UKC

Now the owner of several pairs of these and some Saloman Speedcross 3 and I don't think I`ll be wearing boots again apart from maybe if its crampon time in the winter.

Quite literally a breath of fresh air.

So much quicker up the hill with them and more agile.

My 2 ton Meindl Burmah`s are now going to gather dust.and then more dust.

In reply to andymac:
Yep, I made the move a couple of years ago and apart from winter when crampons needed, then not worn boots since

In reply to steelbru:

yep

no more trenchfoot ,or feet being slowly stewed for me.

which ones do you use?

In reply to andymac: I use La Sportiva Wild Cats for grassy stuff and for Cuillin rock and scrambling i use 5.10 guide tennies. Been a godsend since i stopped using big boots. I have a couple of pairs of lighter fabric boots and the Salomon ones i have let water in so i might as well just wear the Sportivas which have a mesh cage and spew out the water as quick as it comes in. Not found i've lost any support either and my legs are probably stronger since i started wearing trainers all the time.

In reply to Nath93:

I have a pair of the La Sportiva Croslites ,which have been great.

like you say water can escape easily from them.

and agree about the leg support /stability.

In reply to andymac:
*recoils in horror*

What are you on about! That's a disgrace, next you'll be wearing jeans when there's a chance of light drizzle! You're gonna die man.

But seriously, since I saw a load of sherpas skipping over boulder fields and glaciers carrying 30kg in flip-flops, I nearly always wear approach shoes/trainers.

In reply to andymac: ive got meindl burmas too ,have to agree they are bloody HEAVY .will check these out.

In reply to andymac:
Inov8 Roclite 315, and Salomon Speedcross3 for me. The Inov8 ones drain quicker but the Salomon's are more comfortable.

In reply to andymac: I've just started looking for approach shoes too for walk ins/ scrambling as my boots are hurting my feet. What are they like on wet grass though as I've been told might be a trade off if they're good on rock?

In reply to jjax:
I wouldn't worry too much.

In reply to andymac: Yep, been thinking about this myself with the bedding in being the YP3 as I would like to run large sections.

Strange question but what socks do you wear with approach shoes?

Just got a pair of Salewa Wildfire. Really awesome and versatile approach shoes.

In reply to andymac:
I found non lined approach shoes fine, until the weather got colder, then my feet got cold and wet quickly. Not very pleasant.
There used to be a good lightweight thread on TGO forum, which had good recommendations for inov 8s and waterproof socks( not sealskinz).
Boots don't generally offer more ankle stability, and indeed their weight can cause fatigue and injury.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:
Plenty wool in the mix is good as your feet will get wet. A bit of man made fibre in there will help the longevity of them though, so for me something like a 70/30 or 80/20 wool/synthetic mix is good.

In reply to Skol: Boots don't generally offer more ankle stability, and indeed their weight can cause fatigue and injury.

really? having one very dodgy ankle due to a previous injury its the main reason i use boots all year round. surely correctly laced boots will offer much more ankle support than just approach shoes.

what makes you think otherwise ?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

come the winter -merino wool.

recent summer months -any old socks.

In reply to buzby: The ankle support is pretty marginal with most boots, unless we're talking full-on mountaineering of ski boots. The very fact that you can walk in them (flexing the ankle with every stride) illustrates that they're not really going to withstand the crumple loading of a full adult. And I'm sure it could be argued that lighter, more dexterous footwear reduces the likelihood of accidents.

In reply to flipper:

I feel safer in approach shoes.

I used to take ankle support for granted with boots.

Had far more incidents of nearly going over an ankle wearing boots.

weight of the boots certainly did not help

In reply to buzby:
Hi Buzby.
As the poster said above, ski boot type or winter plastics may offer more support if you're ankle is so ' dodgy'.
Otherwise, a lighter shoe may offer more feel for the ground, reduce fatigue, and allow biomechanics to work properly.
Have you had your ankle looked at?
Maybe footbeds and proprioceptive/ strengthening work could improve it.
I used to get a lot of ' inversion injuries' where your foot crumples inwards using 3 season boots all year around as this was the general consensus in the past.
I found this didn't happen wearing approach shoes.
Still see people in big boots on pathed terrain where even ' hill sandals' are adequate.
Maybe get your ankle assessed before trying this.

