Hootsma
Lil-Rokslider
I totally understand having stiff material around the ankles to support your ankles and prevent injury, but why such a stiff sole on most hiking boots? I'm beginning to come to the conclusion, after countless miles of rucking, in preparation for this years elk season, that I have been duped into thinking I need some heavy stiff clodd hoppers to handle the mountains with a weighted pack and wanted to get y'alls opinion before I find out the hard way in the middle of the backcountry with damaged feet.
I understand the need to protect the bottom of my feet from rocks and bumps and uneven terrain that can bruise my feet, but do the soles need to be so stiff that they won't even flex when I walk?! Can't I have flexible soles that protect my feet?
This stiffness is causing two problems for me:
First, as I walk, I peel my back foot up off the ground heel first. This is normally accommodated in a walking shoe by the sole flexing with my foot. In a hiking boot, with a stiff sole that won't flex with my foot, this creates a tremendous amount of pressure on the pad of my forefoot, which then starts to ache and go numb within 1 to 2 miles of hiking and I'm darn near crippled after 4 1/2 miles on pavement. This is happening with my Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and my Asolo Powermatic 200. I have the same results with orange Superfeet insoles, Lathrop Synergy insoles and another quality cushioning / supportive insole that I can't remember the name of. I've had both pairs for over 3 years and feel like they are "broken in". I didn't notice this problem much before because most of my time spent in them was scouting and hunting whitetails locally which never required more than 2 miles or so at a time.
My second problem caused by such a stiff sole is heel slip. When my foot wants to flex but the boot won't, then somethings gotta give and it doesn't matter how tight I tie the laces at my ankle or how well my heel fits the heel cup, my heel is going to move. The amount of slippage is small and is equal to the amount my heel flesh compresses when weighted versus when my foot is in the air. This isn't much movement, but over 6 miles of flat pavement or 1 mile up hill, it becomes significant. I've resigned myself to just tape and go, but I don't know how to fix my forefoot issues that I think are also caused by the stiff soles.
So with all that said, could anyone explain to me what is the point in having such a thick, stiff sole? Is all that stiffness and thickness really necessary to protect my feet from rock bruises? Is there some other issue I'm just not aware of, like side hilling, that requires such a stiff sole. I don't intend to use these boots to toe kick up a glacier with crampons.
I came to this conclusion today after 3 days of moderate rucking (60 lbs) in a row. Day one was with the Asolos on 4.8 miles , day two was with the Kenetreks on 4.8 miles and today was with my Danner Jackals on 6.0 miles, all on pavement. My feet were way more comfortable for much longer in the Jackals than the other 2 boots. Jackals are marketed as a light weight sneaker style stalking boot. The sole is soft, thin and very pliable, which allows the wearer to "feel" the terrain underfoot with almost no ankle support. Towards the end of the 6.0 miles my forefoot pad and heel pad started to ache a bit, but not nearly as much, nor as quickly with the other boots. I can see how such a soft sole with no ankle support would be problematic in the mountains, not to mention the crap tread depth / design.
Is this issue caused by the boots not being truly broken in? If so, it's too painful to continue to try to break them in by rucking. Instead, could I gently put them in a padded vice up to my forefoot area and fold them repeatedly along my forefoot pad area to loosen them up?
Or, can anyone recommend a boot that has decent ankle support, but a more flexible sole that is appropriate for Rocky Mountain bivy style elk hunting?
I understand the need to protect the bottom of my feet from rocks and bumps and uneven terrain that can bruise my feet, but do the soles need to be so stiff that they won't even flex when I walk?! Can't I have flexible soles that protect my feet?
This stiffness is causing two problems for me:
First, as I walk, I peel my back foot up off the ground heel first. This is normally accommodated in a walking shoe by the sole flexing with my foot. In a hiking boot, with a stiff sole that won't flex with my foot, this creates a tremendous amount of pressure on the pad of my forefoot, which then starts to ache and go numb within 1 to 2 miles of hiking and I'm darn near crippled after 4 1/2 miles on pavement. This is happening with my Kenetrek Mountain Extremes and my Asolo Powermatic 200. I have the same results with orange Superfeet insoles, Lathrop Synergy insoles and another quality cushioning / supportive insole that I can't remember the name of. I've had both pairs for over 3 years and feel like they are "broken in". I didn't notice this problem much before because most of my time spent in them was scouting and hunting whitetails locally which never required more than 2 miles or so at a time.
My second problem caused by such a stiff sole is heel slip. When my foot wants to flex but the boot won't, then somethings gotta give and it doesn't matter how tight I tie the laces at my ankle or how well my heel fits the heel cup, my heel is going to move. The amount of slippage is small and is equal to the amount my heel flesh compresses when weighted versus when my foot is in the air. This isn't much movement, but over 6 miles of flat pavement or 1 mile up hill, it becomes significant. I've resigned myself to just tape and go, but I don't know how to fix my forefoot issues that I think are also caused by the stiff soles.
So with all that said, could anyone explain to me what is the point in having such a thick, stiff sole? Is all that stiffness and thickness really necessary to protect my feet from rock bruises? Is there some other issue I'm just not aware of, like side hilling, that requires such a stiff sole. I don't intend to use these boots to toe kick up a glacier with crampons.
I came to this conclusion today after 3 days of moderate rucking (60 lbs) in a row. Day one was with the Asolos on 4.8 miles , day two was with the Kenetreks on 4.8 miles and today was with my Danner Jackals on 6.0 miles, all on pavement. My feet were way more comfortable for much longer in the Jackals than the other 2 boots. Jackals are marketed as a light weight sneaker style stalking boot. The sole is soft, thin and very pliable, which allows the wearer to "feel" the terrain underfoot with almost no ankle support. Towards the end of the 6.0 miles my forefoot pad and heel pad started to ache a bit, but not nearly as much, nor as quickly with the other boots. I can see how such a soft sole with no ankle support would be problematic in the mountains, not to mention the crap tread depth / design.
Is this issue caused by the boots not being truly broken in? If so, it's too painful to continue to try to break them in by rucking. Instead, could I gently put them in a padded vice up to my forefoot area and fold them repeatedly along my forefoot pad area to loosen them up?
Or, can anyone recommend a boot that has decent ankle support, but a more flexible sole that is appropriate for Rocky Mountain bivy style elk hunting?
