Foot wear for India sandals, Jungle boots anything else?

[Nemesis]

I'm off to India in a couple of weeks and am thinking about what footwear to take.

My current thinking is either some decent sandals i.e. waterproof and sturdy for a bit of 'offroading'
and/or
Some surplus Jungle boots -but these are maybe a bit OTT?

I'm wanting to stay fairly cheap so the boots would have to be Surplus, for sandals I'm willing to spend up to £50.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[phill_ue]

Sandals are good, but once you get stone between your foot and the sandal you need to stop and shift it. It can become tedious after a while! Boots would be sturdy but your feet could get sweaty, although I have no idea of India's climate at this time of the year. I it is going to be dry and dusty, get yourself a pair of desert boots, but not the issue ones. You can get ankle height ones from Clarkes I believe.

 

[Doc]

I might be inclined to buy a pair of 'chappals' over there - they won't cost you much, and that's what the locals wear.

That said, the 'all terrain' type sandals might be more comfortable initially.

I doubt you'll see many folk in boots out there.

 

[John Fenna]

Which part of India?
In the mountains you will need decent trekking boots, in the Jungly areas ...jungly boots, in the deserts...desert boots
I abhor sandals as they leave your feet open to every source of injury and filth.
And a lot of India is a bit short of sanitation so the filth is...filthy!

 

[Nemesis]

Which part of India?
In the mountains you will need decent trekking boots, in the Jungly areas ...jungly boots, in the deserts...desert boots
I abhor sandals as they leave your feet open to every source of injury and filth.
And a lot of India is a bit short of sanitation so the filth is...filthy!

Kerala in the South, hence thinking Jungle boots. On the other hand I could get hot in the Arctic so the thought of full length boots is (much as I like full length boots as general wear) a bit off putting. Spike protection etc. is good though.

Having said that my 'day sack' is a drop leg dump pouch (anything to keep valuable to hand and off my back is good by me) so I don't want to look too military (one piece is fine, more than one is maybe a bit too much)

 

[BOD]

I doubt you will be going into real lowland jungle so desert boots like Aussie Redbacks will do fine.

All the rest is good advice

ADD: I see you are going into monsoonal coastal forest? Redbacks will do They can cope with real equatorial rainforest to some extent

 

[John Fenna]

Get some inexpensive "desert boots" and handpaint them with leather dye in pretty patterns then give them a good going over with waterproofing if you want to seal it - performance with a non military look!
If you buy surlus they may not survive a long trip but if they do you can dye the whole boot when you get back for that "not quite so embaressing" look!

 

[Buckshot]

Bought my lad a pair of desert boots for our africa trip soon.
British military surplus do grade 2 boots for £12 + VAt and P+P
His boots hadn't been issued - they still had the mold marks on the soles!

Brill value
I got 2 desert issue shirts from there at the same time for £3 for the pair!

Mark

 

[swyn]

I had a pair of lightweight Ecco ankle boots when I was there 20 years ago I think that they are marketed as 'Cotswold' Heavy stuff is inappropriate. Most of India is heavily walked including the trails into the mountain regions, this is done using sandals. I found a spare pair of laces would have been handy.

Seriously, take very little and buy what you need when you are there. If you are a 'big' person things will be a little more difficult to source as most Indians are smaller than us UK folks. Seikh markets are a good place to buy bigger clothes because they are bigger built due to their region being the 'Bread basket of India'.

You will also get a feeling for the region you are in by using the local markets and that is the whole joy of being there. Sandals are very easily repaired at roadside everywhere.

My most used pieces were in a many pouched belt with one webbing pouch to hold my water bottle.(I still use that) Never let these items out of your sight!

Eating is one other thing I can mention. You can eat very cheaply on the road, the food is fresh and MOST IMPORTANTLY, cooked right there in front of you! No tummy problems.

Swyn.

 

[Agile]

Seriously, take very little and buy what you need when you are there. If you are a 'big' person things will be a little more difficult to source as most Indians are smaller than us UK folks.

I would certainly echo that statement after going there last year. I'm 6'2", 34" waist, and have size 44 (UK 10) feet. Finding clothes which fitted me was difficult, as what little were in my size were short in the arm and "generous" in the torso. Shoes were almost impossible to find outside of the more expensive places in anything near my size. I finally found a cheap pair of boots £6 and a fleece £1.5 though - just don't forget to haggle (as the starting price was closer to £30).

