I have worn out a pair of Garmont boots on each of my caminos but have been very lucky, apart from a lost toenail and a few blisters at about the halfway point. I would not be keen to wear sports shoes in mud but I suspect that I could probably have got away with them in my two Autumn caminos. For this Camino I have bought some Keen Targhees. Like my other boots they were on sale. Sock theories also vary and I like 3 pairs of socks, the first being short sports socks with the tiny loops on the sole, the second are thin Cool Max and outer socks being more traditional tramping socks like Smart wool socks. This of course means that my tramping boots are a bigger size than I would normally wear, but it means that when my feet swell in the heat and with the constant walking, I have plenty of room and can always take a layer off, although I have never done this.
Yesterday we climbed Mount Te Aroha. It was a bit of a shock.. I had hoped that I was fitter than I proved to be.. I think I was passed by about 20 people and am very tired and sore today, despite a good soak in the Te Aroha hot springs afterwards.While I have done quite a bit of walking, Hamilton is a bit short of hills. I think I see some more climbs in my future before I leave. At least my shoes held up well and I had no blisters!
I tried on some Keen Targhees. I think they look really good for the Camino- but unfortunately they never quite matched my foot shape.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you will soon get fitter. We have the same 'lack of hills' problem here in PN. But I discovered the country roads on the ranges side of Massey had an infinite variety of them, plus the Manawatu Gorge walk wasn't far away. Plenty of weekends on those prepared me well for the climbs on the first days out of Le Puy.
I'm very interested in this because I had Keen Voyageurs recommended to me, but I am walking later in the year so was looking into Targhee IIs for the "breathable/waterproof" lining. MEC [Mountain Equipment Co-op, in Canada] users commented on a significant lack of breathability though the waterproofing was great. They also commented on breaking down of the boot - having to return them after a couple of months for replacement. MEC is excellent for standing behind their products, but I don't want to be thousands of miles away with a "flat tire" ...
ReplyDeleteI am wondering how you have found the Targhees have held up, and how they are for their breathability and waterproofing capabilities?
I tried on some New Balance MW978GT today and really liked them -- lightweight mid-height with Gore-Tex as opposed to the Keen's in-house waterproof/breathable layer, though by the end of my time there the salesman [who is both a runner and a climber, and whose wife just returned from her 1st Camino] suggested I just use my Army combat boots, with the addition of Superfeet insoles!
The price is right since I already have the boots and they are well broken in :D but I was looking at alternatives for the weight factor. Combat Boots = 70.4 oz, MW978GT = 17.8 oz. That's an additional 1-3/4 pounds on the end of each foot for many, many thousands of steps!