I’m doing the PCT this year and am having a real problem finding the right shoes. I’ve been using 8-10 mm drop shoes my whole life and haven’t begun transitioning from them, so Altras and other zero drop shoes won’t work for me (I’ve already started the trail and had to get off to replace a leaking sleeping pad so don’t have time to transition). I am also very over-pronate and this has caused some problems in recent years, mainly shin splints. Because of this I need shoes with a wide base and a lot of support for the inserts I use. The only trail runners that I’ve been able to find that work for me are Asics Gel Kahanas. The problem is that they have a pretty narrow toe box which doesn’t work for thru hiking (also they don’t make them anymore). I’ve tried everything they have at REI. The Brooks Cascadia 16 were probably closest with their fairly wide base, but the rounded heel was a failure point for the supportiveness.
I’d like to stick with trail runners obviously, but if I have to switch to hiking shoes, so be it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
