what to look for in a shoe

[jonathan lorenz]

I do a lot of hiking on the beach and am looking to get a new pair of shoes / boots for it. Does anyone have any recommendations as far as if it should be a shoe or boot , goretex or not. I currently use a pair of innov8 370s but sand fills them up within minutes. im wondering if a goretex shoe with a gaiter might be the right solution. are there any specific shoes that are better than others?

[Adrien Baker]

You could pick up a pair of 'Dirty Girl Gaiters' for your Innov8's. Those seem to be a pretty popular solution.

Adrien

[William Puckett]

The Simblissity Levagaiters are my gaiter of choice, but they won't keep dirt/sand from the mesh of the the 370s or other similarly breathable trail shoes. AFAIK the Dirty Girl gaiters would have the same shortcoming.

[Steven Inge]

I've been hoping to get a pair of simblissity levagaiters but will have to wait until "later this autumn". Does anyone know if there is anywhere else to get them or more specifically when they will be available?…I might just go with some dirty girl gaiters instead. Can anyone comment on the differences?

[jonathan lorenz]

sorry for being a bit unclear. I realize gaiters are probably in the solution but im wondering more about the shoe. whether or not i put on gaiters,my shoe is pretty breathable and lets in sand pretty easily. Im just wondering if there is a shoe or type/style of shoe that I should be trying out or is it inevitable that hiking in sand will fill my shoes with sand.

[Jack Newton]

I'm still removing sand from a trip two years ago.

Jack

[Rick Cheehy]

Goretex is hot and sweaty, so is event etc. You might want to go the other direction and get a water shoe. Like a salomon tec amphib, keen sandal etc. I don't think anything else but a full sized desert army boot will keep out sand. I wore a gortex/synth boot (Vasque Breeze) on the beach this winter and still took on sand.

[jonathan lorenz]

hmm i like that idea. maybe time to get a pair of 5 fingers?

[Rick Cheehy]

There's a guy with a barefoot runner site somewhere's on the interweb. He loves those things. I don't wear 'em for the fear of bigfoot hunters tracking me (I wear size 14).

[Adrian B]

They'd only want to photograph you wouldn't they ?

[Rick Cheehy]

Or shoot me and put me in a bathtub full of ice, I live in the south!
Sorry back on topic, Teva makes very nice beach sandals with arch support. I've walked many miles in tevas, you have to break them in so you can go sockless with no blisters. Moleskin can help. or you can say screw fashion an go with the socks.

[Russell Swanson]

If you do a lot of hiking on the beach then I'm sure you're aware of this fact- it's tough, tough hiking. You're either plowing and slipping through shifting, loose, dry sand or hammering your feet down on packed wet sand, which is like walking on concrete. I don't think I'd want to hike for any length of time without a well padded shoe. I've done it in sandals, with and without socks- mistake. I've done it with lots o' mesh trail runners- mistake.

I think for this type of hiking I'd resort to a well padded, comfortable tennis shoe. You don't need super lugged all terrain stealth rubber soles, so why even both with trail runners? I would probably even be tempted to toss some of those Dr. Scholls-type gel inserts in there. As for the send, well that's probably just inevitable. Gaiters might slow down the invasion but sooner or later, your shoes will be full of grit. I've often thought that if I were to do it again, I'd think about getting some Goretex socks and cutting them down to ankle height. Feet might get a little hot but- hey, you're at the beach!

[Russell Swanson]

If you do choose to hike in Tevas or sandals, trust me and wear socks. Unless you swaddle your feet in duct tape they will get chewed up from sand caught under the straps. My blisters from that 'experiment' took over a week to heal.

[Rick Cheehy]

Very good point.

[Roger Caffin]

> If you do a lot of hiking on the beach then I'm sure you're aware of this fact-
> it's tough, tough hiking. You're either plowing and slipping through shifting,
> loose, dry sand

Has anyone ever tried kid-size snowshoes?

The (Australian) Yowie snowshoe company has photos of soldiers using Yowie snowshoes on dunes. Looked good.

Cheers

[Nick Gatel]

If there is any place to go barefooted, it is on the beach. Simple solution and no gear to buy.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Nick

Barefoot on the beach … depends on whether the beach is covered in sharp bits of shell, washed up blue bottles, jagged rock, …

After a day or so you can end up with rather abraded feet too if the sand is sharp.

Cheers

[Andy Shepard]

I would recommend some Vibram FiveFingers. Either the KSO (which stands for Keep Stuff Out), or the Flow. Both have full foot coverage to keep out sand and grit, but the Flow is made of neoprene, and is designed for cold water pursuits. The only problem I can see with this, is with the added weight of your pack, and wet, hard packed sand… it could out do the benefits of "going barefoot." Otherwise, they'd be your best bet I think. With shoes, you always get that annoying flip-up of sand onto the backs of your legs and ankles… I don't have this problem with my KSOs.

[Rick Cheehy]

http://www.kungfu4less.com/ninjatabiboots.html
Just brainstorming, but these are cheap.
Defiantly ups the geek factor.

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