Best shoes/tread material for wet conditions

[Hill Junkie]

I became an avid hiker about a year ago. Last summer I picked up a pair of Scarpa Crux hiking shoes, marketed as "approach" shoes. I have tendency to roll ankles and I liked how stable my feet felt in these shoes. I was thoroughly impressed with grip of these shoes on smooth granite, especially wet rock. Wet traction is almost as good as dry! Grip was totally dependable in variable conditions.

I've pretty much worn these shoes out completing the NH48 and then some. Getting into longer loops, I find these approach shoes are not the most comfortable despite the performance. So I picked up a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators, low-tops with Vibram soles. The traction of these shoes suck! They are quite terrifying on wet granite and at best offer fair grip on dry rock, but still found my feet easily sliding out on off-camber terrain.

What models of shoes, or more specifically, sole materials have people found to offer superior traction in variable conditions? I would love it if sole materials were spec'd some how, like what brand-name rubber is used, durometer, etc. La Sportiva Raptors or Bushidos trail runners came highly recommended. Any other low-top, preferably low-drop models to consider?

 

[egilbe]

I have some Merrell Moabs and although they are comfortable, I don't reccomend them for hiking. The best, grippiest soles i found were on a pair of Cabela hiking boots. Vibram soles, mesh uppers, but goretex, so my feet never dried out. I have some Oboz Bridgers, but are heavy when they inevitably get wet, but the soles are grippy enough. Im trying some Salomon XDA Pros now, but the soles are really slippery on wet rock, but they are stiff enough for rocky, rooty trails.

I guess Im not much help (-:

 

[TJsName]

Interesting - I use the Merrel Moab's and haven't found any major issues with traction. In general I try not to walk straight up wet granite, so perhaps I'm not pushing them as much as others. I can't think of a time where I was limited by their traction. Most things that make me slip or slide (outside of winter conditions) are small loose rocks or wet roots/slimy rocks. At that point, it's really on me for stepping on them, not the shoes lack of grip. I'm curious if any trails gave you a particularly hard time though.

 

[DayTrip]

I've owned two pairs of Merrill shoes and found the soles to be very slippery, especially when they were new. On my very first hike with my first pair I nearly killed myself on a damp bog bridge. I believe the other pair I have is the Moab and I personally thought they were lousy shoes. Only wore a few times. They reside in the back of my closet now.

 

[TCD]

There are several previous threads on this which you might be able to find. More and more of the shoe companies are getting smart and putting more grippy rubber on their soles. La Sportiva got burned when they ignored this on some shoes a few years ago. A couple of their models were roundly rejected by the hiking public due to poor grip on rock; even sometimes on dry rock. They are smarter now, but if you pick up a pair of their shoes, make sure you know what rubber it is and that they are not old stock.

Never been impressed with Merrel.

Another factor is the rock itself. We are spoiled here in the Adirondacks; most of our rock is incredibly coarse and grippy, whereas NH granite is slippery as hell by comparison.

 

[skiguy]

I have been very impressed with the Salomon Quest 4d 2 GTX. These boots have great grip in all conditions. My understanding is they are issued to Navy Seals under certain circumstances.

 

[VTskier]

I picked up a pair of 5-10 Camp 4's a couple of years ago. Great grip, firm heel support, and they breath well (non waterproof version). They changed the design a little last year , but I really like them and would purchase again.

 

[Hill Junkie]

Interesting - I use the Merrel Moab's and haven't found any major issues with traction. In general I try not to walk straight up wet granite, so perhaps I'm not pushing them as much as others. I can't think of a time where I was limited by their traction. Most things that make me slip or slide (outside of winter conditions) are small loose rocks or wet roots/slimy rocks. At that point, it's really on me for stepping on them, not the shoes lack of grip. I'm curious if any trails gave you a particularly hard time though.

So far I've hiked Abe/Ellen in rain and Mansfield/Camel's Hump on dry day with some wet areas. I did not feel confident even on the dry Mansfield ridgeline in the Merrell's like I would in my Scarpa's. Maybe Vermont granite is slicker than my home state NH granite. Planning on a Pemi Loop soon and very reluctant to use these shoes, even though they are quite comfortable. Some good feedback posted by others to consider...

 

[sierra]

My boots are resoled by Limmer using a deep lug Vibram sole, they are so grippy on dry or wet rock, it's like cheating. On a side note, it's worth considering that technique may play a role in traction as well. I've noticed while coming up to and following other hiker's, that they have terrible form on steep rock. The biggest contributor in my eyes is how tentative they approach steep rock. Some completely avoid slab, where I search it out. Having a deep lug sole also allows me to "hook" rocks on descents with the "heel" of my boot basically providing a stopper, this is incredibly effective. I have a pair of Keen boots, paid good money for them 180.00. Bought them to walk my dog around town during the winter, but used them to hike in when my boots were being re-soled. I am very impressed with their performance, not only the grip, but they are comfortable, waterproof and after 4 hard months, not one defect showing.

