I can uncomfortably feel every thread in my socks whilst hiking.

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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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Vantaa, Finland
but has not fully cured the problem so I am following this thread with interest.
Google "huarache sandals", basically the most primitive kind of sandal there is. Just a thin sole and a few strings, surprisingly comfortable and they make all the little muscles in your feet work but save the skin. Takes an hour to make and not very expensive to buy.
 
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Silverclaws2

Nomad
Dec 30, 2019
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Devon
That might fitten up your feet, but the thinning of the fat layers in the feet will still be an issue. It happens to us all, it's just part of the way we change as we age.
The gel insoles are a very kind way to deal with that inside boots and walking shoes though.

There's something else though that we just don't talk about.

Most folks are inclined to keep their 'boots' for specific outdoor jaunts.

Just wear the blooming things, wear them out and about.
Wear them daily, walk in them, have a wee run, stand around in them, wear them on the way to work, doing the shopping, out for a dawdle, cutting the grass......and you'll get used to them, they'll move enough over time to shape to you and your wear patterns, and by the time you need them for a 30 miler then you'll know exactly how to make them comfortable
I do for said offending combat boots I wear as day to day wear in the winter and when it's wet, to experience the problem reported when I walk three to five miles on pavement, to have had to through lockdown, walk everywhere I needed to be due to the car having broken down before xmas - I walked seven miles to get my first jab
 
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Silverclaws2

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Google "huarache sandals", basically the most primitive kind of sandal there is. Just a thin sole and a few strings, surprisingly comfortable and they make all the little muscles in your feet work but save the skin. Takes an hour to make and not very expensive to buy.
Thanks, having observed I will look into them, but it is when the weather warms I will be back in my usual summer wear of sandals, namely Teva Hurricanes and sometimes Birkenstock Arizona's.


Oh and something else I thought as regards the foot/boot problem and that is the foot that is always most affected is the foot that is one size smaller than the other foot, to in effect be in an oversized shoe.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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It is sensible to ask the health assurance in which cases they pay a part of the costs.
 

Herman30

Native
Aug 30, 2015
1,351
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I would ask myself; do I need heavy boots or can I get by with lighter (perhaps made of canvas) and wear waterproof socks instead.
For example:
Palladium Pampa Hi.
palladium-pampa-high-dark-olive.jpg
 
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Silverclaws2

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Dec 30, 2019
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I would ask myself; do I need heavy boots or can I get by with lighter (perhaps made of canvas) and wear waterproof socks instead.
For example:
Palladium Pampa Hi.
palladium-pampa-high-dark-olive.jpg
I have had the same problem with fabric boots, both the pairs I have had being too wide for my feet, to have though I could pack 'em out with foot beds and socks, to find yeah that sort of works, but not completely, not over long distance anyway.

Then there is the use of exactly where I hike........ Dartmoor and what it contains lots of. And yes I do use gaiters on the moor as a moment of weariness pending a break or other inattention, I have noticed can cause one to less observe the terrain, in fact to naturally seek gravity to aid one's movement right into the local bog.
 

nigelp

Native
Jul 4, 2006
1,417
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newforestnavigation.co.uk
You can walk on Dartmoor without actually going into bogs! Whilst at times the whole of Dartmoor can be very wet it is possible to find routes that are not ‘boggy’ or actual bogs. Maybe walk on more level sections until you have built up some ‘feet’ fitness and work out what footwear suits your feet.
It sound like you need to get a good quality narrower (properly) fitting hiking boot. If budgets an issue then keep an eye out for army ‘issue’ Altbergs which do come in a range of width fittings and half sizes. My local army surplus always has some in stock and has a good turnaround of them.
Continuing to try and make badly fitting boots work when they don’t (with two pairs of socks etc) is asking for long term problems and you could need up with a long term tendon issue that takes months to cure.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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Continuing to try and make badly fitting boots work when they don’t (with two pairs of socks etc) is asking for long term problems and you could need up with a long term tendon issue that takes months to cure.
When using the two sock method the boots have be of fitting form but just very slightly large, as you say it is not a way to use badly fitting ones.
 

nigelp

Native
Jul 4, 2006
1,417
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New Forest
newforestnavigation.co.uk
When using the two sock method the boots have be of fitting form but just very slightly large, as you say it is not a way to use badly fitting ones.
It’s a bit ‘old school’. If footwear fits and you have one good quality pair of socks then there is no advantage to having two pairs. I’ve not seen the thin and thick sock thing for many years in the UK. In summer your feet will sweat profusely and the skin will be soft and prone to blisters and fungal problems.
If the foot is getting too much friction to require two socks then I’d suggest getting some foot beds such as ‘superfeet’ which will stabilise the foot and prevent pretty much all of that. I’ve recommended them to many folk that have had blister and friction problems that then report back it ceases completely. Coupled with a proper fitting boot and quality socks you can walk on any terrain for long periods, comfortably.
 
