Due to the broken foot suffered a few weeks ago, I had to
purchase a new pair of hiking boots that were stiffer than I normally would
have worn for a backpacking trip.
Usually trail running shoes are sufficient for my treks.
A pair of water proof Keen Logan ankle high boots were
purchased for this trip. They weigh 1
pound 6 ounces a pair and are made of vegan materials. The journey they would go on was about 60
miles of mixed terrain. Several miles
would be very rocky, much like a very long gravel driveway with large stones. For this section these boots really did help
keep the bottom of my foot from obvious pain.
For the first 40 miles of this trip, I was raving about these
boots. They were purchased a half size
larger than my usual shoe size and I wore double socks. The fit was perfect and my arch felt supported. My base pair were a pair of Injinji toe
socks. Normally I don’t get blisters, however,
the padding of double socks is nice it’s always good to take preventative measures.
The boots felt great.
They have a lot of toe box room and were rather flexible around the ankle
without giving up support. Their weight was not noticed. The protection in the toe area when coming
up against rocks was a major plus. I did
add my own Dr. Scholl’s inserts to the cushioning due to the having just been given the ok from
the Dr. to walk with regular shoes.
It was the last 20 miles the issues began. The boots were great until the heat was
on, literally. Going over a pass for 5
hours in full sun in elevated temperatures caused my feet to sweat and the shoe
didn’t breathe enough. Blisters had
formed on the tops of my feet and almost all my toes. The sides of my heels also formed them. My socks were wet from sweat.
I have never experienced blisters like this in
the many thousands of miles I have completed trekking through the mountains. Having
worn everything from those ten pound leather clunkers that were popular in the
70’s to 7oz Merrell Pace Glove shoes for backpacking, I can only attribute it
to the heat in combination with the waterproof materials.
10 pound clunkers, yes, I still have them
Merrell Pace Glove
Positives: Toe box room, light weight, supportive upper,
very comfortable, vegan materials, and a reasonable price of about $110.00 (on
sale currently). The sole offered great support for a foot that was still
mending and the materials held up very well despite very rocky and rough
terrain.
Negatives: Breathability in
heat.
