What is your preferred footwear?

Hi

What is your preferred footwear?

When i first started doing long wilderness trails back in 2007 i used leather hiking boots.
Since then i have gone through a lot of different styles of shoes and eventually ended up with trail running shoes.

No ankle support.
Boots never worked for me, they were a pain to change at water crossings, and if taken through water crossings they would be heavy.
They always stayed wet and i sprained my ankles in them a lot.

They gave me a false sense of balance and becoming lax in my footing it resulted in some serious sprains through the years. My dad even tore his ligaments in hiking boots and is also a convert of trail running shoes.

I tried vibram 5 finger shoes. It was great except with a heavy pack feet soles would become a bit tender.
Also river crossings in 5 fingers still leave your toes open to be mangled when a foot slips in between 2 rocks.

So now after years of trial and error i only wear trail running shoes with a soft sole. They dry quick and i dont have to swap shoes at water crossings.
I also take a pair of normal flip flops for once i reach camp to get my feet dry. With these shoes i have to focus on my steps and have not had a sprain in years.

Hi
In my younger years I had a couple of Hitec pct boots. They were legend and cheap! Never used leather boots.

Changed to trail running shoes after that. Never used shoes with ankle support. Had a couple of times where footing was unstable and twisted my ankle but no serious injuries as I make a point of strenghening my ankles with excersises.

Recently changed to a lighter trail running shoe but not the minimalist type. Im a big guy and the lighter shoes help alot with tiredness of my feet on the trails.

I carry a pair of Keen sandals (no affiliation) as footwear for camp plus they double as hiking shoe backup and are excellent for wet conditions.

Have a nice day!

Agree completely, Trail Runners is the way to go!

Or works great for me after much contemplating and testing, might be different for other people. O and might be different for winter conditions ie snow but I don't have experience there. Might also be different if you carry a seriously heavy backpack? The heaviest I've carried with trail runners was 22kg but that included 9 days worth of food, think +- 10kg that got lighter with every stop when myself and a very good buddy did the GT. In that trip was gear for 0degree weather and yes I ate that much.

Also tried the "Barefoot" shoes and didn't work out with a backpack on, you wind up walking on your heels with the extra weight and my lower back got tired and sore. I almost always keep the trail runners on even going through steams, they get wet very easily but also dry out much faster (use thin socks) and personally it doesn't bother me that much hiking with wet shoes.

Kinda depends on situation for me.

If i'm sticking to a path then trail runners are fine. They get soaked through by wet grass pretty quickly, but that doesnt bother me.

However, if you need to go off path, and epecially when walking on uneven ground and grass tuffs on a slope, then boots win hands down. I hate when you sole of your trail runner keeps trying to slide out from under your foot and that constant rolling can kill train running shoes quickly.

Also, if you need to get through very overgrown terrain, a heavy boot to stomp your way through is very helpful.

I think the longevity of boots is far superior as well...but I've also been stuck with boots that won't die and a big desire to buy new ones so this isnt always a plus.

Also had the problem with the inner sole moving around with trail shoes but solved it by glueing onto the footbed:thumbsup:

I started hiking with Hi Tec's - those fabric ones, the exact same size as my feet which as I learnt, the hard way, was a sure fire recipe for losing toenails. Over the years since, I have tried Jim Greens, Salomons and then discovered La Sportiva Tibets which have been my preferred footwear for some years now. I do have problems with one leg being shorter than the other so need to wear a heel raise and orthotics and also a supportive boot and the Tibets covered all those needs. Being a full leather boot they are very durable and I have been on a lot of rough terrain with them. The down side is that they are heavy! However two things happened, Tibets are not available in this country any more and I am on a quest now to go lighter with my gear. So I have recently taken the plunge and bought a pair of Salomons hiking boots again as they seemed to be the best on offer. They are much lighter and are a mix of leather and fabric. I don't think they will be as durable as the Tibets but I took them out for their first hike last weekend up Cathedral Peak and so far, so good - comfortable and supportive. Time will tell!

