Woodlands trekking boots

himadventures

I used hi-tech in high altitude treks and sports shoes in trails below 5000m.

I am happy with rubber sole sports shoes as they peform good on scree, rock and trails with morains.

hill_man

Well, we seems to be too much concerned about the trekking shoes. During my recent visit to VOF and Hemkund, I did the same type of research and purchased one. When I started the walk, I started getting shooting pain and quickly switched over to my jogging shoe. It was much lighter and very comfortable and I completed the trek with that. Couple of team members had the state-of-art trekking shoes and I noticed their shoes slipping on smooth rocks whereas I never faced such issues. I think the bottom line is, if you going to trek through a path already there, all you need is a pair of comfortable cross-trainers.

I saw hundreds of pilgrims on their way to Hemkund, on all type of chappals, shoes and even bare footed!

clawhammer

Thank you for the enlightening discussion. Its good to know about the most important thing that goes with you on a, trek inside out.
Actually, for short treks or a couple of easy ones, the quality of shoe doesn't matter. So had it been just for one trek, I wouldn't have been bothered very much. But I'm also testing various stuff (including shoes) for a month and a half stay at Uttaranchal that I'm planning next summer. So I wanted to make sure what kind of a shoe I must invest in. As I have mentioned earlier, a 100+Euro Gore tex might be a bit too expensive for me, so I was searching for a viable alternative option in India.
Once again thanks for all the info.

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nilanjan_lahiri

So what do you suggest ---- shall a trekker/hiker carry 2 pairs of shoes ???

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shere

Woodland are just a fashion brand.

aravjlt

All said and done, if you dont intend to fork out a huge sum or figure out where to get one, laying your hands on any of the non-Indian brands is not an easy task here in India.

After going through just this debate, I ended up buying a Woodlands shoe in 2004 for my Tapovan trek. It held up pretty well in the trek [ we had more than ankle depth snow on Tapovan and some really tricky incline climbs on the slope up Tapovan.] Certainly better than my trainers would have ever have.

Whats more, it has held up until now over the course of many treks.

Yes, its heavy [ Keep your toenails clipped, or else walking downhill puts the whole weight of the shoe on them]. But unless I have a choice of trekking shoes from other brands available in India, I would anyday choose from the woodland range.

Happy trekking!

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Crickneck

Thanks everyone for some interesting lowdown on shoes. This is an issue which has always wrongfooted me.

I use ordinary sneakers or sports shoes when I am hiking in the western ghats. They are good enough if you are not walking on slippery tracks for too long or on snow. Once I had the badluck of wearing a woodlandish kind of shoe to the himalayas. On the hardened snow I couldn't advance an inch, I had to be sort of rescued.

This summer I wore a pair of Bata hunters--which are very cheap and had surprisingly good grip even on snow though water proofing is an issue. And the upper does not last long at all. I should try matt the hatt's Nikwax suggestion next time.

hill_man

No, I wouldn't suggest that, unless somebody is going to carry your backpack. Ideally you should carry one trekking shoe and one pair of sandals (with strap). In my case I had a hunch about the trekking shoe since I used it only for a month, that too on plains. So I carried my jogging shoe.
Thx

hill_man

Let me also mention that my jogging shoe is not the usual flat soled one, it has lots of protrusions and gaps; and also with an Air cushion. It is as costly as any trekking shoe. But having said that, I noticed that the build quality is basically aimed at joggers, not for tough rocky mountain paths. A same priced trekking shoe can take more beating.

arjunm

I had covered this point in my earlier thread but I find questions about shoes cropping up every now and then. Here are a few tips:

1. Trekking shoes first need good cushioning. That's why rubber soles are good. Usually, sneakers of branded company (like Nike, Reebok) that come in the Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,200 range have rubber soles. The higher price range have PVc soles or a mix of PVC and rubber soles (even they are ok). A sneaker is more than adequate for most treks.

2. Ankle support for shoes are great. However, in India you rarely get good ankle support shoes that are light. Woodlands are too heavy for trekking and miserable when you are getting down. Your toes hurt like hell.

3. Here is a good alternative. Weinbrenner shoes are now available in India. Bata is marketing them. They are excellent hiking shoes. The grips are good and the soles are neither too soft nor too hard. Just right for miles and miles of walking over all kinds of terrain.

The shoes are priced at around Rs 1200/- You are likely to find them only in upscale BATA stores so go out and get them. There is one problem though, they don't have ankle support. However, most of our hikes are over trails so it is a good buy for all treks that involve lot of walking and good grips. They had excellent traction on 60 degree snow incline too (some of our team members have used them to total satisfaction).

4. Ladies, buying shoes for you can be difficult sometimes. You never get size 3 or 4 or 5 shoe. Power (for women) has a good imitation of the Weinbrenner shoes at these sizes. Again, you can get them only at upscale stores. The price? Rs 700/-

5. Finally, if you are looking for a decent shoe (that is neither great nor a let down) then this shoe from http://www.bigshoebazaar.com is a good idea. On our Roopkund trek it served well in ankle deep snow. Had good grip and was not painful. The inners are a bit tacky, though.

http://www.bigshoebazaar.com/product...ucts_id=3 273

Arjun

gautam

Any idea how the Weinbrenner looks like ?? some pic or something. I could not find anything online

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arjunm

Here you go:

This is how the Weinbrenner shoes look like:

http://www.bata.in/catdetail.php?&ca...8 3&tipslist=

Not many people know that you can buy a lot of Bata shoes online. Here is the website link for that: http://www.bata.in/catlist.php?catItem=1


Arjun

ustadjohnny

Just saw someone lamenting the unavailabilty of North Face in India, hence I though might clarify that North Face and Lafuma shoes are available in Delhi, Pune and Bombay, though they will set you back way more than Weinbrenners (which are in my humble opinion pretty good) would.

Here is one shop that sells: http://www.adventure18.com/

There is another shop in Bombay.

I bought a high ankle North Face pair which are a walker's delight. But they slip on wet mosaic or concrete. I guess they are meant for roads less travelled

gautam

Thank you for that link Arjun.

nilanjan_lahiri

Yes --- that's the product I have purchased from a leading Bata store in Kolkata.

Arjunda, can you please tell whether these shoes are waterproof or not ???