[Gocamino] The weight of boots

[Grant Spangler]

Eldor brings up the best point of all: Fit is Foremost. I have a need for 
major arch support, have a narrow foot, and a heel that is less prominent. 
It seems the Adidas lasts seem to fit my feet’s requirements, so I know 
where to shop. Adidas and Solomon are different brands from the same design 
group, so I have a second choice. His Ecco brand boots are really fantastic 
boots. Really nice design and excellent manufacturing quality. They treat 
his feet right, but alas, they don’t fit mine. There are other major brands 
I like the look and feel of the boot, but just don’t fit my feet. And that 
is where the rubber meets the road. Your feet need the footwear that fits 
you. Yup, it’s really deluxe to find a boot which both fits, has a tread and 
suspension which buffers the feet, and is light. It is both a science and an 
art. You will probably buy a lot of footwear and walk a lot of miles before 
you find the magic combination.

In the mean time, test the socks first. I am a true believer in the Thorlo 
brand 'TKX - Backpacker' socks. They are the number one interface with your 
feet. You need to size THE boot while wearing THE sock. You can read about 
them on the web here: 
http://www.thorlo.com/datadriven/view_product.asp?s=TKX. They may look too 
heavy to you at first glance, but that ‘heavy’ is a shock absorber, and the 
friend of your feet. I wear them in the summer Meseta, as well as the winter 
California mountains. I changed from cotton to wool blends as my everyday 
sock 30 years ago. I switched out of the wool blend for several weeks once, 
and my feet rebelled. I wondered why I was having the sudden problems with 
my feet. The light bulb went on, I switched back to the wool blends, and 
life went back to normal.

So get out there and walk the Walk. See you along the Way!


Grant

Grant Spangler
GASpangler at hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago
http://community.webshots.com/user/ElCaminoSantiago