I am planning some off trail passes on a 7 night, 50 mile trip in the southern high Sierras this July. We are expecting to ascend and descend granite scree slopes and talus fields.
Does anyone have recommendations on what to get or avoid based on their experience for zero-low heel drop footwear?
Do you wear tighter shoes (especially tighter in the toes) to help with boulder hopping?
Do you wear mids to protect/cushion your ankle bone from loose rocks?
Do you use goretex lined shoes/boots for crossing snow fields and avoiding dampness at colder temperatures at altitude, in July? I’m expecting soaking wet shoes and socks after an afternoon thunderstorm at 4:30pm in 45f temps at 10000ft. Monthly average temps, +/- 3 max historical std deviations, altitude adjusted to 10000ft assuming 3.5f/1000ft, from the nearest weather station at Lodgepole gives ballpark temps of 23f to 74f for our trip. I know what Skurka recommended; after looking up the temps/rain fall and under the impression that late afternoon passing thunderstorms are common I’m sincerely asking this forum.
More background on my footwear situation:
The more experienced members of my group pointed out that my Altra King Mt 2s have a weak flexible toe guard, no lateral instep rand, a weak velcro strap for a heel guard, no ankle coverage, and no waterproofing; After watching some videos of the SHR on youtube I share their concerns that the King Mt 2s will get shredded descending loose scree. Not to mention the open sole which will let granite dust into the shoe; it has handled beach sand (larger particle size?) and dusty trails ok, but I have to imagine literal sand paper dust will be bad (granite is a 7/10 on the mohs hardness scale).
Skurka published this article and list: https://andrewskurka.com/recommended-footwear-for-high-routes-alaska-and-early-season-conditions/
Ryan Jordan also points out the La Sportiva Akrya in this article https://backpackinglight.com/principles-buying-minimalist-footwear-for-backpacking/
Here are some BPL threads; https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/footwear-for-offtrail-shr/ and https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/28821
None of these options listed or discussed are zero or even low drop. All at least 6mm or greater.
I spent a few hours annoying the sales people at REI yesterday evening; I had my right foot in my king mt 2 and my left foot trying other shoes. In my hiking socks on the brannock I measured just over and US8.5 in length and just over a D in width for both feet. If you measure a tracing of my foot I’m about 10″ long and 3 7/8″ wide.
The bushido IIs are more like soccer cleats than trail runners, the instep and arch is a single piece of hard (tap it and it goes ‘click clack’) plastic. Like an integrated outsole+shank providing tons of protection from rock. You could balance on the arch of your foot on the point of a rock. A true hallux valgus toe box that pinches the toes together, but you have amazing dexterity with the forefront of the sole. I imagine people who play field sports in cleats love these… But nothing like any trail runner I’ve checked out before; super protective and tight. I could barely don and doff them, like cleats.
The ultra raptors, in my opinion, are a low cut boots not trail runners. They have a full wrap around rand made of this stiff but flexible rubber(?) material with a weird printed tpu-esque coating. It seems super durable and from others’ experience it apparently is. It has a similar stack height, drop, sole flexibility, upper stiffness, and maybe even more protection than the leather hiking boots on the shelf (I handled the Lowa renegrade for a side by side comparison). Definitely feel far off the ground compared to the altras. Even in wide it is tight; maybe good for the heel but too much for my toes.
The salomon X Ultra 3s are similar in sole characteristics and upper stiffness to the ultra raptors but the upper *seems* less durable. Salomon also markets these as hikers not runners, and that description fits well I think. The sole doesn’t seem as sticky as the la sportiva. The REI I went to had no salomons of any model in wide, so I couldn’t try it, but the regular felt tight in the toes compared to the altras. The heel was tight, but I think in a snug way that was good. I really liked how I didn’t really feel much higher off the ground than the altras. I could almost stand comfortably with the different shoes on either feet.
I don’t know yet if others have had success with Merrel Moabs in granite scree and talus, but they seem almost as durable as the salomons. Not a lot of durable quick-dry options in mids. The bumper running the length of the lateral side of the shoe seems nice, but its skinny and its under the suede. I know suede has a good reputation in rock climbing shoes, but I don’t know how it compares to the plastics and rubbers being used in the salomons and la sportivas vs the scree I will be sinking into. Its not an open mesh as it seems to be in the pictures, there is a black fabric material in the openings between the brown material; I believe it could keep dust out. The wide toes box felt similar to the altras, but my measured size was too long in the moab 2 and they didn’t have the next size down for me to try. Im hoping the right length will allow me to get my heel locked in and stop my foot from sliding forward but not feel tighter in the toes. Maybe it is just too wide in the heel. I was able to try a different model merrell in a regular width, but the length was truer to size so I don’t know if it was a good comparison; that merrel felt very similar to the salomons. Moab 2 felt over all taller than the salomon but closer to the ground the ultra raptor, as the specs suggest. Seems like the hardest, least sticky sole.
All of these felt like high heels compared to the altras. Taking the insole out helps a lot with the merrels and salomons, which surprised me because the insoles seem minimal and both shoes have an 11mm drop vs the ultra raptors around 9mm. Still similarly comfortable/cushioned compared to the altras even without insoles. standing and walking around the heel drop became less and less noticeable, even with a 0 drop shoe on the other foot. They didn’t have the lone peak hiker in my size, but I was able to handle it; it doesn’t even seem like an outdoor shoe compared to the others or my king mt 2s. I have no confidence in the thin synthetic suede and abundance of stitching; they should have used way more of the hard plastic they have around the heel. The toe bumper is small and the toe guard thin and flexible. Probably fine for all normal walking/hiking, I’m just focusing on those sharp loose granite scree slopes.
Should I compromise on heel drop? Should I consider the tighter toe boxes for my lower mileage off trail high route? Should I be considering goretex or sticking to quick dry?
