Ultralight Shoe Life

I’m super happy you brought this up.

I am on a quest right now to find a durable yet “light enough” hiking shoe.

Honestly, at this point, the difference between a 16 ounce shoe and a 10 ounce shoe is not going to make that much of a difference for me.

I still want zero drop, lots of cushion in the midsole, a relatively wide toebox, low water absorption and fast dry time, and a very durable sole.

A 16 ounce shoe that meets these criteria, does not yet exist in a form that will last 1000 miles and be able to be resoled.

Pretty much true. There are several examples where synthetics are questionable when replacing a more natural item. Shoes are simply a symptom of this. I have accepted heavier shoes (about 1#2) instead of 6oz lighter shoes for hiking. I have used Salomons, Merrells,Asics, etc. I think the last pair I got was the New Balance GTX’s. All gave me blisters and required me to adjust to them. Good leather (biodegradable and durable) will adjust to your feet. I haven’t gotten any blisters in a long time.

The leather in my Timberland mids is adjustable with oils, creams, and stretchers and they hold up about a one to one and a half years or around 3000+mi. Unfortunately the Vibram soles are generally not recycled, though this is certainly possible.

Many parts are not usually recycled. Brass eyelets, Spectra laces, foam padding, etc. Anyway, for between 1#2 and 1#6, a fairly well balanced shoe. IFF you have trouble with the weight, simply wear some 5pound ankle weights for a couple weeks out doing exercises. Of cours, this is you adjusting to the shoes…

Sense of scale, folks.  Have a sense of scale.

How many petro-chemicals went into a 1-pound pair of running shoes?  2 or 3 pounds, perhaps?

How much gasoline do you burn in that 150-mile round trip to the trailhead?  20 pounds in a Prius.  40 pounds in a small SUV.  And presumably the shoes last more than one trip, unlike that gasoline.

Buy a fuel-efficient car.  Carpool when you can.  Consider a local hike.

Buy/build a smaller, well-insulated, well-sealed house.

You’re not going to save the planet by recycling a dozen steel cans, especially if you drive a few miles to take them to the recycling center.

I agree it would be lovely if lightweight shoes lasted longer on the trail.  Because of their cost and the bother of finding the same model that worked last time before it’s discontinued.

Tires are rated by their “treadwear”, their estimated life – it’s molded right into the sidewall.

Short of standardized testing, someone could scour thru-hiker blogs for data or we on BPL could start a thread and self-report trail miles for different models.  A shoe that averages 800 miles might start to sell better than one that’s toast after 450.  I used to happily pay more for Michelin tires that gave 40-45,000 miles versus Firestones and off-brand ones that only lasted 20-25,000.  (Now, I get fancy Finnish metal-studded snow tires cause, you know, moose).

Even if my trail runners could be resoled, I wouldn’t bother. At the point the tread has worn out, the midsole is dead and the uppers are looking pretty bad. I never used a pair of boots I liked – most are too stiff, too narrow, have a high heel-toe drop, have an unnecessarily high stack height, don’t breathe well, slow to dry, etc…problems go on.

I tried a pair of Danner 2650 shoes – those probably came closest, but my feet can’t do a high heel-toe drop any more.

My first criteria is “it works”.  I have spend most of my life wearing shoes that hurt me.  More than 15 years ago I discovered zero drop minimalist shoe (vivobarefoot and then inov-8) which was literally life changing because I could walk for more than 10 miles without having to manage pain.  If I have to replace my shoes every 300 miles… well that’s just the cost of doing things I love.

Of course, I hate what seems to be the waste. This year I picked up a pair of Xero TerraFlex because they have a 5000 mile guarantee for their soles. I was hoping for a pair of shoes to last a year rather than using a number each year. I put my Alta and Merrill Vapor Gloves away.  The experiment was delayed when I got plantar fasciitis for the first time in my life and switched back to my Altas as a reference point. Recovery has been slow.  Once I am 100% will restart the experiment see the lifespan of TerraFlex and to try and figure out if they were a contributing cause to my  plantar fasciitis.

I’m not going to say that I’m “right” because that’s a blanket analysis of a very abstract moral conclusion, and I’m not a fan of blankets or moral conclusions… but I know what works for me, and I’ve found a way to make that discovery less-impacting to the places in which I find myself.  Moreover, the boots feel good; I get more than a few scornful looks from the UL crowd, trailside, but I’ve learned to ignore the judgement…and every once in awhile, I succeed in avoiding judgement, myself.

Get trailrunners with vibram soles and shoe goo the exposed stitches.

Joe Nimble…interesting shoe concept, there.  I’ll have to give those a try.

Yes – it’s worth checking out the Joe Nimble range.

They have excruciating names and pretty excruciating prices, but I picked up a pair of the NimbleToes Trail in a sale a few years back, and they have outlasted my other trail shoes by a considerable margin. In fact they are still going strong and I just used them on a tough off-piste walk today.

They are hand-sewn in their own facility in India, and have replaceable soles. The materials seem superior, and they have been problem-free for hundreds of miles. The most comfortable walking shoe I’ve ever owned, and because they are foot-shaped (what a radical idea!) they actually fit my broad, high-volume feet true to size.

They also offer an interesting range of inserts, including an innovative corrugated steel rock-plate that works surprisingly well. Because there is plenty space in the shoe, it offers the opportunity to adapt it to different terrain by using a quiver of insoles – adding padding and rock protection as required.

BUT, the Vibram outsole is very poor in the wet. Lacks grip on slick rock, and the minimal lugs are hopeless on wet grass or mud. So dry weather use only, which in UK conditions is a major limitation! On the upside, the outsole is lasting extremely well.

My only other complaint – the lacing system isn’t the best at locking the shoe to the mid-foot.

They seem to be addressing the outsole issue in the latest range. They are now offering the leather WanderToes 2 boot and the synthetic NimbleToes Trail Addict shoe with a new Michelin sole boasting more versatile lug design and a stickier compound. It now becomes a serious contender for long distance walking. The high price should be offset by the longer life, and if you are patient they have occasional sales.

Unfortunately the colourway for the Trail Addict is absolutely hideous – what were they thinking??