In reply to Skol:
I would also say that certain lightweight approaches(I.e soft soled footwear) are perhaps unsafe in winter conditions. Cold feet, the inability to kick into hard snow and also use suitable crampons, needs careful consideration and route planning.

In reply to andymac:
I do a lot of walking in summer in my north face hedgehogs.
Waterproof and all day comfort. good on grass and mud.
For proper dry easy rock I have some 5.10 camp 4s. awesomely sticky sole unit in a fairly tough shoe.
However there is definitely less ankle support and I have come close to twisting an ankle a couple of times in the hedgehogs especially when carrying a heavy pack or my daughter on my back.
So now I am tending to use boots again on shorter treks.

In reply to david100: , funnily enough it hedgehogs i use for walking into work and really like them on flat ground.
had a bad fall about ten years ago and the doc gave it a once over and said it would be ok in a few weeks.
still gives me bother a decade later.day to day its ok and not even noticable but when i go over on it slightly it blows up like a balloon hence the reason i use boots all the time in the hills.

In reply to andymac: I think I might stick up for the 'big boot'. I wouldn't be without mine when taking people scrambling. Modern scrambling boots like the Scarpa Charmoz, Scarpa maverick, La Sportiva Trango etc offer significantly better levels of support and security than my La Sportiva cliff approach shoes.

When no belay can be found, I feel much more secure sitting on my bum and driving the heels of my Charmoz into the ground than the softer lighter approach shoe. I get a much better grip on smaller edges with my boots that with my approach shoes.

My boots are much more secure on steep loose ground. Don't fancy 'kicking in' with a pair of glorified trainers.

Approach shoes are for footpaths, boots are for EVERYWHERE ELSE...

In reply to andymac:



I'm the same. Had bought boots originally to help support my ankles as have been told I have overly flexible ligaments in my feet. But so many times I have hurt my ankle from going over in my boots. Need to find time to go try a few pairs on now

"Approach shoes are for footpaths, boots are for EVERYWHERE ELSE..."

I nearly crapped myself reading that.

Do you recommend imprisonment, or simply community service for non-compliance?!

In reply to dylan_the_fox: Just tagging

In reply to Jim Walton: s

Jim you just brought back a funny memory from a couple of years back. I was descending a big old snow slope in the Gran Paradiso park when a "mature" man shouted out in a very authoritative, very English voice:

"LOOK AT HIM!!! He's NOT EVEN WEARING PROPER BOOTS!!!!"

...just before he fell through the snow, into a very deep hole!

In reply to david100:

I bought North Face Hedgehogs just over two years ago; the best money I have every spent, awesomely comfortable and fantastic grip.

In reply to tattoo2005:

tattoo 2005.................!!!!

I thought you were deid!

In reply to coinneach:

I am, I just came back to haunt you all lol!

In reply to andymac: For me, approach shoes were a godsend, i can run down scree and boulder fields in my guide tennies with no worries, also, its cheaper alternative and possibly a better climbing performance than ruining a pair of B2 or B3 stiffened boots every summer. Which if you are climbing lots and with big mileage and on the likes of gabbro, you will wear them out. I probably put more wear on my Nepal Evo in two weeks of Cuillin summer than a half winter season did to them. Once you are used to the trainers, nothing else really beats it, although it does take some getting used to going to the hills with stuff on your feet that you wear for a casual night in the pub. But look what the old boys climbed in, never held them back.

In reply to andymac: seem to remember Hamish Brown used to walk in cut of Wellington boots some of the time

In reply to andymac: Last week I saw someone going up Scafell Pike in a pair of B3's. Why is just beyond me.

