Shoes/Boots/Footwear

Serious Footwear 

• Foot Pain 
• Coffee Ridge
• Keen
• Zappos
• Mom 

At a meeting when we started Coffee Ridge Hiking.com, the question was asked: who has the best walking shoes and hiking boots? What a can of worms that one opened up!

Soon,  angry loud shouts of “Brand X, Brand Y, and Brand Z” went round and round the meeting room. This went on and on and on. It got kinda ugly!

Finally Tom (our chief field tester and consultant) restored order by thumping an old beat-up funny looking hiking shoe / boot on the table. 

When things quieted down, Tom calmly said: “You’re all wrong – get the Keens”.

Then – it got ugly again. Really ugly. And personal.

Mean things were said like: “Keenes? You’re crazy; you’re full of it; Keens?  Keens?  I never heard of ‘em you old poop.  And worst of all: ‘Keans? Aah, yer mother wears Keans haw haw haw’.

Now, we’re all passionate about fitness walking. Hiking. And our footwear. But this was ridiculous.

The minutes of the meeting read something like this:

Tom: Hey … let’s go hiking!

Brand X: Hiking?

Brand Y: Hiking?

Brand Z: Yeah, right you old poop.

Tom: Sure. Let’s go hiking. And you can personally field evaluate what’s on your feet. Agreed?

Brand X,Y & Z: Agreed.

Tom: And let’s be honest. Agreed?

X,Y & Z: Grumble, grumble agreed, you old ….

X:  OK, where do we go hiking?

Tom: I know where.

Y: What do we evaluate?

Tom: Foot Pain.

Z: You old …

Now Tom is twice the age of many of us at Coffee Ridge.  And older than dirt to some.  But we can tell you, Tom is one walking, hiking, rock and hill climbing fool. He really knows how to cover some ground.

His test hike wasn’t particularly extreme or difficult. The pace unhurried. Slow to some. But the terrain was widely varied. Often tricky. And there was lots of it.

It was a good tough day hike.

And good for all-day, on your feet, shoe and boot evaluating.

Test Results. Try this.

After your next walk; evaluate your feet.

How do your feet feel?

Good. Tired. Sore. Downright painful. Screaming at you.

Tom rated his feet good/tired; only just a little sore. No problem.

X,Y and Z admitted very sore to screamin’.

And two others reported ‘good’ and ‘good tired’.

Tom’s shoes looked familiar: old beat up Keens!

‘Good’ and ‘Good Tired’ wore new hiking boots. Keens from Zappos. Purchased and delivered 48 hours after the ‘best shoes and boots’ meeting challenge.  You see, we’d been on a Tom hike before.

And yes, our Mothers really do wear Keens! - CRH

"For day hiking - you need more shoe than sneakers and tennies". Remember - for a day hike. Your feet need 'all day comfort'. On a hiking trail. Even good running shoes and tennis shoes just don't cut it. No matter how comfy your tennis shoes and sneakers are - they were not made for hiking.  Unfortunately, many new  hikers make this mistake. Fitness walkers and weight loss walkers too. After a short distance, feet begin to hurt. Then ankles ache. Hip and lower back pain sets in. Knee pain too. Not good start.

So. How do you know? Will a shoe or boot perform comfortably all day on and off the hiking trail? The answer is - you won't. Not until you get it out of the shoe store. And then - it's too late! Good or Bad - Your stuck with your choice!

That's why we say'Don't mess around' - 'Get the Keens'. For consistent shoe fit. And all-day foot comfort. Visit our pages. Find what you need. Use our secure Zappos links. And 'Get the Keens'.

Other than that. You can quickly assess and evaluate any hiking shoe or boots potential in the 'real' world. It ain't scientific. And it ain't pretty. But we've found that it works! Good luck! - CRH

The 5-Minute Boot / Shoe Test 

For best results, Make sure:

1. Feet are Clean, Clipped & Dry.
2. New Socks: Clean, Cotton, Cushion Socks.

• Open laced-up boots wide open.
• Briefly Field Inspect both boots or shoes.
• Check for obvious defects.
• Look for 'a rugged, field-grade look & feel".
• Slip on wide open boot or shoe.  Without disturbing sock fit.
• Snug the laces: "comfortably & evenly snug".  Not tight.
• Readjust laces if needed.

Test 1: Just stand.  Keep loose. Don't think about the shoes. Stretch. Scratch. Look at another pair of boots to evalutate. Remember: "Good hiking boots don't distract you when being worn".

Test 2: The Balance Test.  Carefully do some exaggerated high-steps. "Like you were stepping over a log in the hiking trail ". Note: Do the boots want to help you over the log?  Or - do they try to tip you over?

Test 3: The Potty Trot Test.  Take short, quick, up and down steps in-place. Do the hikers feel like they're fun. Just Remember: good sturdy hiking boots may feel a bit 'clunky'. A little clunkiness is OK. Especially on rough ground, steeper terrain, for longer hikes, and when carrying a few pounds of gear on a day hike.

Final Evaluation

• Again, Just stand.  Keep loose.
• Now - really think about the shoes on your feet.
• THINK: critical evaluation points: toes, feet, Achilles, knees, hips, back & lower back.  Any new ache or pain is a ' red-flag '.  Better keep looking!
• REMEMBER: "A boot or shoe will let you know real quick - if it doesn't like you".    

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