Some would argue that nothing is more important than high-quality properly fitted footwear. I'm one of those people. I own and use several different types of hiking boots and shoes. Like everything else, each boot is different and is used for a different purpose. |
Light Day Hikes
Salomon Raid Wind
For light day hikes over
smooth terrain, there is nothing like a really light shoe. I use
the Salomon Raid Wind because they are very light, durable, and use a
very
unique lace system. Instead of conventional laces, they use a
plastic
slider type system. The benefit here is your laces never come
undone.
The drawback is if the slider system breaks, you could be in
trouble.
Luckily I carry spare laces in my 10-essentials, I've been fortunate to
never need them.
I've worn these shoes on hikes as short as 0.5 miles and as long as 16 miles. They key is the terrain and the weight of your pack. If you have smooth terrain and are using a light pack this shoe is ideal. If you have rough terrain, you will feel every stone on the trail. If you are using a heavy pack and are clumsy like me, you could sprain or break an ankle.
Moderate Day Hikes
Vasque Sundowner
This has been my favorite boot for several years. It comes in a narrow-width model that fits my feet like a glove. For those of you who are stylish, they come in 3 colors: the red-brown shown here, brown, and black. Sundowner's use a classic leather upper which does require a bit of care to maintain. These shoes are great for 3-10 miles hikes over varied terrain. They do offer good support, but I wouldn't recommend they for backpacking, as they're a bit soft.
Extreme Day Hikes
&
Light Backpacking
Asolo Longitude
The Asolo (X) series comes in 3 different widths. Longitude (for narrow feet), Latitude (for wide feet), and one for normal feet. The Longitude model fits my feet perfectly. These boots fit so well I've even worn them on easy day hikes. They are ideal for 6+ mile day hikes and 2-3 day backpacking trips. The uppers are made out of Nubuck and are extremely easy to maintain. They also have a patented pulley system which makes lacing easy (see picture above).
Heavy Backpacking
Merrell Ridgeline
The Merrell Ridgelines
are my workhorse shoe. They are very stiff and provide excellent
support. I use these shoes only for backpacking because of their
weight and stiffness. When I do wear them, I use moleskin to
prevent
my ankles from blistering when going uphill. I don't recommend
these
shoes for day hiking unless you have a really big pack, or feet made of
steel. Please note, Ridgelines are no longer made so the picture
above is of the Grand Traverse, which is similar.
Boot Liners
I use Superfeet
Synergizer
Green Capsule insoles in ever boot I wear. I've tried many
different
types of liners (such as Sorbathane) and I've found Superfeet to be the
best. I recommend buying one that is just slightly larger than
the
liner in your boot and trimming them to fit.
Socks
I've been using Thor-lo
socks for a number of years now. I like the Hiking socks and
often
wear a think coolmax liner with them.
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