Before putting my foot in my mouth on this one - qualification: Hi-Tec sends me free gear

I own a fairly substantial number of hiking boots (4, iirc), although I rarely use them. I used my La Sportiva Tibets on Kilimanjaro and Minaret Pass - I figured they are more purpose built for the snow, although the water still got in fairly quickly on Minaret Pass. Aside from snow, I always use trail shoes, they are just more mobile, especially when hopping around on rocks. I will differ from Mark on this one - I rate shoes are better on uneven ground, simply because it is easier to unload your leg when you land badly (i.e. half fall to avoid injury).

The most recent pair of shoes I was sent to test (Hi-Tec Griffon) had the problem of the inside moving around and not amazing grip, and have therefore been relegated to being my designated Park Run shoes! I never had that problem with the Flash Force or Speed Life shoes - having done 4 of my 6 GTs in Flash Forces, I absolutely swear by them. Sadly both of those have since been discontinued - and my last pair of Flash Forces (pair #3) is about to go into retirement. On the bright side - I picked up a pair of Scarpa trail shoes on a clearance sale, which should be arriving soon

When I use boots, I generally find my Tibets are far too heavy. I don't like boots in general on account of weight. I did Mnweni Marathon in my Hi-Tec Altitude Pro boots last year (on account of the snow). They are my go-to boots, because they are roughly as waterproof as my Tibets (i.e. they are dry for about 3h in wet conditions, around 1h30 in really bad dew), but are about 250g lighter per boot. They also have equally good grip. The Tibet is rather outdated now, though, so it isn't a great comparison - but I am not in a rush to fork out thousands for another pair of hiking boots.

I rate, in Drakensberg conditions, boots are rarely called for. Quick drying is more efficient than waterproof in wet conditions. But it will always be personal preference, try both and use what you prefer - after all, you have to live with the decision you make in the end.

My boots are heavier than the pack I need to carry for a GT.

Boots do have some advantages.
They are for instance much better at kicking steps in snow. A single kick (if even needed) will normally give you a hole suitable to stand in comfortably. With trail shoes you need 3-4 kicks, and the resulting step is still shallow and slopey and does not inspire confidence. I have though strapped hiking crampons on to trail shoes and this works just fine.
Hector is 6"7, so his hiking boots are heavy enough that if you balance them on a ledge, you can use them as a belay stance while climbing.
In a similar vein, on a really windy day, I would prefer to be wearing ballast boots.

When I last used my boots, about 4 years ago, I felt a significant disadvantage was that my stride length was reduced due to the stiffer ankle support. Since then, I have read Born To Run. Now, at the risk of missing a few important details, I would summarise the book, the ideas behind it, the "movement" that has followed and [if you believe the book] a few million years of evolution as "small steps and high cadence is good". So, all of a sudden, the restricted stride is not such a bad thing.

I have had very good experiences with both Inov8 and Altra trail shoes. They are light and comfortable. And sadly do not last very long at all once you go off the path, which happens all too quickly in the 'berg. Trail shoes are of course my choice.

***

To throw a spanner in the works. The locals of course have worked out that wellies give you the best ratio between performance and price. They work rather well in the wet summers. They are probably the only footware that is high enough to stand a chance of protecting you from a snake bite. And on a race up a hill on top of the escarpment, I am sure the local and his wellies will beat anyone (incl. me) in their R2000 trail shoes.

AndrewP wrote: The locals of course have worked out that wellies give you the best ratio between performance and price.

I did a short hike up a steep 'hill' in gum boots a while back (at a music festival), and I remember being amazed at the grip, comfortably and support I got...on a path that was more muddy slide than an actual trail.

I have also stopped using boots in favour of my Salomon trail shows - much more mobility and freedom.

@AndrewP @Macc Wellies are great except for the smell at night in the tent