Sneakers vs. hiking boots/shoes?

How important is it to have boots (or hiking shoes) instead of just plain sneakers when backpacking? total load, oh say 20 pounds or so...





Anyone out there ever tried backpacking in just plain sneakers? Was it awful?





I%26#039;ve never found a decent pair of hiking boots in my life that were at all comfortable when compared to sneakers. Not to mention the fact that they weigh so freakin%26#039; much and really slow you down.





Are hiking shoes a lot better than just plain sneakers for backpacking? And which brands do you recommend?

Sneakers vs. hiking boots/shoes?
I like Merrell hiking shoes. You%26#039;re right, though, they are a little heavier. I%26#039;m guessing this is just because they%26#039;re a bit more rugged to withstand the terrain you might encounter, and this is a good thing. Having the hiking shoes as opposed to the boots (which are even heavier) works for me and I LOVE the comfort of the Merrells.


It really depends on you personally. I mean, some people need boots for the ankle support.


I%26#039;ve been in sneakers and no, it wasn%26#039;t horrible, but I will say that my feet felt better after wearing the shoes designed for hiking.
Reply:They%26#039;ll protect you from an ankle injury, or protect your injured ankle as you hoble back to civilization. Columbia is good enough. Merrel too and Nike too. You%26#039;ll be surprised how light they can be.
Reply:I%26#039;m a fan of hiking boots, Yeah they%26#039;re a little heavy But does the weight really matter when you consider the cushioning and torsional resistance that a good boot will provide you ?


I also think that pack weight is kind of an over -rated if not a useless number in the equation.


Think about it:


When I%26#039;m in good hiking shape I%26#039;m about 220 lbs


With a 50 lb pack on I%26#039;m 270 lbs and with a 25 lb pack on I%26#039;m 245 lbs


A 50 lb pack represents 22.727% of my body weight


A 25lb pack represents 11.363 % of my body weight


For a difference of 11.364 %


The point being that most of what I%26#039;m asking my boots to react to is my unladen bodyweight not the insignificant difference in pack weight


If you%26#039;re a smaller person the numbers will still be in the same ballpark and your unladen bodyweight will still be most of the load on your feet.
Reply:Depends on the terrain. If its an easy smooth walk with no water crossings or anything, you%26#039;ll be just fine.





But if your on a difficult hike, harsh terrain, etc. a good pair of hiking boots are hard to beat. Make sure they fit good (not loose). A really good pair of socks are really important.
Reply:Depends on what kind of hiking. Hiking boots provide ankle support on rough trails. If it is on some sort of managed smooth trails that isnt rough ( I dont consider that hiking...that is just walking in the woods) then sneakers would be fine.


With shoes you get what you pay for. You are right there are a bunch of crappy hiking boots out there that arent comfortable. Go out there and find a pair or really good hiking boots for 150-200 bucks. They will be comfortable.


Anything less than about 100 bucks isnt really a hiking boot. We call them %26quot;Hiking boot shaped objects%26quot;


Personally, I like and use the Mephisto brand of hiking boots. Very strong, Very comfortable and very light. However they will set you back over 300
Reply:With the advent of ultralight backpacking, people%26#039;s backpacks now weigh under 30, 20, and sometimes 10 lbs, it is entirely feasible and in fact beneficial to toss out your heavy hiking boots in favor of lightweight trail shoes, cross training shoes, running shoes, or even hiking sandals like Teva or Keen.





There is simply no reason to spend $200+ on hiking boots, which weigh you down, take time to break in, must be treated with waterproofing and leather preservatives before use, take forever to dry, require two layers of thick socks, and will still give you blisters after hundreds of miles of use, especially if you don%26#039;t luckily buy the perfect size for your foot.





I%26#039;d much rather spend $50-$100 for New Balance trail runners, which are mostly mesh and thin material, dry quickly, require no break in time or effort, wear only thin nylon dress socks, which can be easily switched, washed and dried twice daily, and will rarely if ever give you a blister.





In action, I%26#039;ve hiked all over the Sierra in trail runners and Teva sandals including talus slopes, crossing all kinds of creeks, summiting multiple peaks, and hiking 20 mile days with a 10-20 lb pack weight, and I%26#039;ve never had any injuries nor foot problems nor more than a couple of small blisters.





This guy has had a similar experience: http://www.the-ultralight-site.com/hikin...
Reply:I have hiked long days in sneakers and hiking boots. Hiking boots protect my feet from impact far better than any sneaker. They also protect your ankle from being twisted on rocks in the trail. They have saved me many times from having a severely twisted ankle. I think they are built for load weight in mind, and in fact you can buy them based on the kind of hiking you%26#039;ll be doing. Columbia does a really good job of rating their boots by the type of hiking and amount of weight you%26#039;ll be carrying. I have a pair of Columbia hiking boots and they are surprisingly light, not much more than my cross trainers, and these boots were comfortable from the day I put them on. Also they are Goretex XCR so they are very waterproof and breathable which comes in really handy if you are climbing a mountain where snow is still present, or having to cross creeks (very common in my area). Bottom line, I wouldn%26#039;t hike without them.



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