High Sierra Topix

+1 on good insoles. I used to get heel blisters in my Asolos (very comfortable with some preemptive mole skin) but on a whim tried using my skiboot superfeet insoles...no rubbing or chafing at all. Definitely makes a difference.

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Just finished the JMT in Soloman trail runners. I don't think I will ever go back to boots. 200 miles with no blisters!

These days:

Lowa Mountain Experts (In snow when it is cold out)
Kayland MXT ( In snow)
Five Ten Guide Tennies (when there is some scrambling on the trip)
Five Ten Insights (when there is some scrambling on the trip - I haven't been wearing these much lately)
Brooks Cascadia (When I stay on the trail and there isn't any snow)

Bought Vasque Bitterroots spring 2012. Heavy beasts that can brutalize terrain. Here coming down steep granite talus below the north side of Silver Fox Pass August 2012 carrying about 65 pounds:

just scored my 4th pair of La Sportiva Trango GTX on ebay - my size, worn one trip in the Tetons but the owner didn't like the narrow fit: $74.50 my cost shipped

Love these boots, but they don't last very long - the cushion layer in the forefoot area compresses after about 500 miles more and more and comfort is way down - they continue to work fine but for high mile per day trips I like to use fresh boots to keep those feet happy even after 15 miles of downhill.

I'd never buy them again if I had to pay retail for these things, but ebay and some patience makes my boot preference less painful.

Can't really ditch those old Trangos - they look too good on the shelf all red and worn out with memories in every gash, but fully usable for a day or weekend trip, and with some teeth grinding, they all will do a few more Muir Trails before the soles get too thin.

GreenhornBackpacker wrote:I wore Merrell trail runners on my first backpacking trip last week. They were great but what were really great were the Smartfeet insoles. I have had a Morton's neuroma for ten years. I'd have shooting burning pain after walking any distance, even after I stopped walking and was driving home. The pain was terrible.

I wore the Smartfeet insoles for the first time on the trails in Yosemite and it was like a miracle!! 26 miles of pain-free feet carrying a 25 pound pack over rocks and cobblestones. I highly recommend them.

pretty sure you mean Superfeet insoles. It's the wool that is smart

I've been using various nylon non-waterproof (on-sale) trailrunners with Superfeet with great success in the High Country for 3 season backpacking for over a decade now. Light, comfortable and tough enough for most anything, no matter how far I go my feet remain happy. If they get wet from a stream crossing, they dry out quickly in the altitude. The hard plastic heal shank in the insoles really help smooth out the granite edges and do a great job of beefing up the support.

I used to really like Montrail (The Vitesse), but then they were bought out by Columbia and quality went out the window. The same model that used to last me whole summers of pounding the trails would start unraveling after 2-3 trips. I'm currently alternating between the Brooks Cascadia and some New Balance trailrunner model and they're both fine.

If they get wet from a stream crossing, they dry out quickly in the altitude.

I think this has more to do with time of day, heat, and relative humidity. If your light weight mesh trailrunners get soaked at the end of the day, and at timberline during a monsoon pattern, they likely will still be wet the next morning. I wear trail runners, but still bring "camp shoes" because of this.

freestone wrote:

If they get wet from a stream crossing, they dry out quickly in the altitude.

I think this has more to do with time of day, heat, and relative humidity. If your light weight mesh trailrunners get soaked at the end of the day, and at timberline during a monsoon pattern, they likely will still be wet the next morning. I wear trail runners, but still bring "camp shoes" because of this.

When my shoes actually have taken a late night dunk (happened many times), I simply remove the insoles and put the shoes somewhere they can breath overnight and by the morning they're manageable. I wake with the sun, and between the day warming and a dry set of socks I've been fine. Ounce counting isn't my all consuming thing, but an extra pair of shoes simply hasn't proved necessary. To each their own though...

I really tear through shoes, I go through on average 3 pairs a year. I've read that people really like inov8 trail rock shoes. Does any of you have experience with these shoes? What is your personal favorite? Thanks!

Last year in Tuolumne, I talked with many PCT hikers as they came thru.
I asked the same question as you: What shoes/trail runners do you like best?

Surprised by the majority response...Brooks Cascadias.
I had never heard of these before but, figuring that these experienced hikers knew something I didn't, now have a pair...sweet shoes!