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by OntPhoto on Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:37 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:Thanks for all of the help so far.  I don't want anything that will require me to carry anything else.  I want to be able to use what I have on, not slip something on which requires me to travel with more stuff.  I do use the NEOS and those are lightyears better than my normal hiking boots.  I basically want the best hiking boot that comes up onto the ankles (mid-high) that aren't wide fit for wet rock traction.  I realize nothing is perfect and that there are special use slip on options.  I just want something that isn't like walking on ice even when there is just the slightest amount of moisture even on something abrasive like sandstone.  My research has come up with Keen which I can't wear and Salomon which I haven't tried on but want some other options to try.  Money is not an object.

From the suggestions so far, the Danner and Mammut boots look like a possibility - just don't know where to go to try them on.  I like the idea of the Mammuts because in my experience, European shoes run narrower than typical American shoes do.
Good topic.  I wear Keen as they are a nice fit for my feet.  Roomy toe box and can be wide a bit.  Which model of Keen have you found to be good for slippery rocks?
 

by Andrew_5488 on Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:29 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote: From the suggestions so far, the Danner and Mammut boots look like a possibility - just don't know where to go to try them on.  I like the idea of the Mammuts because in my experience, European shoes run narrower than typical American shoes do.

Any good mountaineering and/or climbing store should have some selection of Mammut boots.
 

by Wildflower-nut on Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:34 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
Wildflower-nut wrote:5 10 boots are what I used in Grand staircase escelante and Zion.  These are made for canyon hiking with wet rock.
Everything I see online does not have ankle support...???


Unfortunately we are a year late.  They have been discontinued.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Oct 08, 2019 4:25 pm
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OntPhoto wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:Thanks for all of the help so far.  I don't want anything that will require me to carry anything else.  I want to be able to use what I have on, not slip something on which requires me to travel with more stuff.  I do use the NEOS and those are lightyears better than my normal hiking boots.  I basically want the best hiking boot that comes up onto the ankles (mid-high) that aren't wide fit for wet rock traction.  I realize nothing is perfect and that there are special use slip on options.  I just want something that isn't like walking on ice even when there is just the slightest amount of moisture even on something abrasive like sandstone.  My research has come up with Keen which I can't wear and Salomon which I haven't tried on but want some other options to try.  Money is not an object.

From the suggestions so far, the Danner and Mammut boots look like a possibility - just don't know where to go to try them on.  I like the idea of the Mammuts because in my experience, European shoes run narrower than typical American shoes do.
Good topic.  I wear Keen as they are a nice fit for my feet.  Roomy toe box and can be wide a bit.  Which model of Keen have you found to be good for slippery rocks?
I haven't because I can't wear them.  They are typically sized for about a size E foot where I am much closer to a B.

I will be trying some Merrel boots with a gore liner and vibram soles during a trip to Tasmania.  If that doesn't work, I'll start diving deeper into Mammut and some of the other suggestions.
 

by Jeff Pearl on Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:16 pm
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Belleville makes a boot with enhanced ankle support that you might want to check out. https://www.bellevilleboot.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=158
 You can scroll through their facebook page and read some testimonials. https://www.facebook.com/belleville.boot
We were issued Belleville boots when I was with VADF ( VA Defense Force) and they were well built quality boots and had good traction on all terrains wet or dry.


Last edited by Jeff Pearl on Wed Oct 09, 2019 9:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
 

by mortsgah on Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:21 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
OntPhoto wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:Thanks for all of the help so far.  I don't want anything that will require me to carry anything else.  I want to be able to use what I have on, not slip something on which requires me to travel with more stuff.  I do use the NEOS and those are lightyears better than my normal hiking boots.  I basically want the best hiking boot that comes up onto the ankles (mid-high) that aren't wide fit for wet rock traction.  I realize nothing is perfect and that there are special use slip on options.  I just want something that isn't like walking on ice even when there is just the slightest amount of moisture even on something abrasive like sandstone.  My research has come up with Keen which I can't wear and Salomon which I haven't tried on but want some other options to try.  Money is not an object.

From the suggestions so far, the Danner and Mammut boots look like a possibility - just don't know where to go to try them on.  I like the idea of the Mammuts because in my experience, European shoes run narrower than typical American shoes do.
Good topic.  I wear Keen as they are a nice fit for my feet.  Roomy toe box and can be wide a bit.  Which model of Keen have you found to be good for slippery rocks?
I haven't because I can't wear them.  They are typically sized for about a size E foot where I am much closer to a B.

