Boots or Sandals?

[Sophie]

Hi,
I am going to starting the camino in St Jean at the beginning of September and walking to Santiago for the first time. It seems that most people opt to wear boots. I am tempted to walk in my sandals, (Chacos that have a good arch support). As the Chaco sandals are fairly heavy the choice is between wearing them, or wearing boots and bringing a lighter pair of sandals for the evening. Does anyone who has already walked the camino have any advice?

Thanks,
Sophie

[spanishlancer]

I would advise having support for your ankles,you will be walking on lots of different surfaces,including uneven rock pathways, muddy farm tracks thick in cattle dung, and pathways with granite stepping stones in the middle with water pouring down the sides of them. I swear by my Berghaus Gortex boots which were properly fitted by an expert.May cost a little bit more but I think are worth every penny.Also had trekking sandels with me, a Spanish make named Panama Jack but only wore them in the evenings.

[Sheens]

Sophie

There are certain stretches where the sandals would be fine (i saw a canadian guy walking in Crocs!!!) but there are many parts of the camino where you are walking through mud- much more than i anticipated! My boots were not waterproof and i found myself with wet feet almost every day. I would bring both, if you can, as it is nice to give your feet a break, but i dont think it's possible to walk the entire camino in the sandals i'm afraid.

[Douglas]

You need to know how prone you are to blistering. If your feet don't blister, walk in anything you like. If you blister, you must keep your feet dry - wet feet blister much more easily than dry.

I guess you don't walk a lot, or you'd know the answer to your own question, so play safe with good waterproof boots - nowadays they don't have to be heavy and inelegant.

Dry Feet = Happy Walker.

[norske99]

I just walked from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago leaving May 3 and arriving in Santiago May 31. It rained very often, some days almost all day long. There were six of us, and we all wore boots with Gore-tex linings. I have a pair of Chacos that I have worn when canoeing and portaging. The Chaco straps are narrow, and I had some bad chafing from all the straps after wearing them for a week. They might be okay when dry but are very abrasive when wet. The sandals that I saw people wearing on the Camino all had very wide padded straps on the heel. We met a man from Germany who wore sandals, and he did well. But unless you have had a good experience walking long distances in Chacos I would advise against them. A light pair of sandals for the evenings are nice if you wear boots. Gore-tex or equivalent linings are essential in your boots. I agree with the previous post about dry feet making happy walkers.

[Portmarnock Pilgrim]

I had problems with the boots I was going to do the camino with but developed problems and had to change with 10 days before I started.
I was going to try sandals but talking to a friend who had done the camino went for good hiking shoes instead. She told me of a man in her group who was in sandals but was forever stopping to get pebbles and grit out of the sandals. Not good for the soles of you feet

[John Hussey]

Footwear is a very personal choice and one's choice for one's own feet are not necessarily the best choice for everyone's feet. That being said, keep an open mind as to which choice might be better for your feet. Likely you will not even know until you give one or the other a try.

While most use heavier boots they are just not for everyone. For example, most lightweight hikers opt instead for either trail runners or some hiking sandals as each pound upon one's feet is like 5-6 upon one's back. It is a quick way to loose some weight carried. I walked the Caminos Frances and half the VdlP in sandals- Teva Trail Wraptors that are, alas, no longer sold, without any problem. But wear good wool socks as it keeps the feet moist and eliminates chaffing.

If you opt for sandals make sure your selection is a pair designed for the sharp rocks of the trail. Chacos is one common choice if you can wear them but the foot support is harder than the Tevas.

Trail sandals have been used quite successfully now by many thru-hikers upon the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail in the US, all considerably rougher and higher and longer than the Camino.

If you do opt for sandals, you then can afford to forego the spare pare of footwear for towns, that most heavy boot users seem to need.