Hiking boots vs shoes

[jdeks]

Both.

I've done 25km days back to back in those heinous 5-finger toe shoes that everyone loves to hate.

Were my feet sore? Damn skippy. But they'd be sore in boots too. Just in different places

I think everyones covered most of the pros and cons of gossamer slippers vs armor plated goliath tankbootz. Personally, I use boots if its going to be COLD (ie snow cold), wet, or the surface itself is properly unfriendly and I can't help carrying a bunch of weight. If it's flatpack gravel, hell - I'll wear thongs (with a heelstrap). But I'm one of those fruitloop barefoot runner types.

I think the thing to remember here is if you've been tramping about in GI Specials all your life, your feet are not gonna have anywhere near the proprioceptive ability that, say, a barefootist might have. Meaning one wonky stone with a heavy pack and you could do some serious damage.

I don't think you can really go wrong having a solid set of boots, they've still got a place as a useful tool. But so do other options. Horses for courses.

[gbagua]

Nah! Trail runners all the way up to the top:

https://www.climbing.com/news/kilian-jo ... ed-record/

[Nuts]

The first recovery from a torn meniscus, boots were a torture. Realised how much the twisting forces were transferred to knee. Which was obviously going on all the time. There's other practical reasons for wearing boots (as mentioned) but I was never convinced boots were enough in preventing ankle sprains (for me), i'm not sure we have the research yet for, or a wide knowledge of, their role in knee wear and tear either.

[gbagua]

Possibly a lot. Look, I have been hiking and mountaineering since the age of 9. When I switched to trail runners for hiking it was like a whole new experience, and you have people running up the Matterhorn, Grand Teton, Kilimanjaro, etc. so this proves something: more comfortable, better grip and less painful on the feet after many hours of hiking.

[warnabrother]

I went from boots, to runners, to trail shoes and now back to boots.. FOR ME, I prefer the feel of boots.. I have dodgy ankles and the boots work for me..
My wife loves her runners for most walks unless its very rocky..

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

I have a few pairs of Scarpa boots - from light Nanga La's all the way up to the old SLs - on the shelf at home. And that's where they stay nowadays.

I made the transition to trail runners cautiously at first, to get all of the abovementioned benefits of lightweight, quick-drying shoes, in the knowledge that I'd be trading off stability, water resistance etc. Over time I've found the purported benefits of TRs are definitely real, but the purported benefits of boots are well overstated. In fact I sprain ankles more regularly in boots than I do in runners. I adopted a horses-for-courses approach for a while, eg. going back to boots for heavy scrub etc., but I've found that TRs and a good pair of low gaiters work fine for that too... so I've ditched the boots altogether!

The main disadvantage of TRs is they lack the longevity of boots (partially, but not entirely, offset by the fact that they're generally cheaper), so I have to buy a new pair once a year or so.

Get this:

https://www.sportiva.com/ultra-raptor-womens.html


And you'll never use hiking boots/running shoes again unless you plan to climb Lhotse or Chacraraju.

Totally agree, these are beasts! Have all the advantages of a runner but with beefed up support, forefoot and underfoot protection (with no weight penalty). Tread wears out quickly though so as I said I tend to have to buy a new pair once a year.

[Neo]

Friday got some vibram five fingers to try out. The heaviest duty model.
My toes are so happy!
Two days wear then I gave my feet a rest, they recommend a long adjustment period so I put them on again today (Thursday).
Feel a bit like ultra thin thongs that don't move around.
Am taking it easy so will eventually test them during a walk for a couple of hours wearing my pack.
Maybe next week.

[Dexter]

Hi all, I'm new here, and fairly new to bushwalking in general. I've spent a lot of time overseas and around Australia carrying camera gear taking landscapes, or looking for wildlife, but haven't done any more serious overnight/multi day hiking. I've always worn trail runners and have to say that I like them. I've actually just grabbed my first pair of boots last weekend. Some Zamberlan Vioz from mountain designs. Have to say they appear to be built to last. However I'm not sure I'm really into them. They feel so damn heavy compared to what I'm used to. I know the hard sole is there to protect from rocks, stones, roots etc.. but I have spent considerable amount of time walking across huge lava fields in Galapagos with trail runners and they handled that great apart from getting a little cut up. I grabbed these boots because I'm heading off to Wilsons Prom to do some hiking soon, and i'll be carrying more weight than I'm used to. I've spent the last couple of days walking to the train station and back on the way to work to wear them in, and just feel like I've concrete blocks on my feet. My hamstrings even feel a little sore after the last couple of days of wearing them. Is this normal for someone who hasn't worn hiking boots before?

I'm actually a little annoyed. Mountain Designs' salesman specifically said to wear them every day to wear them in, and if I wasn't happy to bring them back and I could get a refund, or exchange. I should have been suspicious of that having worked in retail, but they are now saying "Only if you've worn them indoors". I'm now contemplating if I should keep them and see if I change my mind, or ebay them. One thing I'm pretty sure of, is that I won't be wearing them on next weeks hike.

[Neo]

On the Vibram 5 fingers, the model I have are called trek ascent.

Loving them for everyday wear like driving, walking around town and pottering around.

My feet are great and I forget that I'm wearing anything on them.

Used this week on a bushwalk with pack but as river crossing shoes. My feet sat snugly between the river stones then did half a k over footy sized river rocks to find a better spot to cross.