I will be trying some Merrel boots with a gore liner and vibram soles during a trip to Tasmania.  If that doesn't work, I'll start diving deeper into Mammut and some of the other suggestions.
I just saw Merrel is showing their Zion model as having "very sticky" sole. Looks like a boot with Ankle support and goretex as well.
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by OntPhoto on Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:25 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
OntPhoto wrote:
E.J. Peiker wrote:Thanks for all of the help so far.  I don't want anything that will require me to carry anything else.  I want to be able to use what I have on, not slip something on which requires me to travel with more stuff.  I do use the NEOS and those are lightyears better than my normal hiking boots.  I basically want the best hiking boot that comes up onto the ankles (mid-high) that aren't wide fit for wet rock traction.  I realize nothing is perfect and that there are special use slip on options.  I just want something that isn't like walking on ice even when there is just the slightest amount of moisture even on something abrasive like sandstone.  My research has come up with Keen which I can't wear and Salomon which I haven't tried on but want some other options to try.  Money is not an object.

From the suggestions so far, the Danner and Mammut boots look like a possibility - just don't know where to go to try them on.  I like the idea of the Mammuts because in my experience, European shoes run narrower than typical American shoes do.
Good topic.  I wear Keen as they are a nice fit for my feet.  Roomy toe box and can be wide a bit.  Which model of Keen have you found to be good for slippery rocks?
I haven't because I can't wear them.  They are typically sized for about a size E foot where I am much closer to a B.

I will be trying some Merrel boots with a gore liner and vibram soles during a trip to Tasmania.  If that doesn't work, I'll start diving deeper into Mammut and some of the other suggestions.
I can't speak to Merrell boots but I have Merrell cross-trainer type shoes and Merrell is known to be very comfortable out of the box (for my specific type of shoe).  Yes, Keen is known to be wide.  I used to turn my ankles over on some bumpy trails and switched to hiking boots with ankle support which has pretty much stopped that sort of thing from happening.  I have slipped on wet rocks so am interseted in what others are recommending.
 

by Alexandre Vaz on Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:26 am
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I haven't read all the answers,  but I saw you mentioning that you don't want water shoes. Even so, if I were you I would consider canyoning boots (like the Adidas Terrex Hydro Lace canyonshoes).
 

by Greg Schneider on Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:19 pm
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I would concentrate on the soles more than anything else. I've had great success with Vibram's various models, whereas Salomon's in-house Contragrip soles were dangerously poor on rock for me. 

I would recommend looking into La Sportiva for narrower fitting shoes, which happen to be equipped with Vibram soles. I just picked up a pair of La Sportiva's Nucleo High GTX hiking boots (really more of a mid cut hiker), but haven't been able to test enough to give meaningful feedback; so far the fit is perfect for my narrow feet, very comfortable, light, and I'm certain the grip will be outstanding. Approach shoes (halfway between a climbing shoe and a hiking boot) typically have an even stickier tread to help with traction on rock, but also generally lower cut without much ankle support.
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by ChrisRoss on Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:04 pm
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I have used leather hiking boots for many years and have come to the conclusion that Vibram is not what you want for wet slippery surfaces, the lugs give you traction on trails where they can dig in but if they can't dig in they just slide over algae and other things that make rocks slippery.

I have a steep access driveway at home and take garbage bins down to the street, it gets quite treacherous if it is past due for a pressure clean and Vibram is absolutely no help. I recently bought some Altra trail runners and they were a revalation, way more grip. they combine small lugs with softer rubber patches and just grip. They are a wide fit so probbaly not suitable for EJ, but you would have to think similar soles would be available in other brands and perhaps in solid hiking boots.

Of course the other issue is that soles change as a fashion choice as do other features, you find a shoe you like and when they wear out and you go to replace them the same brand may be completely different in terms of sole design and comfort. There seems to be a trend to making shoes with rock hard sole bases and covering this with a thin strip of foam that soon compresses and make them incredibly uncomfortable for my feet. Buying quality items that last is an exercise in frustration. Very annoying!
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by E.J. Peiker on Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:09 pm
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ChrisRoss wrote:I have used leather hiking boots for many years and have come to the conclusion that Vibram is not what you want for wet slippery surfaces, the lugs give you traction on trails where they can dig in but if they can't dig in they just slide over algae and other things that make rocks slippery.  

