Socks

[renegade_pilgrim]

Okay, I've decided on a pair of Adidas Response 16 trail runner shoes. Luckily for me, I live in Portland, OR, US headquarters of Adidas (and Nike, Columbia Sportwear and Doc Martens....). I was able to secure two pairs for the price of one. I plan to train with one pair, do the Camino Frances in April 2010 with the other pair.

Now, onto socks. I have purchased some Smartwool PhD socks, which I like a lot. I also have purchased some Adidas running socks, which are made of synthetic materials, no cotton. What are people's thoughts on socks? I'm trying to minimize the risk of blisters, including friction reduction and whatnot. Just curious what people have had the best luck with. It'd be even better if you've also walked in trail runner shoes so I can get an idea of what your experience has been.

[HuskyNerd]

SmartWool socks worked great for me in my Camino last year. I walked the full 500 miles from St Jean Pied-de-Port and loved my socks. BTW, I brought 3 pair - one to wear, one for drying, and one clean backup. I walked in May/June, so my socks needed 2 days to dry, hence 3 pair.

Good luck with the TrailRunner shoes. I tried light hiking boots and it was a huge mistake. There's so much side slip on camino trails through the mountains - that's where I got my blisters, so I ditched my light hikers (which had been recommended at REI) and picked up the heaviest-duty, thickest sole hiking boots I could find in Burgos. They performed well and I'll never be separated from these boots again. The ankle support of a high boot was very handy.

That said, people do the Camino each year in hiking sandals, too.

The biggest blister problem is slippage w/i the boot -- sideways, front/back -- so the most important thing is fit. Some people swear by other preventative measures like a) vaseline each night or b) nylons under the socks. If your boots fit you'll never need any of that. If they don't fit, you'd best have some Compeed or needle/thread to help you through. I swear by Compeed, myself.

Have a super Camino.

[renegade_pilgrim]

Thanks HuskyNerd! Nice to have another PNWer on here.

I spoke with the guy at the Adidas store and he mentioned that the Response was one of their best trail runner shoes, and that they are designed to actually form to the person's foot. They are made of a soft, pliable, yet formable material that will "mold" itself to the foot. They are a snug fit, not too loose, not too tight. I'm looking forward to doing some walks around Portland to get a good feel for them.

My plan was to bring three pairs of socks, using the same rotation as you did. I'm planning to pack rather light. I may end up with the smart wool socks, but I'm liking how these running socks feel too.

[HuskyNerd]

Sounds like you're set. Say, when are you going? Have you thought about how trail runners will be when they're wet? As I think about it, I realize one of the reasons I ditched my light hikers was because my feet were continually wet, what with rain, mud puddles, creek crossings, etc. Another reason was my feet were so sore from continually stepping on jagged rocks, which pushed their shape through the sole and against my foot. That's why I ended up with waterproof boots and thick, lug soles. Also, the lower top of the light hiker ended up collecting miscellaneous pebbles, which meant stopping frequently to empty them.

Here's what I started with:
SALOMON SPORTS : Ski, Snowboard, Nordic, Running, Trail, Kid, Man and Women's sport clothing

And here's what I ended up with:
SALOMON SPORTS : Ski, Snowboard, Nordic, Running, Trail, Kid, Man and Women's sport clothing

Hopefully you're also planning something light and comfortable to wear after each day's hike. Tevas are a great choice for that.

Buen camino!

[renegade_pilgrim]

I'm going April 2010/Camino Frances and I've thought a bit about the wet feet problem. I'm not too worried about it. Remember, I am from Oregon. I practically have webs between my toes! I will not have the money available to buy new boots/shoes along the way, so I am hoping the winter/early spring training I get in before the trip will allow me to prepare for wet conditions and then come up with solutions before the trip. Some short gaiters might be in order to keep out the rocks/dirt from the tops of my shoes.

These are the shoes I got:
adidas - RESPONSE Trail 16 Shoes - All Women's Shoes

I've got either a pair of Reef flip flops or a pair of Keen sandals for the end of the day. Weight-wise, I am leaning toward the flip flops.....we'll see how light I can keep the pack.

[dbird10]

we hiked from Roncesvalles in spring 2009. We used a Garmont hiking shoe, not a boot, found they gave enough support. We wore two pairs of socks, a very thin polypro lining sock to reduce friction and a merino wool hiking sock. I will do exactly the same when I next walk in 2011, we had no blister problems at all. We did have a couple of hot spots which we treated early with either duct tape or bandages available from the local farmacias.

Dave Bird

[renegade_pilgrim]

I've got access to some special wound care stuff at work, and plan to bring some of that along with me in my first aid kit (which will be very well-stocked). I also am a huge fan of duct tape for blister prevention.

I'm also looking at some trekking poles, as well. Not sure if I want to haul them around the rest of my trip, though. This is just the first part of my round the world adventure.

[Iassak]

On socks I did the Camino Frances in two stages and never got blisters...reason I believe on the socks I wore..a liner sock on first then the famous smartwood. They worked great for me and as someone mentioned I also had three pairs of each which enabled me to always have a spare pair. The double sock has been recommended because they say it prevents the friction effect so no blisters. Anyway that is how it was explained to me and can testify had no blisters.

[renegade_pilgrim]

I'm heading to REI in the next day or so to look at liner socks. The SmartWool socks and the REI version are looking pretty good right now. I also have some Adidas running socks that I am in love with as well. It's going to be hard to get it down to two or three pairs in my pack......I don't leave until April and I am already starting to pack my pack so I can start figuring out what I don't need and what I do.

[Covey]

I usually go in summer and use Smartwool socks, but found they kept the feet a little too warm in combination with my trusty Salomon boots.

Last year I switched to 1000 Mile Socks which are a 2 layer sock with a built in liner sock. They were excellent and kept the feet much cooler.

This year I am going in September from St Jean, and have a pair of Merrell shoes. They are very comfortable and have a lot of Gortex panels and a good tread pattern for grip. I personally think that boots are not needed from May - November. You see some people walking the whole way in trail sandals, tennis shoes and trainers, so as long as they are comfortable and very sound, they will get you to Santiago.