In reply to Totally-Normal:

Maybe they were breaking them in for a trip abroad to where they will be needed ?

In reply to steelbru: quite possibly, when i was trying to get fitter for a trip to nepal a while back i was training after work on the local moors close to my home which is popular with locals out for an evenings walk.
heading up with a full 50 ltr pack and plastic boots i sure got some strange looks and a bit of piss taking as well.

In reply to andymac: Bare feet is the way to go when warm enough. I just chuck a pair of light shoes in the rucksack in case my soles wear out.

In reply to David Alcock:

Feet? Feet?


LUXURY!

In reply to dylan_the_fox:
Saw someone running on Scawfell pike in some trainers with individual toes. Never tried them, but would imagine the risk to pinkies was great?

Glad you have seen the ' light'

In reply to andymac:

Surprised you have converted. Walk in to Tràigh Gheal on Erraid last week was a bog. My friend's feet, in approach shoes, were wet in about 2 minutes. Same with Ardnamurchan. If it's boggy they are rubbish.

In reply to jjax:

I'd say it's definitely a consideration. I had a nasty fall, hurting my back and smashing a helmet for good measure when my Boulder Xs lost it on wet grass.

They were great on rock but awful on wet grass, whereas my innov8s are great on wet grass and passable on rock.

I wear the Innov8s pretty much exclusively now, also much better for running in too (obviously), drain better and are very light.

In reply to Saor Alba:

I now accept my feet are going to get wet on the hills.

They got wet in boots as well.

Not nice walking miles in saturated ,sealed,heavy boots.

Approach shoes ,at the very least ,are constantly draining

In reply to andymac:
Do you wear a waterproof sock with unlined shoes? I found my feet getting cold in inov8s if just walking outside 'summer'?

Inov8s have far better grip than any boot I've worn though on grass. Not quite as good as walshies, but then I found the PB's didn't give enough protection underfoot on rocky ground.

In reply to Skol:

No

But come the winter months ,I shall adapt .

Will try merino socks

In reply to Skol: I use wool loops weave socks with innovates when it's cold and I am walking as they are warm when wet.

Another plus with them is you don't even try to stay dry so can spalah through streams etc while benighted boot wearers wobble on greasy bolders!

In reply to andymac:
OK, whats the best draining trainer?

I've got Inov-8 mudroc 290 for scrambling and have walked through streams in them.

Presently I use mid boots for big backpacking hikes over rough ground due to the habit of bits of bracken, pebbles etc getting into my trainers.

I have however, stopped wearing gaiters in anything but snow.

As with Andymac, I've accepted wet feet and while I've used goretex socks before, they do not last sufficiently long enough to be woth the cost.

In reply to andymac:

Meh, approach shoes are just fashion. Running trainers have better cushioning for knees and ankles but are also good on rock. Approach shoes give poor cushioning and wear out quicker.

In reply to jonnie3430:

But have better soles / rubber for climbing.

In reply to jonnie3430:


Indeed. Just a "need" created by clever marketing. If you don't feel you need the support and weather proofing of boots, then a cheap pair of trainers is lighter and just as good on paths or rock rock and, if on grass, what do people think fell running shoes have evolved for? Approach shoes are just glorified and ridiculously heavy trainers. Fashion wear for the pub.

In reply to andymac:
Gotta be honest with ya, the two phrases in climbing that TOTALLY TOTALLY TOTALLY fcek me off are,
1. SEND. WTF? Thats what ya do with a fceking letter!!! It's CLIMB!
2. Approach shoes. WTF? They're called TRAINERS/GUTTIES/SAND SHOES/PLIMSOLLS/ (ok Personally, I prefer Walsh PB's but ya get the picture!)

Tilted ta feck! (Thats a poker term = I'm annoyed!)

In reply to Padraig:

Sand shoes?
Plimsolls?

Showing your age there Padraig.