Hi Hartley

> Roger, is that a coated wire cable on Sue's gaiter?
Nah - sun reflecting off part of the shoe or maybe the shoe-lace. Those gaiters didn't even have a strap under them. They worked fine without. They may have had a hook at the front onto the laces.

Cheers

Roger, your link to the gaiter page seems to be broken, or perhaps the page no longer exists.

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Thanks Miguel.
'They' moved the article - the link has now been fixed.
Cheers
Roger

Edited by rcaffin on 10/23/2009 01:59:39 MDT.

I wear boots when running EMS and Rescue calls. Does that count? In all seriousness, when Im forced to carry 40 + lbs because when I have to help the boys in my troop carry some extra gear (sigh...Im unable to convice any to come to the light side).
Oh, and when there's more than a few inches of snow.

Edited by Ghost93 on 10/22/2009 22:45:13 MDT.

In this instance, I'm not concerned so much with lateral or fore-aft support. That is what our skeleton and musculature is for. I am concerned about sharps penetrating the sole of a sneaker.

Clearly, there's a lot out there that blurs the line between sneakers and boots.

Edited by backpackerchick on 10/22/2009 23:33:40 MDT.

> I am concerned about sharps penetrating the sole of a sneaker.

I have been wearing soft-soled sneakers for many many years, over all sorts of terrain. I have never had anything penetrate the sole - neither sharp rocks nor pointy sticks.

Cheers

Like Roger... I have never had sharps come through the soles of my shoes... including on sharp lava beds in Hawaii. Of course, I haven't hiked in Australia... so Rogers observation carries a lot more weight.

I suppose there are some shoes that I could imagine something penetrating through the sole. Ultra thin soled like the vibram fivefingers. More likely though would be bruising rather than a wound since a sharp points force wouldn't be spread out. I certainly notices some short lived pain wearing fivefingers when walking over some fairly pointy granite... but the soles held up and no bruises or punctures. This might have been aided by me shifting weight to the other foot when something hurt.

The advantage of boots (especially full leather) is the protection to the upper foot. The life of more than one pair of trailrunners ended early (before I wore the lugs off the soles) because the uppers were cut up too much to function properly.

One of the things I love (and hate) about my flyrocs is how open the mesh is. Great for ventilation... but the only protection for the upper feet is the added agility the shoes affords me. Even grass like plant material can go right through the mesh and into the foot if you hit them just wrong. When I am going cross country it is fairly common that my breaks involve extracting plant material from the shoes mesh. I find this very annoying... sometimes a little bit painful... but well worth it in my environments for the added agility, good ground feel, and low weight.


--mark

Edited by verber on 10/23/2009 11:49:46 MDT.

I wear my Brasher Supalights when I hike the Lost Coast. No sand in my boots. Even with gaiters I get sand in my low tops. The stuff gets through the smallest hole.

Edited by redleader on 10/23/2009 19:51:14 MDT.

I REALLY feel that trade off. Preferring a quick short stride, almost a "peddling", with a pack (I evolved to this and find it much more efficient), I find it easy to trip in a stiff soled boot. Sharp stuff tearing up the uppers of a trainer and possibly cutting the leg might be preferable to planting my face and head on sharp stuff!