Shoes

ellexesse

Can anyone give me any advice on what kind of shoes to take to India?

I am going there for 18 months and will be living in Bombay. I don't plan to do much hiking but it is always possible - can you buy boots out there for wide feet (i have horrible wide feet!)?

Also, should I take mainly sandals or does this result in muddy feet all the time? What kind of shoes do people wear during the monsoon? Wellies?!!

AvidTrekker

Boots for wide feet are a real problem.

I have wide feet and always have a difficult time getting trekking boots. Locally not available. Tried Italian brands Scarpa and Garmont... not bad but not wide enough. [was wearing full size larger] Currently wearing Vasque [so so][not wide enuff but wider than the Italians]

Am told the German boots like Lowa are wide. Am told there are specific wide-ness measurements available like AA BB CC & so on. Campmor website does list wide boots separately [www.campmor.com]

Best to get your wide boots from the UK or Germany.

Mumbai ..... not a hope in heaven. (or is it hell?)

Mumbai has lots of mountains very close by where you can do a respectable climb/trek over the weekend.

Happy boot hunting and happy trekking.

__________________
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traceyam

AFAIK, you cannot buy shoes for wide feet hardly anywhere in India. All of the women's shoes I found were very, very narrow. Better to purchase and break in two or three pairs of shoes at home before you go.

__________________
"Don't you sometimes wish the arctic was strawberry flavoured?" -- Thermoman

Lakshmi Bhabi

Tracyam, you one posted that you had pictures of the shoes you wore with SK but I cannot find them. I'm in a panic because I can't find the right shoes...my husband's family always wears very elegant sandals with SK/sarees but I need to get something that's warmer for the winter. I know how often this has been discussed but !@#$ I am having such a hard time finding just the right thing....

traceyam

Don't panic! With SK in winter you can wear flats, low-heels, wedges, or mary janes, or even a pump with low, square heel (not tapered - you'll turn an ankle for sure). Plenty of women wear socks with their winter footwear for SK, even if that's not something you'd typically do at home. You can buy flesh-coloured socks in India, they even make special "thumb socks" that have a separate compartment for your big toe so you can wear them with chapals! For saris, a low-heeled pump would do just fine.

Flat 1
Flat 2
Flat 3
Mary janes 1
Mary janes 2
Low-heeled pump 1
Low-heeled pump 2

Lakshmi Bhabi

Wow Tracyam, you put a lot of effort into finding those examples and they look great! Thanks for all your help...I'm off to order now

traceyam

You're welcome! Happy walking.

Sunray

If you are going for 18 months, I recommend you bring a selection of shoes. Your gonna wear at least 2 pairs out, my current fav are good quality branded all terrain sandles like merral or nike which have the detachable straps at the back. After wearing them in you can remove the straps at the back which makes you life very much easier in Asia, temples and things. These are also great for low altitude trekking as they don't absorb much water and dry quickly. Fairly hard wearing and comfortable. I did manage to get a pair in India, Rebok and they lasted me 6 months. Took me 20-30 shops before i found them so bear that in mind if you decide to get them there. Might be easier in Delhi, Mumbai tho.

I did not see *any* decent looking boots for sale in India so bringing these with you, while a right pain due to their size, is essential if you plan to do any trekking.

Boots tip: I was talking to a guy that runs a backpacker store in London before I left. Said he use to work in a boots section of some large store. He told me that when you buy boots, check the stores return policy. He said the best way to see if a pair of boots fits properly is to take them home and use them around the house like slippers for a few days. You will know quickly if they are for you. Then you need to use them lightly 1st, buying a new pair and trekking for miles is likley to cause you serious pain. He praised the gortex boots, but still said leather ones were better if you can put up with the weight. LP Trekking India says as much.

traceyam

Trekking boots are not essential to trekking, in my experience. I thruhiked the Appalachian Trail in trail runners and walking shoes. It took 187 days in all kinds of terrain and all kinds of weather, and not only did both pairs of shoes work spendidly, I had far fewer foot problems than trekkers who wore boots. Remember that a pound on your foot is like five on your back. Trail runners are lighter and waterproof, and they are great for trekking, that's the terrain they're designed for. If you're going to be doing any mountain trekking, I also strongly recommend a pair of Ouch Pouches.

New Balance walking shoes

Ouch Pouches

Sunray

Oi!

I said that.

Sandals are great for low altitude trekking. 3 days in Thailand, very wet low altitude ~1000m. Fantastic, lets you wade through the streams without worrying about wet feet and socks and stuff.

Go to 5000m in India with those shoes, nice as they are, your gonna suffer with the lack of ankle support as you wade through the snow and rocks.

traceyam

Ankle support actually comes from the footbed, not the part of the shoe that goes up around your ankle, and trekking boots are woefully inadequate in supporting ankles either way. If you are worried about turning an ankle, wear air braces. I did, and went 187 days without a single sprained ankle - even over the Pennsylvania rocks! - a record for me. The air braces gave superb support for my notoriously weak ankles and the combination of the walking shoes plus the air braces was still lighter than wearing boots, which offered less ankle support.

Air brace

AvidTrekker

Thanks for the airbrace info, traceyam. Very nifty device. Worth ordering.... I too have recurring ankle sprains.

I tried to look at the product page, but some problem seems to be there. Saw the photo only, cannot locate the product.

Please, could you help out by giving the link to the product page as well?

traceyam

You can get them at medical supply stores. If you want to order online, you can order direct from Aircast's web site, here.

AvidTrekker

Thanks,

They are calling it the leg brace and I was looking for air brace

Their link here has a better picture....

ellexesse

Thanks for all the replies. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to get shoes made in India? Do you see many cobblers? (no jokes here!)

4 days to go till I leave....