Probably just as important as the Backpack, if not more so, are having a good pair of hiking boots because nothing will throw your scheduled timeline out or derail your Camino dream quicker than injury. And when walking 800km in just over 30 days the most potential for injury is to your legs and feet through strains, sprains and blisters.
Once again I considered utilising my old Kathmandu boots from my last backpacking adventure 18 years ago. They served me well back then but they weren’t really serving the same purpose as I needed this time around.
Sure they’re waterproofed with Gore-Tex, durable and fit like a glove, but they’re also heavy. And given that your feet tend to swell while walking long distances, fitting like a glove is not what I need.
Enter my new Salomons that are not only Gore-Tex waterproofed and rugged with great grip, but have great ankle support and are light in weight to reduce fatigue. Additionally, I ordered the Wide version a full size larger than my regular shoe size to accommodate for potential swelling of my feet and my double-sock technique to reduce the chance of blisters.
Only downer of this whole purchase was that after purchasing them the price went down by $70. Still, I wasn’t to know that and I really need to get these sooner rather than later to start wearing them in on some training walks.
Product Name: Salomon Men’s X Ultra Mid 4 Gore-Tex Wide Hiking Boots
Brand: Salomon
Supplier: Kathmandu
Cost (AUD): $349.98
Weight: 849g
Carried: On Person
Total Pack Weight to Date: 2.515kg
Total On Person Weight to Date: 1.204kg
Total Cost to Date (AUD): $1414.75
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