In search of a new shoe

tavenne323

I've been doing a lot of day hiking the past couple years, mostly on the North Shore of Minnesota. I am having a hard time finding a shoe that really holds up well and doesn't give me blisters or sore spots.

My most recent pair was Patagonia. I got them about two years ago. They did fine at first, but during my trip to Yosemite in June 2012, I started getting blisters on my heels and a super painful spot on my right baby toe/foot joint (metatarsalphalangeal joint). The previous two pairs were Merrell's. I still got that pain on my MTP joint, but not really any blisters, they just seemed to break down kinda fast.

I am looking for a "lighter" weight pair, as I don't do much mountain type hiking. Plus, I wear more minimalist shoes on a regular basis. I prefer a low shoe, versus a boot style also. I float between a 9.5/10 men's and 10.5/11 women's. Somewhere between average and wide width. So if a shoe runs more narrow (like Nike) it won't work unless I can get it in wide.

I was looking at the Salewa brand on backcountry.com. But there are no dealers near me to try them on and I've never heard of them. I'm heading to REI in Minneapolis this weekend to try some on, but haven't had much luck finding shoes there (their return policy is just so awesome).

kasaz

I used to wear Merrell's but my most recent hiking shoes have been low top Salomon and low top Ahnu. They have both worked for me. Sometimes I think I just need new shoes more often. Sometimes when I find something that works (from REI), I get the second pair from Amazon at a lower price. Then I can change shoes a little more often. I hike quite a bit and also live in the heat, so I think they may wear out a little more quickly.

tavenne323

Thanks. I was looking at Salomon and Ahnu too...but everyone up here wears heavy Keens or Merrells so other brands are hard to find.

Erica0718

For light hiking I prefer KEEN, but I also own a pair of Merrell's I like.

cococa

I have a pair of Saloman's for light hiking and they do the job - no blisters. Not my favorite pair though. I swear I will take my Lowa's to the grave. My fiance now wears Lowa's too. I have a pair with good ankle support for all of the mountain hiking I do, but they have a line for light hiking as well. Might be worth a look.

DragonflyF15

I don't think there is really a certain brand that is better than another when it comes to the big names, it's just a matter of preference and foot style. For myself, I find Merrell's day hikers have really held up well with my high arches and wide feet. Day hikers do tend to wear faster than mid hikers though. I've learned to go with what works best with my foot style is and not the color/style of the shoe. So if a certain shoe didn't work for you, it might not be the brand, just the wrong style for your foot. Once I find one that works, I stick to it :happy:

WDEvy

I wear Vibrams trek sports for short and medium lenght hikes. They give me a freedom of movement especially on really rocky terrain that I never had with boots. Plus they're really comfy.;

CrankyGoat

Hiking shoes seem to very individual oriented - for example, I LOVE Keens and tend to stick with that brand for my light hikers. Whereas my wife LOVES her Merrell's and had also had a couple pairs of Salomon's that she really liked. I have wide feet and the Keens are hard to beat for a comfy yet secure fit ... many options out there, but as someone else also mentioned, day hikers do tend to wear faster and these three brands seem to offer that combination of good fit, good overall quality and decent price point so you are not too upset when they need replacing quicker than anticipated!