Vertex Alpine Shoes - 2026 Update - Pair #3 = 800+ Miles (and STILL Going!); Tips & Tricks Refined!

Despite LOTS more lug wear to spare [on my 2nd pair of Vertex Alpine shoes], loss of cushion, (impressively at around the 700 mile mark / similar to my first pair), prompted me to break out my 3rd pair of these SUPERSTAR performance shoes in early Feb, 2026. To my VERY pleasant surprise, the 3rd time was a charm, and I rocked the show with a 14+ miler & 12.75+ hrs, my first hike out in them... all the while, experiencing SUPER comfort! And it's been nothing but SUPER comfort ever since. This is definitely a stark (and very pleasant!) contrast to my 1st two pairs where I REALLY struggled at times during the 1st 300 miles or so before getting comfortable in them! Thus, in preparing my 4th pair of Vertex Alpine shoes for wear, (as my 3rd pair now has an impressive 800+ miles), I figured it would be a good time for an update to review my tricks and tips in terms of the MANY modifications I make to transform this SUPERSTAR performance shoe [that is a DESIGN-related fit NIGHTMARE] in to a shoe that offers SUPERSTAR comfort! Given that I successfully averted experiencing ANY discomfort [by the time I got to my 3rd pair], I briefly review my process and refinements to it, one of which COMPLETELY eliminated the shoelace bite. The only CRITICAL thing I forgot to include, (but have covered in detail in past videos) is my basic shoe-lacing technique. If you fail to do this technique, then there's a VERY GOOD CHANCE the shoes will pinch, even with the highly effective "bulge technique" that I call out again in this video. However, the shoe-lacing technique (described in past video(s)) will solve this 100%! To summarize the modifications: A) To make the shoes MUCH easier to get on/off, cut the build-in sock (similar to as shown in this video, as well as prior videos) B) IF OUTER protection is desired (I realize this a highly opinionated feature, but many still desire it, so I'm throwing it in): look no further than applying the AMAZING, Tuff Toe! C) To 100% solve the heel rubbing/bleeding problem that many experience with this shoe: add heel padding (note: if JUST prevention of rubbing / bleeding is desired, I found that a single butterfly pad does the trick; however, if you needed to size up when buying these shoes OR simply if you find that they fit well but are a touch too long, then I recommend using Dr. Scholl's MoleFoam padding on top of the butterfly padding. Both stay in place remarkably well and if they do come lose at any time, superglue never fails to remedy this! D) To prevent pinching due to the shoe: i) Apply the lacing technique (shown in prior videos) ii) Apply padding (could be anything such as Dr. Scholl's MoleFoam, mail/shipping foam, a paper towel, even a plastic bag) to stuff in between the build-in sock & the "harder" mesh part of the shoe; which, (unlike firmer material such as suede or Nubuck), has a tendency to push/pinch down on the top of one's foot, creating pure misery. However, by stuffing padding in such a manner to create a bulge (prior videos go in to more detail on this technique; but you basically stuff the padding about an inch or so away from where the shoe is pinching down), you can effectively STOP the pinching altogether! WARNING: this is all good news but if new to the shoe, it may require some trial and error in terms of sizing - i.e. in my case, I had to size up by 1 full size in order to be able to do implement this technique. E) Apply additional padding, as needed (for example, in my case, the hard-shelled insides of the shoes often irritate one/both sides of the inner and/or outer parts of my feet, near where the foot joins the ankle); the 'butterfly' like pads WORK LIKE MAGIC HERE! F) For shoelace bite: as mentioned in this video, I resolved it 100% by cutting up a Dr. Scholl's shoe insert and putting the super plush part under the "tongue' of the shoe (this video shows this well). G) If you NEVER had pinching issues OR if you had pinching issues but resolved them with D) and find you are starting to get pinching issues some time later, then there's a REALLY GOOD CHANCE you're dealing with dirt / debris build-up (the damn build-in sock is like a magnet for allowing dirt / debris to build-up in the part of the shoe that is in between the built-in sock and the "harder" mesh outer part of the shoe). I can't BELIEVE I'd put 100's of miles on the shoe before discovering this! Sometimes, I'm dumping out upwards of 1-2 oz after a SINGLE hike... other times, I'll go several hikes without having to make a single "shoe dump". But unexplained pinching almost always traces back to needing to get the dirt/debris out!