Trekking shoes / Alpine trekking shoes in India

the special sole is VIBRAM, special and so expensive too .

Yeah Supratim...it is...personally I think good shoes with gore tex is enuf...i didn't see much of a difference with the vibram soles..

heres one link where i have found LAFUMA shoes in Mumbai
http://smartdesignsindia.googlepages.com/hikinggear

Thank you very much for the Army stores contact! Proved extremely useful in my time of need!

Namitha

I have a $125 shoe with vibram soles - a brand called Merrell. The shoes are terribly dangerous over wet slippery rock seen in Indian tropical conditions around streams and rivulets. This shoe design was clearly the product of an American mind that had no familiarity with tropical conditions. Its ok to walk on mud covered trails. I had very narrow escapes a few times because the shoe just slips away taking my feet with them in the situations where one needs to step carefully over wet rocky surfaces. I bought it because it was well ventilated with mesh and roomy at the toes for my flat feet , but it turned out to be life threatening. Not sure if its the vibram material of the treading on the soles thats the reason for this though ...

Regards

I would go for light weight shoes any day. Heavy shoes feel stuffy, weigh like a ton after a 6hr trek, diffcult to mange in river/stream crossings ...

Lafuma is best they are light,rocksolid & cost in between 4-6k Rs....if you want to spend little more buy Millet shoes..

Hi-Tec has launched a range of excellent shoes. The problem I face with shoes from Woodland is that the sole is too rigid, lacks flexibility. It grips well on even or slightly crumbly terrain only. On wet rocks and bridle paths with bigger stones, Woodlands are not the best choice, one requires a flexible sole which can slightly bend with the movement of the feet or over round objects like rocks, IMO

I am speaking from my personal experience. Please refrain from purchasing the Hunter looking shoe from Army Stores. It would cost cheaper but doesnt worth the money.

I had got one for my trek in Ladakh, but couldnt wear longer than 5-5 hours of normal hiking before the real trek. It got me some serious blisters. These shoes are heavy on foot, hardly any cushioning for the feet and not water resistant at all. On soaking water, it twice heavier.

(Fortunately, a spare shoe from a trekker companion rescued me.)

I would strongly suggest to put some extra money to buy a better trekking shoe and use daily at least for a week before trekking. In addition to this, always carry a light weight spare shoe.

I have seen the Hi-Tec shoes but have not got any end user reviews as yet.As for woodlands, I have used it for the last five treks in all sorts of terrains and am quite satisfied with it.Last October,I walked for two days over glacial rocks with my woodlands, not one slip or injury.
They are a bit heavy and not very flexible but unless one wants to go for a high priced shoe, woodlands are very dependable and solid in that price range.

Hails!!!

I wanted to know if there are any online stores based in India where I can buy shoes like Hi tec or lafuma or The North face?

Please do read the whole thread, there's info about online stores too.

Try Avi Industries in Mumbai. Last time when I was there they had shoes of that size. www.aviindustries.com

i have taken ankle support safety shoes for my trek to first trek from dalhousie to chmaba. trek is suppose to be 8to 11kms per day, and snow is aminent.
Will Industrial safetly shoes will ankle support work?

11km per day is fairly light going so some sturdy industrial shoes should be OK.
How high cut are they? (to keep out the snow)
Do they have a steel toe? That makes them very cold.
Are you carrying a heavy pack, and are there steep ascents and descents?

Yes iwoudl be carrying an heavy pack, also there would be steep ascents and descent but not many.