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How to Choose the Best Shoes for the PCT
Odds are if you’re thinking about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, you already realize how critical your footwear is to the success of your trip. You probably have also realized that it’s almost impossible for someone online (like us) to make an accurate and appropriate recommendation for you. While this can be somewhat frustrating, and certainly was frustrating for us, everyone’s feet are so unique that one blanket recommendation will inevitably end in pain, frustration, and anger for some hikers out there.
What we will do in this review is explain the general system that the overwhelming majority of hikers used, and then give detailed breakdowns of our footwear and experiences. Sound good? Let’s get started.
The System
While the exact shoe for each hiker varied tremendously by the end of the trail, one thing seemed to stay very consistent throughout, and that was the footwear system. The PCT footwear system is made up of the following:
A Tough but Lightweight Trail Runner
Why? For years now, thru-hikers have been trending away from boots. Trail runners are usually good to go straight out of the box (no painful break-in period) and breathe better to prevent blisters. Oh and by the way, weight on your feet uses about 4-6 times the energy of weight on your back.
Tough and Lightweight Non-Cotton Socks
Why? Darn Tough socks are the unofficial socks of the PCT and it’s quickly easy to see why. A blend of wool, nylon, and spandex provides maximum moisture wicking to keep your feet blister free while providing an unparalleled level of comfort. The lifetime guarantee offered by the company doesn’t hurt either.
A Pair of Lightweight Gaiters
Why? I had never hiked with gaiters before the Pacific Crest Trail, and was skeptical about how well they would work. I was so so so glad that I decided to give them a shot, as they did exactly what they were supposed to – keep large debris out of my shoe to help my feetsies achieve maximum comfort over the course of the day and not be stopping to pick rocks and twigs out of my shoe. Our Altra pair lasted the entire trip and come with the Velcro “Gaiter Trap” that works great with Altra shoes and perfectly fine with other shoes that you super glue Velcro to.
A Shoe Size A Full or Half Size Larger Than Normal
Why? It’s hard to believe, but you will likely read it in many places before embarking on your hike – your feet swell over the course of the day while hiking and even grow size over the course of the trip. I didn’t believe it until it happened to both of us, with my shoe size changing from 10.5 at the start to 11.5 by my last 3 or 4 pairs of shoes. Do yourself a favor and size up for the most comfort and the least toe mashing into the end of the shoe.
A Shoe That Isn’t Gore-Tex or “Waterproof”
Why? In "waterproof" shoes, your feet will eventually get wet from sweat, leading to blisters. They also take WAY longer to dry out when they will inevitably get wet thanks to that waterproof membrane inside the shoe that traps water inside.
With those necessities in mind, we wanted to give a very personal and detailed break down of the best shoes for each of us during our thru-hike, followed by brief breakdowns of every pair that we tried in between Mexico and Canada.
Dodge’s Best PCT Shoe:
Pearl Izumi E:Motion Trail N2 V3
It took me an almost embarrassingly long amount of time to find this shoe that worked best for me out there, but late is better than never on the PCT. After suffering through a couple very painful days in some Merrell Moab Ventilators, I found myself in the shoe section of the REI in Portland, looking for more solutions. We had decided to make Portland a necessary stop to make sure we were as well-equipped as possible for the rain, cold temperatures, and potential snow that we knew thru-hikers were bound to face in Washington (although as two San Diego natives we may have overreacted a tad!). Determined to find a pair of shoes that were stellar for me, I put those poor REI employees through the ringer, constantly running back and forth with different styles and sizes, all to no avail. That is, until a new employee showed up for his shift and got the unfortunate assignment of helping me.
Luckily for me, he stepped up with confidence and immediately offered these bad boys as a suggestion. He said he’d had plenty of friends who thru-hiked and loved these, including Heather “Anish” Anderson, unsupported PCT speed record holder. The hype did not disappoint. They felt incredibly light on my feet, and hugged them in a way that previous pairs could not, all without feeling too constrictive in the toe box. On the trail they held up remarkably well too. The tread doesn’t look super aggressive, but it gets the job done (in wet and dry conditions), and the integrated rock plate was a godsend for my aching and battered arches. I had a slight issue with a left big toe infection with about 5 days til Canada, but I chalk that up more to my feet being constantly wet from snow and rain for a short stretch than on the shoes.
Overall they felt incredibly light, very cushioned, had a wide enough toe box, and offered significant protection and support to my feet with the integrated rock plate. While your feet are likely not identical to mine, I would highly recommend looking at these grinders. If you think they may work for you, go ahead and order them (or buy them in-store) from REI so you can take advantage of their 1 Year Return Policy if you feel that they aren’t the best for you after giving them a try on the trail.
