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Tried trail runners for a 4-day offtrail trip once. They died by the end of the trip. (I'd never seen a thumb-sized gouge in a shoesole before.)


True...they don't hold up in really harsh conditions. That's why I carry sandals as 'spares'. One place I've hiked is Nugent Mountain in Big Bend National park. I think I counted 3 shoe soles, all from running shoes, in the scree fields on the way down. This means that somebody had to barefoot it down hot, sharp, slick, brick sized rocks, then through the cactus and dagger plants. Yikes! I think it has something to do with the heat melting the glue and softening the soles. I wear leather boots there now, and still haul spares just in case, since most soles are glued on these days.
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paul, texas KD5IVP