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#99199 - 07/07/08 10:28 AM Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes
Dong Offline
newbie

Registered: 05/19/07
Posts: 3
Loc: SF bay area
I've just come back from a short SEKI backpacking trip. The trails are dry & dusty. So the shoes are coated with dust, which is fine with me. But what bothers me is that the inside of the shoes are nearly as dusty. Some debris got in from the low top, but it seems that the dust pass straight through the fabric too easily.

Is this to expected for all trail shoes? Any recommendation for an alternative? What's your solution? I'd like to hear your experience.

Dong

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#99200 - 07/07/08 10:52 AM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Dong]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

Not only dust - but mud gets through too:



I wear a mini gaiter with them to keep the big chunkies out of the top of them,
but realisticly when I wear the montrails I expect mud dirt and water to be able
to get in - that's kind of the point of them - they drain out well too.
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


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#99201 - 07/07/08 11:23 AM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Dong]
Trailrunner Offline
member

Registered: 01/05/02
Posts: 1835
Loc: Los Angeles
Yep. That's to be expected if you want shoes that breathe. I'm on my third pair of Hardrocks.

If I'm doing a very long day on dusty trails I'll stop around halfway, rinse off my feet, and don clean socks.

Waterproof shoes with a Goretex liner will keep the dust out but your feet will sweat too.
_________________________
If you only travel on sunny days you will never reach your destination.*

* May not apply at certain latitudes in Canada and elsewhere.

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#99202 - 07/07/08 11:37 AM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Dong]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
The shoes--what about your feet? When I switched to mesh-topped trail runners for hiking I noticed my feet becoming the color of the trail itself, with a week of scrubbing required to bring them back around. A small price to pay for comfort, I figure.

High Sierra trails are notoriously dusty as the season progresses. Seldom had this problem hiking in the Cascades or Olympics.

BTW, a trip through a frontload washer brings the shoes back nicely.
_________________________
--Rick

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#99203 - 07/07/08 08:51 PM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Rick_D]
Dong Offline
newbie

Registered: 05/19/07
Posts: 3
Loc: SF bay area
Thanks all. So it is not only me. It is just that I feel the Montrail are even worse than my old Adidas running shoes. I guess I need to start investigating the lighter traditional boots as well.

I have no problem with dusty shoes. OK maybe a bit since the dust soils the socks badly. But if I will need to spend that much time cleaning my feet before going to bed, I might as well use sandals instead for trail hiking ;-)

Dong

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#99204 - 07/07/08 08:56 PM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes (ARRRR!) [Re: phat]
300winmag Offline
member

Registered: 02/28/06
Posts: 1342
Loc: Nevada, USA
ARRRR! me hearties!

If ye'd be wearin' REAL backpackin' boots ye could have clean, dry feet.
Real backpackers wear Gore-Tex 'n leather hiking boots! What's a few extra ounces (or pounds)?

Eric
ARRRRR!
_________________________
"There are no comfortable backpacks. Some are just less uncomfortable than others."

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#99205 - 07/07/08 09:00 PM Re: Dusty(Girly Man) Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Dong]
300winmag Offline
member

Registered: 02/28/06
Posts: 1342
Loc: Nevada, USA
JA!
VE DON"T VEAR DOSE GIRLY MAN MESH SHOES VEN HANS UNDT I HIKE DER DUSTY TRAIL. VE VEAR DER FULL GRAIN LEDER KLETTERSCHUE MIT DER YELLOW LABEL VIBRAM SOLES.

FRANZ
_________________________
"There are no comfortable backpacks. Some are just less uncomfortable than others."

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#99206 - 07/08/08 05:52 AM Re: Dusty(Girly Man) Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: 300winmag]
hikerduane Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/03
Posts: 2124
Loc: Meadow Valley, CA
Love the Hardrocks! Stuff your boots with sauerkraut, mate!:)

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#99207 - 07/22/08 05:39 PM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: Dong]
kevonionia Offline
member

Registered: 04/17/06
Posts: 1322
Loc: Dallas, TX
Quote:
So the shoes are coated with dust. It seems that the dust passes straight through the fabric too easily. Is this to be expected for all trail shoes? Any recommendation for an alternative? What's your solution? I'd like to hear your experience.


Dong, I posed your questions to my 78-year-old mother in Dallas during a recent phone conversation, and then patiently waited for the time it took her to think about it and snail-mail her response.

After following her instructions to the letter, I snapped this photo of her solution:



She not only claims that these recycled Sun-Maid® raisin-bread bags keep out dirt and debris, but she says that an endless supply can be procured by tapping your local coupon-clipping network to save them for you (like she does.) The bags are held up by common, re-used rubber bands, of which my mother has a drawer-full (that on my last visit seemed to be multiplying like a den of amorous, but tiny snakes.)

Just remember that not any old bread bag will do. My mother claims that Sun-Maid’s raisin-bread bags will outlast any other bread bag by four times. There’s no source given for her claim, but she does cite the time her Ford Fiesta broke down on the drive from her YMCA exercise class to their after-workout rendezvous at the Potz Family Cookin’ place and she had to walk three blocks in the rain as her proof. She said she arrived without a drop in her mocs inside her Sun-Maids, while her passengers wrung out their socks at their usual brunch booth.

When I said on a follow-up call that the original query was about keeping out dirt & debris, she shot back that they sure will if they’ll keep her dry in a Texas gully-washer.

I asked her if the mil-thickness or the chemical composition of the bags was what gave those Sun-Maids their durability. She said it was probably a patented trade secret and was obvious to anyone that’s why Sun-Maid’s raisins stayed the freshest in their bread. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> (Wonder if she's got stock in Arnold Foods, parent of SM?)

Born in ’30, my mom has told me some harrowing Depression-era tales of her childhood. Interesting that today I’m finding more and more of her ideas dovetail nicely with “sustainability,” recycling and the like. Listen to your mother! If not, mine!

(Note: From my observations, the SM bags work best with women's trail shoes size 6 or less.)
_________________________
- kevon

(avatar: raptor, Lake Dillon)


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#99208 - 07/23/08 09:37 AM Re: Dusty Montrail hardrock trail shoes [Re: kevonionia]
Dong Offline
newbie

Registered: 05/19/07
Posts: 3
Loc: SF bay area
Thanks and thanks to your mother! The picture makes my day. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Now It seems that Sun-Maid does make great gaiters. Time to give them a try.

Cheers!

Dong <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

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