Monday, March 27, 2006
These boots are driving me nuts
Back in January I bought new boots for my trip. These boots. I tried them on at MEC and everything seemed fine.
A few days later I discovered that they seem to rub my heels the wrong way. I went to Adventure Guide where Mike, the owner & world's best bootfitter, did a super-terrific job of altering my boots and things seemed to be okay.
Today I decided to wear them to school. The heels still rub. I have blisters on my heels now. I tried a bunch of things tonight to see if I can fix it myself, like pushing the footbeds forward, playing with lacing, etc. The verdict: still rubbing. Will it get better? I don't know. Can I alter them further? I don't know. I'll try them again tomorrow.
I called MEC and a very nice person told me I can return the boots, except MEC is in Toronto and I am not. I could buy new boots from Adventure Guide and hope for the best (frankly, I trust the guys there to help me with boots a lot more than I trust anyone at MEC), but I might still end up with boots that don't quite fit exactly as they should. If I go for new boots, I get to make an exciting trip to Toronto on Friday to do the return, for the cost of gas & the hassle of going to Toronto.
I leave in three weeks and I don't have time to deal with this. Finals next week. Too much to do, too little time.
A few days later I discovered that they seem to rub my heels the wrong way. I went to Adventure Guide where Mike, the owner & world's best bootfitter, did a super-terrific job of altering my boots and things seemed to be okay.
Today I decided to wear them to school. The heels still rub. I have blisters on my heels now. I tried a bunch of things tonight to see if I can fix it myself, like pushing the footbeds forward, playing with lacing, etc. The verdict: still rubbing. Will it get better? I don't know. Can I alter them further? I don't know. I'll try them again tomorrow.
I called MEC and a very nice person told me I can return the boots, except MEC is in Toronto and I am not. I could buy new boots from Adventure Guide and hope for the best (frankly, I trust the guys there to help me with boots a lot more than I trust anyone at MEC), but I might still end up with boots that don't quite fit exactly as they should. If I go for new boots, I get to make an exciting trip to Toronto on Friday to do the return, for the cost of gas & the hassle of going to Toronto.
I leave in three weeks and I don't have time to deal with this. Finals next week. Too much to do, too little time.
# posted by Alex Perel @ 9:50 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
I gotta say, sucking it up doesn't sound like a good plan considering I intend to wear these boots every day, for many hours a day, on rough terrain, etc.
Having boots that don't fit right is a good recipie for endless pain and misery.
Moleskin only goes so far.
Having boots that don't fit right is a good recipie for endless pain and misery.
Moleskin only goes so far.
Alex, I've gotta agree with you on that one...and the trip to MEC just might be worth it if it means you'd have footwear that doesn't make walking hurt (very bad when you're planning on doing a lot of it).
I've been quite fortunate that I can find shoes/boots/hiking footwear that feels comfortable from day 1, and my general rule of thumb is: "If it's not comfortable the second you put it on, they're not worth buying."
I've been quite fortunate that I can find shoes/boots/hiking footwear that feels comfortable from day 1, and my general rule of thumb is: "If it's not comfortable the second you put it on, they're not worth buying."
# posted by 
: 4:07 AM
: 4:07 AM
Hi Alex,
This is John, your future roommate on the Zanskar Spring trek. Both Will and Mark's comments are pretty good counsel. Actually, moleskin can go quite far indeed, particularly if whatever boots you finally choose are still a problem when you begin your travels. I suggest taking along sheets of moleskin (approx. 6"x8") which you can cut to size with either scissors or a sharp knife. The trick is to apply the moleskin (a good sized oval of it) to your unflexed heel(s) before you acquire any blisters. If heel blisters are the ONLY problem your boots are giving you, the moleskin will probably take care of them.
My experience has been that for some people (myself included) climbing boots are cut just a little too low to prevent the up and down rubbing which results in heel blisters. So moleskin may be the best solution. It sustained my feet in comfort during a 16 day solo trip in the Olympic Range at the end of September which included the first snow (i.e. blizzard) of the season.
With best regards,
John
This is John, your future roommate on the Zanskar Spring trek. Both Will and Mark's comments are pretty good counsel. Actually, moleskin can go quite far indeed, particularly if whatever boots you finally choose are still a problem when you begin your travels. I suggest taking along sheets of moleskin (approx. 6"x8") which you can cut to size with either scissors or a sharp knife. The trick is to apply the moleskin (a good sized oval of it) to your unflexed heel(s) before you acquire any blisters. If heel blisters are the ONLY problem your boots are giving you, the moleskin will probably take care of them.
My experience has been that for some people (myself included) climbing boots are cut just a little too low to prevent the up and down rubbing which results in heel blisters. So moleskin may be the best solution. It sustained my feet in comfort during a 16 day solo trip in the Olympic Range at the end of September which included the first snow (i.e. blizzard) of the season.
With best regards,
John
# posted by : 2:55 PM
: 2:55 PM
Hi Alex,
This is John, your future roommate on the Zanskar Spring trek. Both Will and Mark's comments are pretty good counsel. Actually, moleskin can go quite far indeed, particularly if whatever boots you finally choose are still a problem when you begin your travels. I suggest taking along sheets of moleskin (approx. 6"x8") which you can cut to size with either scissors or a sharp knife. The trick is to apply the moleskin (a good sized oval of it) to your unflexed heel(s) before you acquire any blisters. If heel blisters are the ONLY problem your boots are giving you, the moleskin will probably take care of them.
My experience has been that for some people (myself included) climbing boots are cut just a little too low to prevent the up and down rubbing which results in heel blisters. So moleskin may be the best solution. It sustained my feet in comfort during a 16 day solo trip in the Olympic Range at the end of September which included the first snow (i.e. blizzard) of the season.
With best regards,
John
This is John, your future roommate on the Zanskar Spring trek. Both Will and Mark's comments are pretty good counsel. Actually, moleskin can go quite far indeed, particularly if whatever boots you finally choose are still a problem when you begin your travels. I suggest taking along sheets of moleskin (approx. 6"x8") which you can cut to size with either scissors or a sharp knife. The trick is to apply the moleskin (a good sized oval of it) to your unflexed heel(s) before you acquire any blisters. If heel blisters are the ONLY problem your boots are giving you, the moleskin will probably take care of them.
My experience has been that for some people (myself included) climbing boots are cut just a little too low to prevent the up and down rubbing which results in heel blisters. So moleskin may be the best solution. It sustained my feet in comfort during a 16 day solo trip in the Olympic Range at the end of September which included the first snow (i.e. blizzard) of the season.
With best regards,
John
# posted by : 2:55 PM
: 2:55 PM
Hey John, good to hear from you.
I'm a big fan of moleskin, and believe me I tried it. The problem with those boots was that they were simply too small. I dealt with the problem the sensible way: by replacing the boots. Much better now.
Post a Comment
I'm a big fan of moleskin, and believe me I tried it. The problem with those boots was that they were simply too small. I dealt with the problem the sensible way: by replacing the boots. Much better now.
<< Home
