[pct-l] (no subject)

[moosemunch_7 at hotmail.com (Tom Kowalik)]

Montrails trail runners don't agree with my feet, but everyones different.  
Nor do New Balance which is weird cuz Ive got really wide feet and they are 
one of the few brands that carry wide sizes.  I started the AT with NB and I 
ended up in Tevas for 2 weeks, then my Montrail Gorre GTX boots for a week, 
then finally a pair of Vasque Velocity.  They are built a bit wide for the 
average foot and for me they work perect, 1 blister on my big toe from 
Idlwyld to Sonora Pass.  They breathe well, but are not as durable as they 
should be.  Id like a bit more rubber on the bottoms.  Great grip on rocks 
and such.  Ive not seen many others using them though.

Hope this helps,
Munch


"DP Wrote:"

Hello from a longtime list lurker and section hiker.

Just got the most wonderful piece of e-mail today: REI says my annual
dividend is $225 (don't ask how it got that high) and on top of that
they're throwing in 20 percent off any item.

Which brings me to trail shoes. I normally wear a NB 801 or 807 in a 9.
I've been a bit perplexed by the lack of consensus on the list on whether
my feet will need a larger size in the desert. There seems to be a great
divergence of opinion on this. I've hiked from Whitney to Willamette Pass
w/o a change in foot size, but I realize the desert is a whole other kettle
of salsa.

With the offer of *free shoes* dangled over my head, I'm considering this
strategy: Go out of Campo with my NB 807s. Send a size 10 pair of shoes in
my Warner Springs bounce box and make the final call then, after six trail
days.

So which shoes? I'm OK with the 807s, but would like to hear people's
experiences both good and bad with PCT use of:

Brooks Cascadia

Montrail Hardrock

Montrail Highline

Vasque Velocity


Sorry to burn up bandwidth on this, but the online reviews of trail running
shoes (with the exception of ultra-running sites) really don't address the
kind of extreme use we see during a PCT season. Hopefully if my feet
haven't swelled a full size, the addition of Superfeet inserts on top of
the existing footbed will fill in enough to make the larger size at least
passable.

Thank you in advance for your consideration,

DP