Lost My Boots, No Time to Train -- New Boots or Trail Runners?

[Freezing Moon]

Title says it all. I'm used to heavy boots in the backcountry and I just lost them (it's a long and dumb story). Opening day is next Saturday (a week from tomorrow) and I need something to wear for next weekend. I'll be going out about 3-5 miles from the trailhead, 2,500' of elevation gain in steep country, mostly off-trail.

I have two options:

-Wear my trail runners that I've used for on-trail backpacking that I know fit me

-Buy a pair of boots, probably lighter non-leather ones that don't have much of a break-in period

What would you do? Looking for recommendations if I go the boots route

 

[Paladin]

Crispi Thor

 

[Nine Banger]

This is Rokslide; we need the long and dumb story.

Crispi Thor 2. They don't require break in.

 

[Loper]

I’d rather have a pair of shoes that my feet know and like. I’d go with the trail runners.

 

[realunlucky]

Just buy the boots you want and keep your runners in the truck as emergency back up. Your not going on a 10 day trip or anything

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

 

[Fireflyfishing]

This is Rokslide; we need the long and dumb story.

Crispi Thor 2. They don't require break in.

This

 

[swavescatter]

I jumped right into Crispi Lapponia III's that were like "beefier" versions of my Altra Lonepeak's. Worked great.

If you go Crispi though - I did have some issues with the laces squeaking a bit, which I've seen in other boots of mine. Don't forget to carry some wax for the laces to prevent the squeak...

 

[Macchina]

I may be an outlier, but I have no problem breaking in new leather boots the first few hunts of the year. I wouldn't bring new boots on a week-long pack-hunting trip but if I could wear them around the house/office for a few days I'd bring new boots out for a 5 mile hunt in a second. You break in boots by wearing them.

I have a Heritage Red Wing fetish (Iron Ranger, Beckman, etc) and they are by far the worst boots to break in. Miserable for months (then they feel amazing). By contrast I've never had a pair of Crispi or Schnees that took more than a week to break in. Anything with a glued-on sole nowadays is ready to go within 10 miles.

 

[StupidLightweight]

Rock your trail runners and don't look back. When the weather is good, you can hunt faster, further, and way more comfortably in lightweight shoes instead of heavy boots. I've done this for the past decade and a half. Until the snow flies, it's the only way to go.

If you're worried about stability, just place every step carefully, with a bit of tension in your ankle to keep from rolling. You should do this anyways, but some boots are so stiff that maybe you don't need to.

 

[S.Clancy]

I brought "heavier" boots and trail runners when I hunted in NV earlier this year. Days were 2500-3000' of steep elevation gain. I used both, honestly, the trail runners were nicer to use because of the lightness.

As far as breaking in, just give er. IME good boots won't tear your feet up the first use. Boots that tear my feet up the first use generally get sold because they tear my feet up on subsequent uses....

 

[Dennis]

I have grown fond of the Altra Timp hkr. Light weight with good cushion and tread. More like a trail hiker with good height and ankle support. They are not waterproof which I prefer to keep feet cooler. However they also make similar ones that are waterproof.

 

[North of 60]

If not expecting snow, I'd probably go with trail runners (and be conscious of where to put my feet) to be safe.