View Full Version : Shoes versus boots
Crispi72
02-11-2006, 02:52
I have been using boots for yeas while hiking. Iam young and am working towards lightenging my load. i just wondered if shoes are as functional on your ffet eas boots. i would worry about them tearing up my fet, and casuing them to be soar. my base weight is rougly 18 pounds. is this light enough for shoes? and can you use running shoes, or do you have to have day hiking shoes or trail runners?
I would reccomend getting a good pair of trail boots that are lightweight HI-Tech or merrells they have some that are very light like wearing tennie runners.ky
There are dozens of threads on this subject on WB. Here's one:
Boots or Trailrunners? (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12348&highlight=shoes)
I personally have found that wearing high top footwear for "ankle support" is baloney. Hiking regularly strengthens your ankles.
i prefer boots in cold weather and trail runners in warm weather:cool: neo
I personally have found that wearing high top footwear for "ankle support" is baloney. Hiking regularly strengthens your ankles.This is undoubtably true. For you. Could that be because you personally have strong ankles and no need for support?
I personally find that using a walker for support is baloney. Walking inproves my leg strength. However, that doesn't mean that folks that use walkers are doing so unnecessarily.
It is pretty hard to make the statement that wrapping a piece of leather around one's ankle does not provide support. Even an Ace bandage wrapped around an ankle will provide support.
Some people knew ankle and/or knee support and some don't, that's what I think.
Much more important IMO is the stiffness of the sole. Stiff soles will protect agaisnt "stone bruises" where the soel is bent over a protruding pointed rock.
On the other hand, flexible soles are much easier to walk in on graded trails.
High mileage in stiff soles can turn the bottoms of your feet to hamburger.
Hey, I'm getting close to the magical 1000 posts!
In my experence, if you can keep your total pack weight consistently under 30 pounds, you shouldn't have any problems with trail runners.
This is undoubtably true. For you. Could that be because you personally have strong ankles and no need for support?
Geez, Frosty, that's why I said "personally". Words have meanings. I could have said "all hikers have found that wearing high top footwear for 'ankle support' is baloney." But, as you can see, I didn't.
I personally find that using a walker for support is baloney. Walking inproves my leg strength. However, that doesn't mean that folks that use walkers are doing so unnecessarily.
When you say "walker", do you mean walking stick, or those two-legged aluminum things old folks use? If you want to use a walker, fine with me.
Some people knew ankle and/or knee support and some don't, that's what I think.
By golly, I think you're right! I personally don't care what other people wear on their feet. But, I've encountered lots of people in the woods who declare "I have weak ankles" for no apparent reason. Hiking regularly will make them stronger, that's what I, personally, think. I also, personally, have found that I don't turn my ankles more in trail runners than in boots.
Hey, I'm getting close to the magical 1000 posts!
Let me be the first to, personally, congratulate you. :D
Kerosene
02-11-2006, 21:11
High-top boots certainly provide some ankle support, but you can do better with a combination of ankle-strenghthening exercises and exercises to improve your proprioception ("the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself") so that you are much less likely to turn that ankle as you walk.
I was able to move to Garmont Eclipse (http://www.garmont.com/products_details.html?id=90&type=outdoors&category=trailsport_utility&page=1)low-tops after strengthening my ankles and dropping total pack weight to the 25-30 pound range, but I didn't go all the way to trail runners. The Garmont's have a very sturdy toe box and toe rand, something I would highly recommend for those Pennsylvania rocks. As Frosty noted, they provide a lot more protection from bruising, but I was able to put down successive 20+ mile days in southcentral Virginia without mangling my feet.
You could probably get by with trail runners for the southern AT, but north of Roanoke I'd probably go with something stiffer (unless you started at Springer and your feet were conditioned).
I have had weak ankles my whole life and what i have found is that it is the heel of the boot or trail runner that stabilizes the ankle, not the height of the boot. Good fit makes all the difference. Everyone is different so try and try and try until you find what you like. That is why i like to buy boots at REI. I have taken a pair on weekend trips and returned them for store credit and another pair to try out until i found what i like. Try high, mid and low and when you are happy with what is on your feet, go for it. Make sure you are happy with it, though as nothing ruins a trip like sore feet, blisters or a busted ankle.
SalParadise
02-11-2006, 22:13
I have weak ankles, too, and when I started out in my low-tops I did roll my ankles fairly often, but as I went along, not only did my ankles strengthen but I just learned how to hike over loose rock and keep my balance. Late in the trip if I'd turn my ankle I'd pop up and be fine, so I do think there's a lot to one's ankles getting stronger as you go along.
A lot of soreness in the foot can come through too-soft soles on the shoe, but of low-top shoes now use Vibraim soles, so you can still find that shoe stiffness without having to go to a boot.
and of course as been said before, a huge amount of foot soreness relates directly to pack weight, regardless of shoes.
Free your toes and free your mind. I thru-hiked in Chacos. Best trail shoes ever and your feet dont smell as bad.
I started hiking overnighters in the 70's, when heavy boots were the standard. I never lacked ankle support, though, at the time, I was far from an ultralight hiker. I've always had problems with boot fit, so, in the early 90's I bought a pair of custom-made Limmer boots. Through the years I used them, I used to refer to them as my "five pound slippers", they fit that well. My loads for a week were between 40 and fifty pounds back then. Now, since I've gotten lighter gear, my week pack weighs thirty pounds or less (I'm currently on a quest to minimize, so going out for a week solo in warm weather I'll probably be carrying between 20 and 25 lbs.).
My Limmer boots sit, unused, in a corner of my bedroom where they've been for the past three+ years. I now hike predominantly in low tops - always in the warmer months where getting wet feet won't cost me a toe. In the winter I don't go out for more than a weekend, usually for a day hike or a simple overnighter. I use Gore-Tex ankle high boots made by Columbia paired with neoprene socks (used to use waterproof Sorel snowmobile boots - heavy).
At 210 lbs. I don't feel the need to use high topped boots, though my weight makes me more aware of the rigidity of the soles, both longitudinally and torsionally. I look for a low top shoe which:
1) Fits - obviously,
2) Has a stiff sole,
3) Has a good rubber rand to protect the toe area, and,
4) As someone else said, has a good heel cup (fits snugly without pinching, and for me, since I wear orthotics, is deep).
If you can twist a shoe sole easily, gripping the toe and heel (torsional rigidity), disregard it for anything but smooth trails. If you can flex it from end to end easily (longitudinal rigidity), the same applies. If you are a lightweight, it doesn't matter as much.
If your load is lighter, your ankles won't take as much of a beating, and they will strengthen if you "force" them to, by wearing low tops. My formerly weak ankles are plenty strong now, despite my "heavier than when I was young" weight. Also, occasionally, I would get numbness or pain in one of my ankles where my Limmers would press on the ankle bones. With low tops, that doesn't happen any more.
In the mid to late 80's I worked for REI, where I learned the basics of good boot fit. Most of my current knowledge is from personal experience or talking to other hikers. I'm very aware that no two people, their ankles, their feet, or hiking style are alike. (In other words "your mileage may vary"- disclaimer :D ).