March 12, 2020

Footwear

At one time this would have meant boots. It still does for some people, but generally not for me. I favor trail running shoes for almost all situations. Some people actually do need boots, but many think they do but don't. Consider this: a pound on your feet is like ten on your back. And besides that, running shoes don't require "breaking in" and rarely yield blisters.

Another thing you probably don't need is goretex in your shoes. Maybe you do if you hike where it rains all the time. For me, living and hiking in the desert, Goretex simply interferes with ventilation. In the California Sierra, if you get your feet wet, they will be dry in less than an hour. The important thing is shoes that won't fall apart after getting wet.

I have somewhat moderated my view towards boots recently. I now will wear "boots that aren't boots" and I am thinking in particular of the Lowa Innox. You can read more on the link below.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's backpacking pages / tom@mmto.org