Orienteering shoes - any words of wisdom?
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Topic created by RichSpecht on Tue Jan 8, 2013 at 9:43 pm
RichSpecht
Num Posts: 5
Primary Club: DVOA
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Hi All,
Happy New Year! I was looking at the Spring schedule and see several meets of interest. However, it's clear my ancient VJ Sport O' shoes have finally given up the ghost (when you only orienteer a couple of times a year, they can last a long time, :-) ). In any case, I'm in the market for new shoes.
I "run" M55+ Green and plow through the woods (not that my results show any benefit from it). My current shoes have a cross rubber pattern and are pretty light, which I like. It seems that spiked O' shoes is a common trend but there are also lots of trail running shoes that aren't specifically designed for O'. Based on a few reviews, I was looking at the Oroc 280 which I found on sale at Amazon but there are lots of other choices.
I know this is really a personal choice but I just wanted to check with the board to see if there are any thoughts or considerations on shoes or suppliers I should keep in mind.
Thanks,
Rich -
Reply by anniemac on Wed Jan 9, 2013 at 1:53 pmI am new to orienteering as of this year, so please take my "advice" with a grain of salt, and look to other, more experienced orienteers to weigh in on this all important topic.
This year, I climbed my way up Yellow/Orange/Brown courses with some basic Salomon trail running shoes (XT Wings,) which served me very well. However, on my first tough Green Course this December, I developed a bad blood blister and felt that my feet were really slipping around inside my shoes on steeper hills. This was not a sizing issue, it was more of a gripping issue. So for Christmas, in part to celebrate and to motivate my upcoming advancement to the Green Course, Santa (via Amazon Gift Card from in laws!) brought me some lighter, more terrain-eating shoes with significantly bigger treads - Salomon Speedcross 3's (without Climashield.)
I can say with enthusiasm that they are a far better choice for off trail, and I've used them on trail runs as well as at a recent QOC meet where they performed very well on some steep terrain on a Green Course. I feel much more confident running over rough ground than I did before. I will still use the XT Wing trail running shoes, for just that - trail running - and they will do a great job. But the Speedcrosses are just awesome, and very pretty too. :) I look forward to seeing what they can help me achieve this year, and hope to see you in the woods wearing some new shoes!
Happy New Year!
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Reply by WindWalker on Wed Jan 9, 2013 at 8:18 pmI started with a pair of Asics Trail Running shoes. Wore them out in short order. Found a pair of Oroc 350 studded with lace guards on clearance. They have survived a full season of chaising controls and are holding up great. The grip on leaves, roots and wet logs is unmatched. You do have to still mind the rocks. They don't run well on the road at all.
I wouldn't go back to non studded for Orienteering.
Just my thoughts.
Lately I have been doing my snow hiking with a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes, these are awesome, the ultimate in traction.
Mike -
Reply by wilburdeb on Wed Jan 9, 2013 at 10:47 pmZac did over 700 km of orienteering in his Inov8 OROC 350 last year. Every stud still intact and only some minor cosmetic blemishes on the uppers.
We had problems with the first models of the Inov8 O shoes in 2008 the soles were coming loose from the uppers. So we went to Icebugs. The Icebugs were OK but eventually had problems loosing the studs and serious wear and tear on the uppers. So we went back to Inov8 in 2010 and have been happy so far. -
Reply by FredR on Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 10:29 amLike Zac, I'm very happy with the performance and toughness of my Oroc 350s of similar vintage. These shoes also are pretty good at protecting my feet against sharp rocks and toe-bashing. They are my go-to shoes for tough terrain.At the same time I got those, I got another pair cheap (closeouts at sierratradingpost) of Inov-8s--the X-talon 240. They don't have metal spikes, but are aggressive cleats with good sticky rubber. Except for wet logs and such where metal spikes can really dig in, I don't see a great disadvantage relative to the 350s. But, being much lighter, they feel more "nimble" and speedy. I prefer them for all but the roughest places that DVOA uses.My impression is that all but a very few "trail running shoes" do not have sufficiently aggressive cleats for O'ing. When you are trying to climb up some steep muddy stream bank, nothing short of big chunky cleats will do (metal or not). When I first got started, on someone's suggestion, I got a cheap pair (<$30) of rubber cleat softball/baseball shoes that worked great, but didn't hold up particularly well. At that price, though, one can afford to replace them often. I even tried the trick of drilling small hex screws into some of the cleats for icy conditions.
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Reply by j-man on Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 6:35 pmO-Roc 280s are very good and suprisingly durable.
I can't really quantitify it, but studded orienteering shoes are very important for helping you to walk or run in terrain effectively. They make a difference.
If I were just doing a 100% trail run/race, I'd be very happy with Salomons. Unless it was rainy and rocky; in which case metal studs are slighly better on most rock types. -
Reply by Nancy on Mon Jan 14, 2013 at 10:10 pmDon't forget what goes into those shoes: socks! I haven't had a blister since I started wearing two pairs: the first layer is Injinji toe socks and the second layer is trail socks. I think the double layer helps prevent blisters, especially when your feet get wet.
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Reply by kathyu on Tue Jan 15, 2013 at 7:12 pmI was really intrigued by Nancy's comment about Injinji socks, in fact, I ran to REI and got a pair. Wow, I have them on now and I'll be wearing them for anza borrego. They feel great and I think they will help with an old toe injury. I never guessed "toe" socks would feel so good. The seam in most sock toes has always bugged me. So a big thank you, Nancy.