I have a steep access driveway at home and take garbage bins down to the street, it gets quite treacherous if it is past due for a pressure clean and Vibram is absolutely no help.  I recently bought some Altra trail runners and they were a revalation, way more grip.  they combine small lugs with softer rubber patches and just grip.  They are a wide fit so probbaly not suitable for EJ, but you would have to think similar soles would be available in other brands and perhaps in solid hiking boots.

Of course the other issue is that soles change as a fashion choice as do other features, you find a shoe you like and when they wear out and you go to replace them the same brand may be completely different in terms of sole design and comfort.  There seems to be a trend to making shoes with rock hard sole bases and covering this with a thin strip of foam that soon compresses and make them incredibly uncomfortable for my feet.  Buying quality items that last is an exercise in frustration.  Very annoying!
Well my trip to Tasmania revealed tha the Vibram soles were MUCH better on wet surfaces than my previous boots but they still leave a bit to be desired.  However, what I need is something with Ankle support that will support rough terrain all day long sometimes for weeks at a time.  Trail runners don't meet that however if there are boots with similar soles, I'd definitely want to try them.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Nov 14, 2019 4:56 pm
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ChrisRoss wrote:I have used leather hiking boots for many years and have come to the conclusion that Vibram is not what you want for wet slippery surfaces, the lugs give you traction on trails where they can dig in but if they can't dig in they just slide over algae and other things that make rocks slippery.  

I have a steep access driveway at home and take garbage bins down to the street, it gets quite treacherous if it is past due for a pressure clean and Vibram is absolutely no help.
If you click on the links I posted earlier in this thread, you will see that Vibram makes many different compounds, some specifically for gripping wet surfaces. Not all(actually, not many) Vibrams are designed to grip wet surfaces. There are, though, some specifically for wet traction. This is one example:

http://us.vibram.com/company/news-events/idrogrip/

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by ChrisRoss on Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:55 am
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The problem is finding a suitable boot with the sole you like.
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by SantaFeJoe on Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:18 pm
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ChrisRoss wrote:The problem is finding a suitable boot with the sole you like.
That’s why I suggested having a cobbler put them on any pair of boots a person likes. I used to do that a lot with western boots in the ‘70’s for dry traction. My favorite boat shoes had a gum rubber Vibram sole from the factory and they were plenty grippy. Grippy soles are like grippy automobile tires. They do wear out quickly, but they do the job.

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by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:24 pm
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SantaFeJoe wrote:
ChrisRoss wrote:The problem is finding a suitable boot with the sole you like.
That’s why I suggested having a cobbler put them on any pair of boots a person likes. I used to do that a lot with western boots in the ‘70’s for dry traction. My favorite boat shoes had a gum rubber Vibram sole from the factory and they were plenty grippy. Grippy soles are like grippy automobile tires. They do wear out quickly, but they do the job.

Joe
That's actually a great idea.  Nothing fits my feet better than Oboz boots, nothing else even comes close but their soles are among the slipperiest out there.
 

by Greg Schneider on Sat Nov 16, 2019 2:45 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:
SantaFeJoe wrote:
ChrisRoss wrote:The problem is finding a suitable boot with the sole you like.
That’s why I suggested having a cobbler put them on any pair of boots a person likes. I used to do that a lot with western boots in the ‘70’s for dry traction. My favorite boat shoes had a gum rubber Vibram sole from the factory and they were plenty grippy. Grippy soles are like grippy automobile tires. They do wear out quickly, but they do the job.

Joe
That's actually a great idea.  Nothing fits my feet better than Oboz boots, nothing else even comes close but their soles are among the slipperiest out there.
Give La Sportiva a try if you have them available in store. They're on the narrower side as are Salomon.
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by Jim Zipp on Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:24 am
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E.J. Merrell boots are middle of the road at best but for my feet are always comfortable. This on seems to have the ankle support and the grippy soles for wet rocks. I've only seen them online so no experience with them.

https://www.merrell.com/US/en/thermo-ch ... yAodQhsJFA
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by E.J. Peiker on Wed Dec 04, 2019 7:57 pm
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After testing a lot of stuff, I think I have found the type of sole that performs the way I want and need it to, it's the Vibram Arctic Grip A.T. sole. It is specificlly designed for wet ice. It's a very complex sole with multiple bottom surface materials to provide grip on different types of slippery surfaces.
 

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