Backpacking Tips: Shoe Selection (Part 1) Hiking Shoes

2:00 You are so right with that claim! I've been playing basketball since i was a kid and the myth that high-tops somehow prevent ankle injuries is complete bs, and it's the same with hiking. If you were to roll your ankle severely enough to do some damage, it will happen regardless of boot height. HOWEVER, something that is way more important in terms of preventing injuries is a good fit for your foot. If your foot fits perfectly in the shoe without any heel slippage and adequate lateral support, you're good to go, regardless of height.

Very helpful video. I made the mistake of hiking the Grand Canyon in Ariat work boots, haha.

Extremely thorough briefing and great explanation on "what to avoid." Thanks.

Nice dude, will be maybe trying some new shoes. I just finished the AT with one (I am not kidding) pair of Solomon Trail runners, without even repairing them. I would not recommend it. I usually hike in vibrams, so the loss of sole was not too bad on my feet. But fivefingers are obviously are not durable, so I'm looking for a middle ground. Do you recommend any minimalist trail runners?

I dont believe there is a better way for the AVERAGE hiker to get into trouble that to face a day of Yosemite rocky surface trail or snow in a pair of trail runners. If you are in shape, a fast hiker, never turned an ankle, expect no snow and dont mind replacing the trail runners every 700 miles...go for it!

Just a personal opinion , I think a really good hiking boot is the way to go for long term comfort and stability especially in PA, NJ, MA etc.. You can get away from boots during summer but when its cold and rocky I want a good sturdy boot .

It has ankle support but yet your ankle is free to get stronger

I enjoyed the video, but in my experience as a thru-hiker and as an outdoor worker (farms, ranches, in all weather), I prefer hiking boots.  In sneakers/trail shoes, I've rolled my ankles a lot (which has ended in injury a few times).  But, in good quality leather-upper boots that cover the ankle, I've never had that issue.  If you are concerned with wet boots, just pack some newsprint and stuff it into the boot each night.  You can burn the wet newsprint in the campfire, or dry it out and use it again.  Dry newsprint is light, and you don't need a lot, and can resupply at any place in town for free (everyone has a newspaper laying around). 

I never really had an issue with wet feet with my boots.  On my thru-hike, there was a section of Virginia where I saw heavy rain daily for about 3 weeks straight.  I used some short OR gaiters to keep out dirt and it helped with the rain as well.  Certainly, it's nearly impossible to be completely dry on the trail when it's raining everyday, but if you bring some extra socks and rotate those, and take good care of your feet, you really won't have many wet foot moments.

As for blisters, I can imagine a lighter, more breathable shoe is going to cut down on the chances of getting those.  But, I only had a couple of blisters form up in the first week or so of the trail.  By my 2nd to 3rd week, my feet had toughened up completely, and I never had blisters again for the next 1900 miles or so.  I did see people, with shoes and boots, either way, get blisters a lot on the trail, even still happening at the halfway point.  I think blisters tend to happen more to people that don't take good care of their feet, have improperly fitted footwear, and probably don't have extra socks to switch out once a pair gets wet.

A commenter mentioned that you can dry out your trailshoes next to a fire at night and they'll be dry by morning.  You should be very careful when doing that.  All shoes these days use glue/adhesives to hold the materials together (shoe to sole to rand, etc.)  I saw many people have alligator shoes (shoe and sole separation) or worse (shoes melting on rocks next to campfires...yes, melting) when trying to dry their shoes with the heat from a campfire.  Leather boots also can get ruined by being dried out too much when next to a fire.  The best way to dry shoes is air dry, sun dry, or use newsprint stuffed into the shoe like I mentioned above.

Obviously, shoes or boots, is an each-to- their-own sort of thing.  Try out each, and know your feet/ankles and what you are comfortable with.  For me and what I saw and experienced on the A.T. when I thru-hiked, I saw more people with foot injuries and Achilles issues and such that wore trail shoes than I did see that wore boots.  But, of course, more people also were wearing trail shoes than boots, so that information could be skewed just by that.  It was basically something like for every 10 thru-hikers about 7 or 8 of them were in trail shoes. 

Price-wise, I don't really see shoes or boots being cheaper.  Shoes are going to wear out faster than boots, usually.  Boots might cost a 10-30% more per pair, but they last longer, so at the end of the thru-hike, you'll spend about the same on either.  One thing for sure, that you recommend in the video, is get some Superfeet insoles.  Those are awesome and help a lot with comfort and stride, and air out and dry quickly.

Again, a good video...sorry for the rambling there, but I thought someone that prefers boots should comment with their 2 cents to add to the conversation.

I find that trail runners with a good stiff soles non gore tex are the way to go. Yeah they will get wet first and faster than gore tex but gore tex will stay wet longer. And I like the fact that my shoes will dry out over night by the fire and I don't have to slip on a wet boot in the morning..... Talk about miserable....

great channel! just "discovered" it over the weekend. my question is: how did you change shoes half way on the AT? did you hithack to a REI to buy them, or had them mailed to you?

Great vid fam. Peace

Excellent videos... I want to watch them all. Yatsie07 you're an IDIOT!

great video man. been looking for a good waterproof boot vs trail runners comparison.

Very bad advice, basing your argument's on really weak, cheap boot's doesn't make any sense, you've got a lot to learn.

Did you run into much snow at the beginning and/or end of your hike? If so, did you use the trail runners in the snow? How did the trail runners perform in terms of traction, stability and comfort/warmth?

Thx. My main objective though wouldn't be 'cool' feet as much as 'dry' feet. Physical exertion tends to make my feet sweat, so my feet will be hot anyway from the hiking regardless of sandals or shoes, and with or without socks. I think the 'breathability' of sandals, and the wicking action of wool socks would be a great combination. Again, I'm not trying to make a fashion statement, I just want superior function. I think the best bet, since everyone is different, might be to experiment. Thx

I wear sandals almost daily from May thru Oct (ATL, GA) and cannot stand hot feet! However, I have tried and find sandals do not work out for hiking. I have worn mostly Teva and Keen for years, but only for casual wear. I think they would work fine for river/stream exploring or kayaking. Once you get any foreign material in your sandal, you are going to want to stop, and clear it. Just too much trouble. I have never tried w/ socks because it reduces the main objective; cool feet.

Always get Waterproof. For people who hike and/or run in tempered or cold climate, that is. Went from GoreTex to mesh and back to GoreTex. Might not be as breathable, but if damp grass gets your feet wet, somethings can't be right. Even in heavy rain, my trail runners stayed dry for hours and hours.

Some people do this yes. I think it is a great idea, and it is something that I want to do eventually. Your feet and shoes dry out almost immediately after rains. It is also generally a lighter weight option. Plus they work great for river fords (just take your socks off). I've seen people use Keens, Tevas, Chacos, and others. Only downside I've heard is that you've got to wash your socks more often.

Have you seen anyone wearing hiking sandals, like Keen (brand name)? I would think it would be lighter, more breathable, and eliminate the 'camp shoe', especially if you wore wool socks with them. I know, I know, socks and sandals aren't the best fashion statement, but I'm going for function here. lol