Ultralight trail runners that DON’T leak dust?

I think that just comes with the territory..

you could get GTX's… but won't be as breathable

I just have a clean pair of socks that i change into at lunch and wash the other ones..

Out of curiosity, what are the shoes in question? Speedcross?

> dust falls in and gets my feet completely dirty.
Yeah, happens. So?
We wash our feet before going to bed. Feels good too.
Better than sealing our feet up in GTX and going totally prune.

Cheers

"Yeah, happens. So?
We wash our feet before going to bed. Feels good too.
Better than sealing our feet up in GTX and going totally prune."

Oh Roger, you are just too logical.

Folks, we are outdoors. There is dirt, dust, and mud. It is part of life. We are not walking in operating rooms.

Work for me. I wear 'em with old fashioned wool ragg socks and don't have any problems.

Just my 2¢

I picked up a pair of leather NB MT-10 to wear around town because I liked how comfortable my bright orange ones were. I don't use them on the trail but have to imagine they keep dust out better than mesh. They'll be hotter though.

Yeah, comes with the territory. There are numerous reasons for this:

* Lightens weight
* Breathability
* Moves and weeps water through the shoes
* A porous material is more gentle on the tops of toes so less abrasion and shock

I'm sure there are a few others. Granted, some shoes are worse offenders than others. You might want to consider a light gaiter like Dirty Girls gaiters to keep out the dirt. Also, socks like Swiftwick claim to keep dust/dirt away from your foot.

Another thought.

I hike a lot in the desert, so dust is plentiful.

Sometimes in winter when day time temps are below 50F I sometimes wear a pair of Salomon GTX shoes, I bought only for this purpose. They keep the dust out. But they would be too hot for normal 3 season hiking.

http://www.sportiva.com/products/footwear/mountain-running

I have used the La Sportiva C-lite on up to 1 week trips. There is an extra layer of breathable mesh that adds some dust/dirt protection. I think there is some slowing of the drying times, but not to much.

Gtx keeps dust and sand out of shoes much better than it does water. You decide if it is worth the negatives.

Don't waste your time trying to modify the shoes to keep dirt out. This is a compromise you make in going with lighter weight footwear.

Gaiters that cover the upper portion of the shoe help some, but fine silt and dirt breaching the mesh overlay on lightweight trail running shoes is par for the course. Wash your feet periodically if it bothers you, or change out your socks.

There's a French company that makes 'desert gaiters' that pretty much covers the entire shoe.

Get some shoes that don't have mesh. Yes I know that's almost impossible to find. Nobody makes a meshless trail runner with a regular nylon fabric. There is just no market for those kinds of shoes.
My issue is stickers/grass quivers getting into my shoes.

Consider getting some leather shoes. They are going to be much, much better than gtx (less sweaty, cooler, and dry much faster). Not the greatest for wet weather but I have hiked many miles in my leather vivobarefoots and they were fine.
In the summer around here I exclusively wear leather shoes. In hot weather they aren't too bad.

Well, my feet are filthy when I take off my shoes.
In dusty conditions, I will take shoes and socks off at breaks and beat the dust out of my socks, and wipe my feet off with them, then put them back on.

Its just foot maintenance.

Sometimes, my shoes have been so full of dirt it sort of feels like walking in sand at the beach, you know there is dirt between your toes, etc. But there really isnt much there, just a bit.

Dust and fine sand inside shoes and socks isn't just an esthetic issue. I went on one trip where very fine sand went through the mesh of my shoes and through my socks. Within a mile I had blisters on the undersides of my toes from the abrasion, in a location where I would have thought it impossible to get blisters. (I do seem to have fragile skin that blisters easily, though.)

The dust getting in is the only negative to trail runners that I've found. I use the Salomon Comp XA5. I recently starting using LevaGaiters. They do block dust from getting in the toe box, but not entirely. Where they actually cover the toe, they do block the dust. Don't know of any other alternative for your shoe. I'd think more than twice about trying to modify your shoe. You'll probably create more problems than you solve.

The Saucony Peregrine has a solid fabric and may block more dust but I'd not recommend the shoe. I have a pair and they will never do more than gym duty due to the lack of lateral support.

Probably better to forget about the dust and wash your feet at the end of the day/hike. It has never caused a problem for me. Keeping dust from my Achilles is another story though and the LevaGaiters have worked for that as well.

If dust bothers you, try gaiters, Dirty Girls, ect..

I've had the same problem as Rowan, although not as often. With really long hikes late in the year (when there is more dust) I've had dust get into my feet and cause blisters. This was on day hikes. I'll look into some of the suggestions. I use shorty gators right now, but they don't cover the toe area.

Apparently there are at least a couple of trail running shoes that have integrated gaiters. These are a lot like the ones you see on cross country boots, in that they cover the entire shoe. I have no idea how well they breathe or how well they keep out dust: http://www.amazon.com/Saucony-Progrid-Razor-Running-Silver/dp/B0039UTCC0, http://www.zappos.com/la-sportiva-crossover-gtx?zfcTest=fcl%3A0

This may be worth looking into. Another possibility is to get and adapt bike shoe covers. I've thought about doing that on really wet trips (to keep my shoes dry).

Basically waterproof overshoes for cycling in the rain. Would be more than adequate to keep out dust.

Then again, they'd be about as comfortable as silnyl socks.

My Vertical Ks are dust proof, and I'd also +1 the Dirty Girl Gaiters to take care of the rest…

+1 on the La Sportiva Vertical K. They are very resistant to dust/sand, and super light (185g).