Dad’s Best PCT Shoe:
Adidas Response Trail Boost with Orange Superfeet
Lucky for me, I found a shoe that got me to the Northern Terminus of the PCT. Up until then, I had suffered through the same ultra lightweight trail runner shoes that were all the rage among fellow thru-hikers. As we learned along the trail, every gear decision you make has tradeoffs, and the shoes were no exception. We give up some support and water resistance for less weight and breathability. With the shoe being breathable, it will dry out from sweat and external moisture at a much faster rate.
The shoe I ended up wearing for the last 840 miles of the PCT (and continued to hike in afterwards) was the Adidas Response Trail Boost. The Adidas Response provided much more toe protection than my first three shoes. It also had a wider platform and much more cushion, which created some great stability. The Continental rubber sole had some aggressive traction, which worked great for snow and ice crossings. The toe box is wide (and flexible) enough for my feet, even with multiple blisters from my previous shoes.
Like all the other lightweight shoes I wore, the Adidas Response Trail Boost comes with an insole (insert) that is too thin for me, and doesn’t provide adequate rock protection. So I traded out the insoles from all of my shoes that I tried in favor of a pair of Superfeet. In addition to that, I added a metatarsal pad, which takes some pressure off the ball of the foot. The sock construction adds a level of comfort and when combined with the gaiters, keeps almost all debris from getting into the shoe.
Our 2016 PCT Shoes (In Chronological Order):
Altra Lone Peak 2.5 (Weight 10.6 oz.):
The Good: Best toe box (extremely wide), light weight, breathable, stable (due to zero drop design).
The Bad: Issues with support after many miles and at end of each day. Lacking significant toe guard.
The Verdict: If you can drop your overall pack weight to an ultralight level, these may work out good for you. The wide toe box was the best we experienced on the trail, but the support and protection left something to be desired.
Altra Olympus 1.5 (12.2 oz.):
The Good: Max cushion helped protection from rocks and overall foot fatigue / soreness by end of day.
The Bad: Something was different about toe box and gave each of us some of the most concerning foot problems on the trail. High platform also led to stability issues on technical scrambling. Tread wore down very fast.
The Verdict: Neither of us would recommend this shoe to a potential PCT thru-hiker.
(Dodge) Altra Lone Peak 3.0 (9.7 oz.):
The Good: Still light weight, improved midsole and toe protection over 2.5
The Bad: Narrower toe box led to ingrown toe concern on right big toe, never fully developed into as bad as it could have.
The Verdict: A solid shoe that ended up lasting me for one of the longer stretches in between new shoes, it still came up just short of a home run.
(Dad) Altra Superior 2.0 (8.7 oz.):
The Good: Very light weight, very roomy toe box.
The Bad: Even less support than Lone Peaks, even less toe protection, durability was a big issue with very few miles.
The Verdict: Glad to switch into next pair, these caused pain and were converted into camp and town slippers.
(Dodge) Topo Athletic MT-2 (8.5 oz.):
The Good: Light weight, good shape toe box, strong toe guard. After getting hole, the company sent a new pair.
The Bad: Durability was a huge issue, getting first hole one week in.
The Verdict: A good shoe with good customer service from company, but not durable enough for thu-hiking.
(Dad) Adidas Response Trail Boost (9.7 oz.):
The Good: Great protection for foot, extremely comfortable and durable cushioning, great tread and grip, good stability.
The Bad: Relatively heavy (only compared to other shoes).
The Verdict: Dad wishes he had these for the entire trip and feels confident that if he had, many of the feet issues that plagued him throughout could have been avoided.
(Dodge) Merrell Moab Ventilator (15 oz.):
The Good: Initially felt like more protection under the foot, more protection in toe guard.
The Bad: Heavier weight, foot moved around too much inside shoe, developed severe pain in ball of foot, took much longer to dry out.
The Verdict: Although many places online will recommend these, I felt like my attempt at thru-hiking would have been cut short if I didn’t change from these.
(Dodge) Pearl Izumi E:Motion Trail N2 V3 (10.7 oz.):
The Good: Comfortable and durable cushioning, solid rock plate to protect midsole, very light, very breathable.
The Bad: Toe box felt a bit shallow at first, ended up being fine.
The Verdict: Easily Dodge’s highest recommended shoe, he continues to wear the same pair post-hike.
That wraps up everything we have for our PCT Shoe Guide for now! If you have any questions on these shoes, or would like to recommend a pair that worked great for you, let us know in the comments below.