Date: 2004-01-22
To: Thoughts on boots and rain gear
Miles today: 0.0

Boots rain gear are two of the most important choices one must make for a thru-hike. The rain gear was very crucial in 2003 due to the extremely wet and cool summer.BootsI used three pairs of Adidas shoes: 2 identical pairs of low-top Kumasi trail shoes which were like running shoes with an aggressive tread. Each pair weighed 35 oz...a little over 2 pounds. The other pair of Adidas were high-top Augur V boots which weighed 48 oz or 3 pounds for the pair. I started out wearing the high-tops from Springer Mtn to Partnership Shelter (trail mile 522) where I stayed in Marion VA for a day and mailed my winter clothes along with my high-tops home and received a mail drop with my first pair of low-tops. I wore the low-tops all the way to Port Clinton (trail mile 1202; 680 miles) where I exchanged them for the second pair. The second pair only lasted 483 miles when the right shoe started coming apart near the toe. At Rutland VT (mile marker 1685) I had my wife send my high-tops back and I discarded the worn out low-tops. I wore the high-tops from there to the end of the trail (488 miles) for a total of 1,010 miles. Although the high-tops were 3/8 of a pound extra on each foot, I really didn¢t notice the difference in weight. What I did notice was the difference in the thickness and comfort of the soles. The high-tops were tougher and I didn¢t feel every rock, root, and bump in the trail. My feet did not get sore and I didn¢t scrape my ankles on sharp rocks with the high tops. The extra ankle support was also noted especially when I was carrying 8 days of food and my pack was close to 30 pounds total weight. The high-tops were also better in the mud, water, and snow. I wore the low-tops more than the high-tops, but was more pleased with the high-tops overall. I did use low gaiters for the first 522 miles, then sent them home with my winter clothes. However, I wished I had them the rest of the way since this summer was extremely wet and cold. They do keep the mud, snow, debris, and water out of your boots and help keep your feet warm and dry. They also keep your legs clean and scratch free. When my legs got real muddy, I washed up in streams at the end of the day. When I used my gaiters, I washed the mud off them instead. I don¢t think I would like the full length gaiters since I was too hot most of the summertime when I was hiking. Even in the April snow hiking bare-legged my legs were warm.I used a pair of green Superfeet shoe liners for the entire trail. At the Outdoor Trails store in Daleville VA at mile 713 I bought another jell type shoe liner which I added on top of the Superfeet liners....a very bad idea. I thought the jell would cushion my feet and make my hike more comfortable. Instead I lost a toe nail within 2 days since there wasn¢t enough room for two liners in my boots. The Superfeet did just fine alone for the rest of the trip. My feet toughened up and even today, January 21, 2004, they are still numb and tough. It may take them a year to get back to normal. I highly recommend the Superfeet liners.Rain GearI hardly ever used my Frogg Togg pants hiking, but used the jacket often. The pants were worn in the evenings at shelters and in town. The jacket was so warm and wind and waterproof, that I sent my Go-Lite Coal insulated jacket home at Marion VA since I had only used it as a pillow. I preferred to hike in the rain bare-legged getting my shorts wet and wearing them to bed at night in my sleeping bag rather than wearing the Frogg Toggs pants which were too warm most of the time. I could however, hike in the pants without sweating too much compared to a set of silnylon rain pants which I tried from Marion VA to Port Clinton. The silnylon rainsuit also transferred cold from rain directly to my skin and made me hypothermic at the Sarver Hollow Shelter. If I still had my Frogg Toggs, I would have been fine. When I got my next mail drop at Port Clinton, I changed back to the Frogg Toggs. They are more delicate and bulky than the silnylon rainsuit, but they weigh the same (about 16 oz. for the jacket and pants). They looked bad after many machine washings (you¢re supposed to wash them by hand) and they can be torn easily, but they still did the job (kept me warm and dry) all the way to the top of Katahdin. I didn¢t care how bad they looked and how many holes I got (only one really). I would buy another pair before I would change to a silnylon or regular nylon rainsuit. I don¢t ever want to get as cold as I was in the silnylon suit. If you have the luxury of putting on many layers of warm clothes beneath the silnylon suit, you don¢t need the Frogg Toggs. But if you want to go light without any other warm clothing, the Frogg Toggs do the job very well and like the Ultralite sleeping bag are worth every penny.