The pattern of a sole is also critical, imo. the Moab is an example of a poor pattern, looks neat, but not very effective.

 

[TJsName]

So far I've hiked Abe/Ellen in rain and Mansfield/Camel's Hump on dry day with some wet areas. I did not feel confident even on the dry Mansfield ridgeline in the Merrell's like I would in my Scarpa's. Maybe Vermont granite is slicker than my home state NH granite. Planning on a Pemi Loop soon and very reluctant to use these shoes, even though they are quite comfortable. Some good feedback posted by others to consider...

Ahh, I've actually never hiked in VT, so I have no comparison there. I think for me it's very relative - I hiked for years in New Balance sneakers which offered very little traction. Once I found the Merrell's were wide enough for my flippers I switched and found it to be a huge improvement.

 

[marty]

My experience: 5-10's Stealth Rubber is fantastic, with La Sportiva trail runners (Wildcat, Raptors) also very good. I have recently been going with the La Sportiva Wildcats, as they have a wide toebox, which I need.

 

[jfb]

What models of shoes, or more specifically, sole materials have people found to offer superior traction in variable conditions? I would love it if sole materials were spec'd some how, like what brand-name rubber is used, durometer, etc. La Sportiva Raptors or Bushidos trail runners came highly recommended. Any other low-top, preferably low-drop models to consider?

I've found the Salomon Contagrip soles to have good grip in variable conditions.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Anyone have a recommendation comparable to the Raptor or Bushido that comes in a 13.5 or 48? La Sportiva never seems to have a 48 and a 47 is just a bit too snug I am currently using Salomon Speed Cross but they aren't super grippy and they don't last all that long (150 miles or so.)

Tim

 

[sierra]

Anyone have a recommendation comparable to the Raptor or Bushido that comes in a 13.5 or 48? La Sportiva never seems to have a 48 and a 47 is just a bit too snug I am currently using Salomon Speed Cross but they aren't super grippy and they don't last all that long (150 miles or so.)

Tim

You ever go to REI in reading? I was down there trying on some trail runners (decided not yet). They have some nice shoes.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

You ever go to REI in reading? I was down there trying on some trail runners (decided not yet). They have some nice shoes.

Yes. It has become my go-to store, unfortunately, with the Bobs-ification of EMS. That's how I ended up with the Salomons...

Tim

 

[Tim Horn]

Brand name does not matter when it comes to grip. The lug and the composition of the sole material do. I prefer Vibram soles for both hiking and wading boots as the rubber grips well enough for me and it also lasts many miles. It is possible to get stickier soles but they wear out much faster. That is the basic compromise with boot soles.
If you are having issues slipping on Vibram I would suggest working on foot placement and body balance. Kind of like skiing. The tougher the conditions the more important it is to pay attention to the fundamentals.

 

[Hill Junkie]

Brand name does not matter when it comes to grip. The lug and the composition of the sole material do. I prefer Vibram soles for both hiking and wading boots as the rubber grips well enough for me and it also lasts many miles. It is possible to get stickier soles but they wear out much faster. That is the basic compromise with boot soles.
If you are having issues slipping on Vibram I would suggest working on foot placement and body balance. Kind of like skiing. The tougher the conditions the more important it is to pay attention to the fundamentals.

Here's the deal. Both shoes I've hiked in have "Vibram" soles. The Scarpa's grip like crazy, the Merrell's are lousy. I suspect the rubber composition is very different between the two shoes, but there is nothing in the product labels or advertising jargon that brings this out. Of course, the lug patterns are different too. Not sure how important that is in this case. The Scarpa's are worn down bald and still grip very well on wet rock. This seems counter-intuitive. Has to be the rubber composition. As an avid mountain biker for 20+ years, I have lots of experience with different rubber compositions and lug patterns in that domain. Tires often spec durometer and will use advertising jargon to name rubber compound, which is helpful once you find a combination that works for you. Wish more shoes did the same. I find I can move more quickly and with higher confidence in my Scarpa shoes than the new Merrell's. I'd rather not have to work around poor traction with more careful foot placement, etc, as I have been doing the last couple hikes. Same parallel exists in mountain biking. Poor traction puts more onus on good handling skills, but it often is less fun and higher risk. I've broken an ankle before and really want to avoid that on a long hike.

 

[summitseeker]

I have been very impressed with the Salomon Quest 4d 2 GTX. These boots have great grip in all conditions. My understanding is they are issued to Navy Seals under certain circumstances.

I love mine as well.

 

[skiguy]

. So I picked up a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators, low-tops with Vibram soles. The traction of these shoes suck! They are quite terrifying on wet granite and at best offer fair grip on dry rock, but still found my feet easily sliding out on off-camber terrain.

Looks like these guys agree with you.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Hiking-Boots-Reviews

 

[TCD]

Vibram is a company name, not the name of a specific rubber compound. Vibram sells MANY different rubber compound for many uses; check their site for more info. Having "Vibram" soles does not mean anything at all unless you know which of the MANY compounds it is.