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Silverclaws2

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Dec 30, 2019
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You can walk on Dartmoor without actually going into bogs! Whilst at times the whole of Dartmoor can be very wet it is possible to find routes that are not ‘boggy’ or actual bogs. Maybe walk on more level sections until you have built up some ‘feet’ fitness and work out what footwear suits your feet.
It sound like you need to get a good quality narrower (properly) fitting hiking boot. If budgets an issue then keep an eye out for army ‘issue’ Altbergs which do come in a range of width fittings and half sizes. My local army surplus always has some in stock and has a good turnaround of them.
Continuing to try and make badly fitting boots work when they don’t (with two pairs of socks etc) is asking for long term problems and you could need up with a long term tendon issue that takes months to cure.
Oh I am aware but I wasn't navigating on the last trip, I was just following the heavier leader, of which was useful given they were the first into the bog and they didn't have poles, whereas I did and they got wet whereas I didn't. And there was a time when I did the Okehampton to Ivybridge route when I was gobsmacked to find an inch layer of water actually on the tops, mind prior to it had been raining solid for about a week to guess the sponge was full.

But yes, Alt-Bergs I have decided are my way forward as I am aware Alt-Berg know not everyone has wide feet, to yeah, need to move on from my 80's boot, combat, highs.
 

nigelp

Native
Jul 4, 2006
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New Forest
newforestnavigation.co.uk
Oh I am aware but I wasn't navigating on the last trip, I was just following the heavier leader, of which was useful given they were the first into the bog and they didn't have poles, whereas I did and they got wet whereas I didn't. And there was a time when I did the Okehampton to Ivybridge route when I was gobsmacked to find an inch layer of water actually on the tops, mind prior to it had been raining solid for about a week to guess the sponge was full.

But yes, Alt-Bergs I have decided are my way forward as I am aware Alt-Berg know not everyone has wide feet, to yeah, need to move on from my 80's boot, combat, highs.
Dartmoor is certainly the place for a water! The best time to cross Dartmoor is when it is frozen - even then I think I have managed find some wetness. If you can get down to Cotswold Outdoor or to Even Taunton leisure they do a great boot fitting service without a push to buy.
 
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Allans865

Full Member
Nov 17, 2016
470
196
East Kilbride
Another vote for Darn Tough socks here.

I always swore by the old Arctic issue socks- the cream coloured ones with the red pin stripe around the top, until I discovered these.

Yeah, a bit pricey at about £17 per pair, but with a lifetime, straight swap guarantee, that's got to be money well spent.

Merino socks are very comfortable too. And just as important as decent boots in my humble opinion.

ATB,

Allan

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
 

lostplanet

Full Member
Aug 18, 2005
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What Size are you and does it vary?
Budget for boots?
Budget for socks?
How often will you need this footwear?
Expected weather?
Expected mileage per trip?
Expected environment/Terrain per trip?
Expected weight of equipment to be carried?
Any health problems with lower limbs?
Any health problems with your hands?
Are you Vegan?
Any Allergies?
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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@TLM

Do you still know in Finland the Russian way to attach footwraps correctly?
Not the German simple quadratic footwrap, but the Russian rectangular double wrap?

I think most of your great grand fathers have used them in the Russian army and in a country that's proud of the rubber boot like the Americans about the fact that we did shoot them to the moon, the footwrap could have survived.

And probably there are endless discussions in the Finnish internet forums about the question, if single, double, triple socks, German or Russian footwraps are the best way to wear rubber boots. And some specialists even experiment with new and outstanding genius ways to wrap a cloth around the feet. But because that's all in Finnish we others have no idea about all that.

Is the Russian foot wrap an option for him until he gets custom made boots?
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Oh, I was right.

Wikipedia tells us that the Finnish army used the Russian wraps until the 1990s.

But they don't show us how to use them.
They just explain how to do it the German way.

 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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Yes we had them, I don't know which way we used them and which way thought them to be used. Not bad but it takes some getting used to. Those pics in WP do not quite show the way we did them
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Because that are square foot wraps they show the German way to do it.

Perhaps you can find a YouTube video about the Finnish way?

It surely helps a lot if one knows the Finnish word for foot wraps.
 

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