Hiking shoe question page 2

[cath47]

Merrel doesn't seem to have trail gloves for women? I do like the Run Tempo gloves though, just for normal wear...... How about the Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail or Off road for hiking? Anyone tried?

[not on the rug]

not sure about the boots you bought, but any good, heavy duty boot requires some break-in time before it become comfortable.

also, it really depends on the type of hiking you are doing, how heavy of a pack you're carrying, the terrain you're hiking, and the time of year. minimalist shoes are fine and dandy. i wear them 99% of the time. but if you're hiking for extended periods of time, with a 60lb pack and dealing with cold temperatures and rocks, you need a real boot. something that will provide support and protection. i wouldn't go anywhere without my vasque sundowners.

[Fernaldo]

Or running shoes...

Ray Jardine's Adventure Page

Some very useful info on Ray's site...

[Rich Capalbo]

I like my merrells too. Great hiking this Summer.

[Lynna]

Merrel doesn't seem to have trail gloves for women? I do like the Run Tempo gloves though, just for normal wear...... How about the Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail or Off road for hiking? Anyone tried?

The Pace Glove is their women's trail running shoe.

[cath47]

Thanks to all for the replies, I now has some information to think about.....I'll have to try the vibrams to see how I react if I wear a backpack.
I tried some normal trail running shoes today (on an easy trail about 80 min, fast walking), but wasn't comfortable in them either. I might have a problem with my right foot instead of having shoe problems.... I got that weird burning pain again right under my foot maybe Morton.....

[lissee]

+1. I go hiking and backpacking with the Merrell barefoot style shoes. Love 'em. Trail gloves are great in summer, but true gloves or sonics are great when it gets cold.

--Me

I went hiking in the Austrian Alps this summer with barefoot merrells. It was cold and windy, feet stayed warm. Good traction on steep terrain. So another +1 for the Merrell's.

The Merrell's lace up around the arch of your foot, so there is NEVER any slippage, no toes ramming into the front of your shoe even when your standing on a sharp incline. The only thing is that you have to step differently. No balancing on the edge of rocks with your arch, you have to step on the ball of your foot.

Edit: I bought men's trail gloves, they worked just fine.

[Lynna]

I went hiking in the Austrian Alps this summer with barefoot merrells. It was cold and windy, feet stayed warm. Good traction on steep terrain. So another +1 for the Merrell's.

The Merrell's lace up around the arch of your foot, so there is NEVER any slippage, no toes ramming into the front of your shoe even when your standing on a sharp incline. The only thing is that you have to step differently. No balancing on the edge of rocks with your arch, you have to step on the ball of your foot.

Edit: I bought men's trail gloves, they worked just fine.

I would love to buy some of the Merrell men's shoes, but alas my feet are too small. I wear a 6.5/7 in women's and the smallest they offer in men's are a men's size 7. I wore the Merrell Contour Glove almost all winter last year and my feet stayed comfortable, they are waterproof, but we had a really mild winter last year so I'm not sure how they would do during a normal winter.

[cath47]

Same here, size wise! I'm still tempted to try a size 7 men's though....... I can order from places, that if they don't fit, I can send them back.

[Turnstone]

Merells men sizes are quite small. I have the Mighty Gloves (a womens model) in size 39 and the Trail Gloves men in 41 and they are quite the same size. (That would be size 6 and 7 in the UK. Interestingly the US sizes are 8.5 for the womens and 7.5 for the mens. Don't know what sizes they use in France)

I hiked in Scandinavia this summer with my Vivobarefoot NeoTrail. 110 km through relatively flat terrain, but with lots of rocks on the trail. I have to agree with sbhikes regarding a stiffer sole. I had no problems with the soft sole of the NeoTrails, but it took lots of concentration to where you place your feet and to avoid the sharp ridges on the rocks. A stiffer sole would have helped here. But it can be done!