[Neo]

Progressed to a 6.5km walk this morning, was nice in the 5fingers.

Also after 5pm it's a nice way to stroll, feel connected with the ground

[Ms_Mudd]

An old thread, but I know that the members involved are still active, so hopefully it is okay to resurrect.

Neo, how did you get along with the 5-fingers in the longer term? Do you still own some? Do you use them day to day and did you ever work up to wearing them on a full day or multiday of bushwalking Any other long term users with input?

I am curious as have/had quite bad plantar fasciitis. I moved to Altras about 2 years ago and love how my foot spreads out in them. They are the only shoes in any style that I own that I do not need orthotics in. I have rehabbed my PF to a huge degree and the more I read, the more I think as close to barefoot as possible may benefit my running and day to day comfort in the long term.

[emma_melbourne]

Wow this post is a blast from the past.

It's amazing how quickly one evolves. I'm now a 7 - 8 kg base weight "lightweight" hiker, and hike in La Sportiva Akasha trail runners at present. (My current set-up here: https://www.lighterpack.com/r/f1n8lg )

I would say though that I did find the mid-sole perhaps not firm enough (for example climbing down the rocks on the hill slope downwards on day 3 of the Overland Track from memory). So I'm still keen to potentially add one more pair of trail runners to my collection that are a bit firmer mid-sole.

However I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be in heavy boots, personally.

My thoughts now on applications that suit boots are:
- Carrying really heavy loads. (But I have a bias now that I think it's usually unnecessary to carry a really heavy load. You can get an approx 1 kg tent, a 1 kg backpack, a 600-800g quilt or sleeping bag in Dridown which is 850 or 900 fill loft such as Enlightened Equipment quilt or Western Mountaineering Ultralite sleeping bag or similar different brand. Add lightweight rain gear - Frogg Toggs or Outdoor Research Helium or similar, a fleece hoodie, a lightweight down puffer jacket, some thermal merinos, beanie, your sleeping mat, BeFree water filter, safety equipment, etc. And you shouldn't be that heavy any more. Obviously exception may be really cold weather, or long excursions lugging in a lot of food or water weight, etc.)
- If your ankles aren't strong or arthritis / old age effects etc.
- Terrain that's particularly tough on the ankles or likelihood that you need to protect from a sprain by locking the ankle with a boot.
- Perhaps also going through thick knee-high mud. (Although even that I think could be done with long gaiters over the top of trail runners.)
I'm sure everyone will pipe in with a few other examples.

But I think if your base weight is below 9 kg, and total pack weight below say 13 kg "ish", then many people can I think get away with just trail runners, if the hiking conditions are favourable and they're relatively fit and nimble, and not prone to accident or spraining ankles.

My five cents.

What version Altras do you have @Ms_Mudd? And did you buy online, or found a shop that stocks them? (I went looking for some in Melbourne but didn't manage to find a shop that stocked them,)

[Ms_Mudd]

What version Altras do you have @Ms_Mudd? And did you buy online, or found a shop that stocks them? (I went looking for some in Melbourne but didn't manage to find a shop that stocked them,)

I replaced my original Lone Peaks with Lone Peak 4.0's. My original ones are still going after how ever many km's they have done, but the tread wore down, so I just use them for running on dirt roads now. The 4.0's are a great shoe, but my one gripe is that the tongue just doesn't seem long enough by a long shot. It was initially annoying, but am used to it now. They dry quickly, I think as they seem to drain water quite effectively. I did try a pair of Timps, and my son does walk in a pair of those happily, but I didn't like the rigidity of the Timp upper fabric so much. I also tried on a pair of new Olympus' but they went straiiiiight back to the online store as the height and cushioning of them for my own feet were asking for a stack/rolled ankle. I get my Altras from Wildfire Sports and Trek. My road running shoes and work sneakers are also courtesy of them too, if you watch the store regularly, often the smaller mens sizes will go on sale for ridiculously cheap and you can get a great bargain that way. I like the mens colours better in any case.
Altras have really saved me in so many ways, I was really laid up with bad PF ( I am a midwife, so it is practically a given that 75% of us end up with PF) for a good while and wondered how I would ever get back to doing decent walks again. They are ugly, but feel beautiful on

[Penguin]

Neo, how did you get along with the 5-fingers in the longer term? Do you still own some? Do you use them day to day and did you ever work up to wearing them on a full day or multiday of bushwalking Any other long term users with input?
.

Hi

I have an inflammatory polyathropothy that has mainly targeted my knees and ankles. Over the last twenty years have gone from boots (with orthotics) to trails shoes to five fingers. The longest multiway walk I have done in five fingers is 6 days. I have done both on and off track walking in five fingers. I now find that I am uncomfortable in other shoes, even the Vivobare's. I now exclusively wear five fingers or Xero sandals and have done so for the last six years. They have certainly made it possible for me to to multiple activities that I fear would be beyond em now in standard footwear.

But this is only n=1

Cheers

P

[ofuros]

Still liking runners for my Sub Tropical locale...mesh uppers with grippy soles.

Mainly overnight, light pack, off track walking with slippery river rock hopping & slabby scrambles thrown in...my favs so far...Hoka speedgoat(vibram megagrip soles), fiveten(stealth sole) & Adidas terrex(stealth soles).

[Mark F]

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