Hiking Shoes We opted to leave our hiking boots home and purchase hiking shoes for the Camino. I had the brand Oboz with laces, and my mother has the brand Keen without laces. We both loved our shoes! Hiking shoes are lighter than hiking boots, and provide the same traction without all the ankle support necessary for mountain trekking. Make sure whatever shoes you buy are waterproof. We went back and forth on whether or not to buy waterproof shoes due to reduced airflow, but after one rainy day it was clear that we made the right choice. One day during our second week we were literally jumping over puddles in a long stretch of mud!
Shower Shoes Shower shoes are a must - you will have enough foot problems without athlete’s foot or other fungi issues. We originally had brought flip flops, but quickly found that the straps did not jive with the blisters we developed. We purchased these at a market in Logroño for 5€ and they have been great.
If I could go back in time, I would have bought crocs to use as both a shower shoe and to walk around the Albergue at night.
Evening Shoes After a long day of hiking, you need an alternate pair of shoes to change into. This could be comfortable shower shoes, but we brought Chacos hiking sandals. While these are great casual wear, due to the toe loop we can’t hike in them. This was a mistake! If you buy hiking sandals, get ones without the toe loop so you can wear your socks with them.
Fleece Crocs This embarrassing pair was purchased for 5€ when my mother’s feet were too swollen and sore to fit into any of the shoes we had brought. After her feet healed, they were light and fit into my oversized backpack easily, so we carried them along. Since we have given up on high fashion during the Camino, they have quickly became an unexpected favorite. Without the fleece, these would be the perfect shower/evening shoe!
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