I realize this is heresy against the footwear in my blog’s logo, but a post at Uncooped the other day reminded me I ought to throw this out there and see what sticks. When I was auditioning footwear awhile back I did try a few pairs of boots, but the rubbing against the skin above my ankles was such an annoyance that I looked elsewhere.
As I’ve noted a few times around here, trail-running shoes (Montrails especially) have bulked-up padding below the ankles that provides a lot more support than you might suspect.
The conventional wisdom used to be that you needed boots for hiking with a heavy pack; I suppose it’s still true, but does anybody hike with heavy packs these days? (I’m guessing I’d have to pay somebody to haul away my 7-pound Dana Designs Terraplane.)
One thing I will cop to: the romance of breaking in a nice pair of leather boots, wearing down the soles and taking them to a cobbler to get resoled. I’ve heard tell of people using the same boots for years this way. The right boots can be like an old friend. Nobody ever thinks of running shoes that way: you just beat ’em up and throw ’em out (which is not exactly sustainable, come to think of it).
So what you think, folks, above the ankle or below?
I prefer the support of a full above-the-ankle boot whether I’m toting a pack or not. (Then again, my large-capacity Camelbak is often crammed full.) While I find trail-running shoes comfortable for packless hiking or trail runs, I find that my arches tend to fatigue due to too much sole flex, especially if I’m carrying a pack over more than 5 miles.
I also enjoy the energy preservation that comes with wearing boots: a slower gait and a longer stride.
Many a time my boots have saved my ankles from more than a mere roll. I wear them on anything longer and more strenuous than a gentle 2-mile walk lest I step on a rock the wrong way and I’m done.
But hiking in th East is much different, and I think much more difficult than hiking in the west. The trails can be rockier, muddier, and are certainly steeper.
On the big pack issue… I know many people, including myself, that still wear a pack 4500cu. in. or larger. Comfort at camp is almost as important as comfort on the hike, and that may mean an extra pound or two.
It depends. I will go with sturdy low-top shoes or even running shoe style shoes on a short and light trip in decent terrain. I have friends who will go out for a week, crossing 12,000′ trailless passes this way, but they also carry ultralight loads.
For anything a bit longer than a few days, or a trip where I expect rain, or if I’ll be in real terrain, or if I know I’ll be crossing snow… I use a relatively light pair of Gore-Tex ankle-high boots.
Dan
I use by boots exclusively (for hiking). I like the extra traction and protrusion resistance of the Vibram soles. I also prefer having good ankle support just in case I get into rough terrain, or if I happen to step on a tree root, or rock, or something else while gawking at scenery, talking, or daydreaming. I used to do a lot of solo hiking, and a twisted ankle is not the thing you want to get while alone hiking in a remote location. I also like that my boots are more waterproof than a trail shoe because of the Goretex inners, conditioning, higher tops, and internal tongue flaps.
I recently had a corn develop along the outside of my left foot. All my other shoes including my running shoes were giving me some pain. I was concerned that I could not hike that weekend, but I found out that my boots were perfectly comfortable. They are actually the most comfortable footgear I own, including my running sneakers.
I’ve found my Montrails provide decent ankle support and I like hiking in them because of their lighter weight, but I always feel safer and more sure-footed wearing my boots. If it came down to having to choose between the two, the boots would win.
I adhere to the old saying “The right tools for the job”. I have various shoes that I wear depending on the where I’m headed. I have trail running shoes for when I’m doing that activity, light hikers from Merrell for when the trail isn’t too rough, and I’m carrying a light pack, and awesome full hiking boots from Asolo that are for when I’m really getting into the thick stuff. Need to protect the feet and some of the places I go, the light shoes just aren’t going to cut it.
My full hiking boots have slowly worked their way to the back of my closet as my pack has gotten lighter over the years. Except when snowshoeing, all of my trail footwear is below-ankle. I have light trail runners for my thrice weekly post-work trail run in Arastradero or Rancho San Antonio (relatively wide and flat trails with little uneven terrain), and I also have pretty robust low topped hikers from Garmont. Most of my trail footwear is somewhere in-between the trail runner and the robust low topped hiker, like the Garmont Nagevi or Nasty (I keep a supply of these in reserve since they do have a shorter life).
At the end of a long day on the trail my feet are happier when I’ve been wearing lighter shoes. I’m fortunate to have strong ankles and the few times I’ve lost footing and rolled one I haven’t done any damage (damn …. where is some wood to knock on?) If I had weak ankles I’m sure my opinion would be a bit different.
I still carry a Dana on my long hikes. My base load without food, water, or fuel is about 25 pounds. So on a long carry or a dry stretch, I can get in to the 50 pound range. I wear hiking shoes. In 6,000 miles of long distance hiking I only once had a ankle sprain.
It was not the shoes fault. Alcohol was a definitely a factor. Drunk night hiking without a headlamp. What can I say, I love beer.
