Sometimes a piece-by-piece approach to gear changes doesn't work so well. 2002: I switch from boots to trail running shoes. Major improvement, but feet sweat like crazy in the thick socks I've always worn. Don't try thin socks, think I need cushioning. Don't try gaiters, might make sweating worse. So I stop every hour to swap into drier socks, and trudge slowly on for the next 12 years. 2014: I switch to thin toe socks. My feet sweat much less, I can wear one pair all day long, and cushioning is almost a non-issue. However, every grain of sand in my shoes feels like a boulder. Stop every hour or more often to dump crap from shoes. 2015: Add a pair of lightweight gaiters. No more boulders in my shoes! All day comfort, no extra sweat. And my socks are mostly clean at the end of the day, instead of picking up the prevailing dirt color. Lesson: The combination of trail running shoes, thin socks, and gaiters is much better than any one or two parts. Next step/rant: Can we get trail running shoe manufacturers to stop changing successful shoe designs? Brooks Cascadia 9s were fantastic; the 10s develop holes in ~200 miles! ASICS GT-21X0 shoes were great for years. ASICS dropped that name, now I'm lost in a fog of marketing mumbo-jumbo, unable to find the equivalent shoe. And the minimum wage clerks at my poorly-stocked local shoe stores can't help me. — Rex
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