If anyone is interested, this is what we are thinking of:
Liners are basically super-thin socks that you wear inside your regular hiking socks. They help prevent the friction that causes debilitating blisters. Expensive hiking socks have built-in liners, so the outer layer wicks moisture away and the liner stays between your foot at the sock.
ETA: You may want to have a little first-aid blister pack with mole skin, band-aids and “second skin” anyway. Duct tape will even do in a pinch.
Another recommendation for REI. Their prices aren’t any higher than you’d pay anywhere else for the same brands. They just don’t sell the cheap brands. I usually buy my “everyday” shoes there for about $100. That’s not cheap, but those shoes last for many years. $100 every five years is cheaper in the long run than $30 a year, AND I get a shoe that fits me well.
This needs to be repeated. For lots and lots of walking, moisture management is really important. Heck, for really long hikes, we make sure we have wicking underwear rather than cotton. Cotton socks don’t provide your feet with enough protection from moisture, which means you’re at a greater risk for blisters and fungal nastiness.
Good hiking shoes and boots will be well vented (way more than you realize) and some will wick moisture out as well. But you don’t want socks that stay soggy. Wool is an awesome natural fibre that does a great job and keeping your sweaty feet dry, but they can be hot. I’ve never had problems with the thin merino woolies though.
I got some Merrell hiking shoes from Amazon and am really pleased with them. And it appears that Dick’s carries them. Here’s sizing info if you want to go online:
I got my shoes from REI. They asked me what I wanted them for, then picked out a few shoes, then showed me how to properly fit them. I ended up getting a pair of Vasque shoes from REI along with a few pairs of high quality socks. Both the socks and the shoes have lasted for 3+ years now.
Another REI fan here. My first encounter with them was also for a pair of boots. I asked the man helping me what their return policy was and was told to take them out and use them, that as long as they looked like boots I could return them for an exchange. I became an REI member then and there.
REI also has their annual “Garage Sale” so I’ve bought some Keane’s that someone took on a hike, totally hated, and then returned. Nothing was wrong with the shoes, it was just the wrong shoe for the person’s foot. You can get those “gently used” boots at a great price. Often stuff like that’s been used only once.
As with most of the things I learned in the Scouts before they threw me out (piety violation, I guess), this is just short of dead wrong. As others have stated, cotton is terrible as a fabric for any athletic activity except for a wet t-shirt contest. Good polypropylene liners are inexpensive, quick-wicking, and can be cleaned and dried at night for the next day’s use. They should be flipped with the seam out so as to prevent rubbing on the toes, and while they don’t need to be broken in the way a boot or shoe does, it is a good idea to wash them a few times (using mild or no detergent) to get rid of any residual solvents used in processing the fabric. (There shouldn’t be any ink or dye on a liner; if you find some with markings or labels, pass on them.)
I like Smartwool socks, but there are plenty of good options. The liner-integrated socks seem like a bad idea to me because I like to carry multiple sets of liners and only two sets of socks, but I have to admit to not having tried them, and other people I’ve hiked with have spoke positively about them.
The o.p. mentions boots, but for easy walking over unbroken level ground, shoes with good arch support but minimal ankle support are probably a better choice. Ankle support is great if you’re doing a lot of up and down, but it also requires good lace tension technique to prevent rubbing and adds to weight. Both Bruce Chatwin and Paul Theroux wrote favorably of Patagonia shoes for long distance walking, although this was a couple of decades ago, and there are a lot of good options. Again, REI or a specialty shoe store is a better bet than the low end sports stores like Dick’s or Big Five. Since you’re going to be on your feet for several hours a day for several days(?) go ahead and drop some good coin on your shoes; you may find them so comfortable that you take up walking for exercise and entertainment once you get back to the States, whereas saving a few tens of dollars may make your entire trip one of misery and discomfort, so it’s a good investment.
I’ve never heard of breaking in socks before.