I would love to make the jump to trail runners full time, but I am a big guy (6’2″ 250lbs) and I have weak ankles due to too many years playin basketball. The possibility of twisting my ankle 6 miles in would be tough to recover from. For me its worth the extra weight on the feet for the security of the ankles – much like uber light pack weight – there is always a comfort level to be considered.
What the Barefoot Society have to say about this topic, I wonder?
“But hiking in th East is much different, and I think much more difficult than hiking in the west. The trails can be rockier, muddier, and are certainly steeper.”
East where?????? East side or West side of the Sierra Nevada Range?
When I was hiking in the England and Wales, I wore Salomon boots with GoreTex lining in autumn, winter and spring. In summer I’d wear either GoreTex-lined hiking shoes or something lighter. It gets very wet and muddy there. Almost so you wished that you could convert snoe shoes to mud shoes and walk on top of it. 🙂
Here I’ve been using a pair of Merrell ventilated hiking shoes but I’m not really friends with them. The footbed was rubbish. It doesn’t offer much in the way of support or cushioning. I think I need to buy a pair of SmartFeet if I’m going to continue using these.
But then there’s the laces. They slip. Even if I tie a double knot, I have to re-tie them once an hour or so. Anybody know if I can buy non-slip laces? It’s driving me mad.
Or maybe I should give a pair of Montrail trail runners a try instead. Where do you buy them? I don’t think I’ve seen them at REI.
Count me in as a boot guy. Living near Mt. Shasta, I find a lot of the trails to the better backcountry fishing spots are very rocky and steep; I like the extra ankle protection.
Lightweight hiking boots aren’t all that heavy, yet they support my feet pretty well, especially given that I’m usually carrying enough fly fishing gear to invade Canada.
Well, this topic has gone on for many decades that I know of. I wish I still had my old Pivettas but I’ve switched to lighter everything but my belly. Long distance backpackers on the John Muir Trail and elsewhere are wearing sandals and Clogs no less. Kevlar socks is probably next. My preference – light boots for hiking and backpacking, even with a 50 pound pack on Whitney.
Support + durability + comfort + safety are critical. Why should other hikers be inconvenienced on the trail because a hiker’s shoes fall apart or the hiker sprains an ankle? Be responsible. The margin of safety needs to increase with distance from the trailhead.
I am a big fan of full leather boots in the boonies, but then I spent about twenty years working in the woods day in and day out, mostly “off trail”, in places where tennis shoes just weren’t appropriate attire. Old habits die hard I suppose so these days, when I load up for a trek of usually between 35 and 45 pounds all total including water, I lace up the boots, REI Spirits, and sally forth. Those boots are particularly good in tough, volcanic terrain that will tear other materials to pieces pretty quick.
The new technologies are pretty cool and no doubt I will one day go to the more modern boot but for now I’ll just keep kicking those four pound leather clod hoppers on down the trail.
Hey, I need to lose weight anyway so I consider my boots an extension of my exercise program. Great excuse for not spending a couple of hundred dollars on a pair of one-season slippers, huh?
John
I have a pair of above-the-ankle leather hiking boots, and they are
literally the most comfortable pair of footwear I own. They were
also custom-made for my feet. I was lucky — the wait was only six
months. Now I think it’s up to two years. At the time, the price
was about the same as a good pair of off-the-shelf boots.
I used them all the time hiking in New England. Here in the Bay Area,
the trails are comparatively mellow, so I usually just wear a pair
of sneakers. I like the feeling of being close to the trail, so to
speak, though I’m not ready for the Barefoot Society. I have long
learned to be mindful of every step.
I still use the boots when I go bushwhacking, which I enjoy a lot.
Then it’s great to know when you place your foot, it’s going to stay
where you put it. An added plus is they don’t pick up burrs or foxtails.
I haven’t backpacked in years. If I did, I would probably be looking
for more support and thus a pair of boots of some kind.
Wow… I have to say the boots have it.
The only above-the-ankle shoes I own are my sno-pacs and my cowboy boots. I’ve worn out my second pair of low-cut Montrails, and they don’t make that model any more. Dang.
I go back and forth between lightweight backpacking (19 pounds without water and food, but with a 3 pound camera) and a “Scoutmaster load” (40+ in my old Lowe Expedition).
I did sprain my ankle last summer wearing the Montrails, but I was hurrying down the hill during the fire drill at Camp Oljato in the Sierras. Wasn’t watching my feet and stepped on a round rock. I doubt tall boots would have helped that.
Lovely view from the top of Mt. Tam yesterday. Shared it with 8 boys, 10-13.
I used to wear boots, until I did a series of backpacking trips in Africa and noticed that all the porters were barefoot and had no foot problems at all, while I had blisters and sore feet. Now I wear light running shoes and have never looked back. I move much faster, pack or no pack, and never get blisters. I also think people who turn their ankles either have weak ankles (from boots that unnaturally support them) or aren’t paying attention to where they’re going.
I was always twisting my ankle, so figured that if I had footwear with no sole to fall of of maybe I would have no problems. Got me some Russell Mocassins, and have had no problem since.
Lowa’s Renegade GTX Mid Ws. No breaking in necessary. They were old friends before they were old.