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My trusty old hiking boot gave out halfway up the trail to Mirror Lake
The sole just peeled clean off the upper, right at the toe, about two miles in. I had to wrap the whole thing in about six feet of duct tape I keep in my pack, which got me back to the trailhead but was a real mess. Anyone else had a piece of gear fail spectacularly in the middle of nowhere and had to get creative?
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the_viola24d ago
Actually, it can be a huge deal depending on where you are. A boot failing on a steep or rocky section isn't just annoying, it's a real safety issue. A bad ankle roll from floppy footwear miles from a trailhead is no joke. That duct tape fix was proper backcountry problem solving.
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emery_black23d agoTop Commenter
Yeah, you're totally right. I had a boot sole start to peel off once on a wet trail and it was scary as hell. You don't realize how much you rely on good gear until it fails when you're far out. That duct tape move is smart, it's about making it back safely, not looking cool.
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