Any idea if lacquer thinner, acetone, or paint thinner will thin it without affecting the performance? My store doesn't have toluene
Part of the reason I decided to try these was also Achilles issues. I believe mine was just Achilles tendonitis, but it never fails to flare up badly if I put a good number of consecutive days in with stiffer boots that have a significant heel counter. I love my scarpa revolution boots for their durability and water proofing durability, but they cause that issue.
I had a buddy who tore his Achilles about the same time this happened to me. He is still having issues with his too. But if you think pressure (eg different shoes) is more the cause of your flare ups than just activity, ask your dr about potential issues with your sural nerve in your heel. This has been a real bugger to deal with. I had to return the only tag I drew last year because I couldn’t hike. But I’m a year in now and am finally starting to make positive progress.
I’m glad these are working and thanks for the post.
Maybe so. I was zigzagging down probably a 50-60% south side slope in rocks, bunchgrasses, gray oak and ponderosa pine. Not sure how I could change my gait to keep that from happening in those conditions. But like I said, it may have been my slick saddle leather insoles that caused it. It also was not painful like in a stiff pair of boots. It’s like your toes are hitting the end of a soft pair of moccasins. I actually don’t see it causing a problem like it would in normal boots.
I want to follow up on what @fwafwow said about changing your gait because it’s really no joke. These are not boots you can expect to jump right into and do what I did without crippling yourself even further. If you are dumb enough or desperate enough to make crocs that are smashed down to 0-degree by an old, fat, crippled biologist or flipflops or no shoes at all your primary foot gear for a year, these Vivobarefoot trackers will be cake. If not you need to move into them slowly and carefully. I’ll also say that hiking in crocs or using them as tracking shoes is not recommended. I drilled yet another hole in one of my feet this morning with a sharp stick while wearing them to break camp. It also really hurts to step on a tent stake in crocs. But… Desperate times call for desperate measures.
I’m glad to hear the Trackers are working for you. So far they are about the only thing I’ve found that don’t immediately piss my nerve off and cripple me.
I see. I heard the same from Vivo when I called them about their 100 day return offer. Buy them from us. I certainly get it in the current world where Amazon takes a cut out of everyone’s pie, but it sucks for you. I have no expectation that these Trackers would be waterproof. I mostly live and hunt in the desert. My biggest concern was mesquite spines and other sharps.
I tried a leather insole with these as well, which I really liked on flat ground but I had the same experience as you with my feet feeling like they were sliding a bit more on descents and my toes hitting the front of the toe box. I took them out and put the original insoles back in and it was a lot better.
Thanks for your input on this. I’m still experimenting with these. Back in the day, I regularly wore Whites and Nicks fire boots in the mountains with nothing but a flat leather midsole. Those you could lace to prevent your foot from sliding around. The trackers don’t seem to have the structure to allow for that. But that lack of structure also may prevent injuries like blackened toenails. I need a few more miles on steep stuff with them to see how it shakes out. That said, more of my hiking these days is in desert country that is less steep, so the leather insoles may stay in there to help prevent foot punctures. One thing I have noticed on these was that with the factory insoles, I could feel the tread pattern of the sole on the bottoms of my feet and heels. With the leather insoles, not so much.
