I present several slideshows on both our Mississippi River Expedition and Appalachian Trail thru-hike every year. I love these presentations and especially enjoy the question and answer sessions. Each time I give the Appalachian Trail talk, I always know I’ll spend some time talking about footwear. Some folks hike in boots, some in trail runners, but I ended up hiking in Chaco sandals for the entire 2,170 miles.
Before my hike, I scoured the Internet for any info I could get my hands on for information. One site I often visited was Michael McCormick’s Ultralight Backpacking page (now defunct). Michael was one of the first folks that turned me onto the idea that yes, it was possible to backpack in sandals as long as you kept your pack weight down. I had to try it out for myself to see what the fuss was about. At this time in my life, I only owned 3 pairs of shoes – my Chaco sandals, running shoes, and one pair of rarely used dress shoes. 95% of the time I wore my Chacos – not out of some misplaced sense of asceticism, but because I simply loved how they felt.
I was also working for Blue Ridge Mountain Sports at the time, and as luck would have it, I ran into the Chaco representative about a month before leaving. We talked a bit, and once he learned of my plans to hike in Chacos, he offered me the chance to prototype a new type of sole they were playing with. It was a win-win for everyone – Chaco got the data from a long hike, and I got 2 pairs of sandals for the trip. Excellent. Because we were starting in Maine and going south, I did bring a pair of ruining shoes with me in case I decided make a last minute change. Just before leaving the motel to head to Baxter State Park, I decided once and for all to go all the way in sandals, so my shoes were left behind. The first day was a little scary, but I made it up and down Katahdin without killing myself or twisting anything.
I only needed two pairs of sandals over the course of six months, and the first pair made it over 1,200 miles. After that thru-hike, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to hiking with boots, with the rare exception of winter hiking. For what it’s worth, I never had a blister the entire time I was out. Everyone has to find what works for them, but I’m sold on my sandals.
Advantages
- Highly breathable
- Long lasting
Disadvantages
- Less ankle support
- Less protection against rocks, sticks, and thorns
More info:
My personal favorite I’ve always had good luck with the Z/1 model.
First came out in 2003, but have expanded rapidly. Lots of shoe/sandal hybrids available.
One of the originals on the market. Thousands of feet are running around in Tevas.
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[...] store are perfect for hiking! Don’t believe it? Read on my friend.As I wrote earlier about Hiking in Sandals, I used polyester dress socks in combination with Chaco sandals for my 6-month hike thru-hike of [...]