Sandals???

[Jilek, Glenn]

Kerrie mentioned in the recent message on her Camino experience that some walkers were in sandals (tevas, etc).  This makes me wonder again how essential are hiking shoes/boots?  Can a good grade of walking or running shoes work on the Camino?  Those types of shoes are much more flexible, lighter, and therefore more comfortable and should cause less blisters.

I walk as a hobby and log in about 30 miles per week in good weather and much more when I don't work.  The surface is mostly paved and and sometimes hard packed earth.  I have gone through many walking shoes.  Since I am planning on walking the Camino, I have tried various hiking shoes and they all seem so rigid and heavy in comparison.  Are their advantages in stability worth their disadvantages?

Glenn