I wouldn't recommend Jungle boots from personal experience - I had a pair with me for a trip to Borneo in the month after with some people from this forum. Because of the filter at the bottom, they allow the contents of every sludge ridden puddle to come into your boot. Not a good idea given the tendency for people to use streets as bathrooms, I think we can agree you don't want that coming into your boot. They are also overkill for the environment, as I found Indian "Jungle" not much different from a dry scrubland with a few more vines and trees.

For general use, I found a dusty pair of trainers was sufficient, with some boots for the more mountainous areas towards the north east. If you're staying in Kerala/Goa, then don't frett too much, as they have huge "tourist" markets which tend to sell the things which will fit you, albeit at an inflated (by Indian standards) price.

On the issue of food - most people I talked to were ill at least once. I found it safe to eat from street vendors, but insisted on seeing the item cooked in front of me (the ruse of "show me how you cook it, as I want to learn" was often used to ensure I didn't offend). Always go to the busiest vendor too, as they have a high turnover of food. I found it often safer to eat with my hands too, as the cutlery looked dirtier than I can describe. At least I know where my hands had been!

Enjoy your time there - you should have a good one!

 

[barryasmith]

Hi

I lived in India for a year and spent a fair bit of time in Kerela and the South. Out of the office I spent most of my time on Sandals, when we went to the jungle (Malabar rain forest in Kerela) I wore my breathable Karrimor walking boots mainly to protect my ankles and in case I walked on anything nasty.

Jungle boots will be overkill, walking boots or trail shoes will be fine. just ensure whatever you take breathes.

Have a great trip.

Barry

 

[rik_uk3]

What do the locals use for footwear? Doubt they use jungle boots a lot. This is pure guess work as I've never been there, but open sandals should be OK for a lot of the trip, unless you have open wounds it won't matter what you tread in as you won't get infected, just wash your feet at the end of the day.

Have a great trip mate.

Me and the wife are looking at Goa for a couple of weeks in 2011 or 2012 but sadly won't be roughing it, more 4 star than tarp

 

[johnnytheboy]

Crocs, sorry i know this will get boohooed but mines have been all over the world through everything and have never let me down. The shape means they are great flippers

 

[harryhawk]

When I travelled alone down the West coast of India back in the late 90's I wore sandals and trainers (merrell type). I walked, cricketed, footballed, swam and rode around on a Royal Enfield and found I needed nothing else.
I travelled back up from Kerela as the monsoons broke and found I didn't need any dry footwear.
You'll love it.
I hope to take the wife and kids back and capture some of the hospitality that was shown to me as a lone traveller. I was invited in by families and asked to share meals, rooms and a drink or two. Families wanted just to practice their English! Those that had nothing would offer you the world and those that had money would try and rip you off.
Enjoy, I loved it

 

[rik_uk3]

Crocs, sorry i know this will get boohooed but mines have been all over the world through everything and have never let me down. The shape means they are great flippers

Nout wrong with crocs, ideal for camping. As I can only camp in the woods I've no need for boots now so comes April the boots will be ditched and I'll use crocs and trainers most of the time and wellies in the winter

 

[sandsnakes]

I go to India every other year so have now got my kit down to the perfect level.

One pair of north face open mesh walking shoes, Nosquito-Cragghoppers shirt and long tousers (evening posh wear), pair of longish shorts for swiming and general use. Shemagh (if thats how you spell it), two t-shirts, short sleeve shirt, fleece, travel towel and poncho.

If i need an additional pair of trousers and or shirt I get my shirt and trousers copied. Thats about it.
Poncho comes in handy for sitting on and on occasion under in the rain. you may consider a fine thin wool blanket like the ones you get issued with on the plane, as the Indians have no concept of 'cold at night'.

The rest buy there, if you have never done India it is impossible to realise how little you need. Razors, medicated soap and toothpast etc, etc buy there. Oh, one thing have some dry foods as you end up in the middle of nowhere in an airport waiting for a plane. If you eat in a hotel eat vegatarian, on the roadside meats ok if you see it cooked infront of you.

You can pick up antiboitics at the chemist if things go wrong, take an appropriate list.

Sandsnakes

have fun