Do we really need boots for the likes of this walk?
http://pct-hike.randsco.com/Planning/06-Feet.html
“When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. At every step you lift the weight of your footwear. My stride is roughly two feet long. So I lift my feet around 2,500 times per mile. If I wear boots weighing 4 pounds a pair, I’m lifting around 10,000 pounds every mile. However, if instead I wear low-cut shoes weighing 1.5 pounds, then I lift only 3,750 pounds every mile. In the course of hiking 20 miles, that’s 200,000 pounds lifted with 4-pound boots, but only 75,000 pounds with 1.5-pound shoes, a big difference.” (Chris Townsend)
A lot of people are walking a lot further over more difficult terrain using shoes not boots, are we 'clinging on' to what we were taught years ago. When I was at School and started rock climbing the de rigour footware was heavy leather boots with pretty much a rigid sole. By the time I finished School canvas shoes were in fashion. I don't hike so its all guess work on my part but I've not taken boots on static camps for well over two years, trainers, crocs and or a pair of wellies round camp, no point in boots for static camping IMO.
If I was up to it and doing the Pennine Way these days I'd go for shoes. Up and down steep inclines in Snowdonia? the juries out on that one for me, always was boots...what I was used to but if I'm in or around Brecon these days you see more and more hill walkers in trainers so they must have something going in their favour I suspect.
We should look more at what the modern hiker uses, they seem to embrace new ideas and technology more than some of us 'old timers' lol
I don't just "embrace new ideas and technology" mate, i chase em round the parking lot
I know what your saying and logically you'd be right, for me though in the 12 years i've lived here i've tried and tried and tried with lightweight shoes, in the hope that come summer my feet won't feel like boil in a bag potatoes.
I've tried everything from sandles, to them there 5fingers, these approach type shoes (i wear these daily) and even some that are in-between sandles and approach shoes.
Even tried them past the point of uncomfortable over long periods in case my feet need to "get used to them".
Still on longer hikes i've found nothing as good as a decent pair of hiking boots.
Part of it is that with the stiffer sole your foot tends to roll through a stride, rather than your calves lifting you in softer soled shoes.
The other thing is, with a heavy pack on rough terrain you are going to stumble, even with hiking poles.
With shoes i'm fine the first 10 miles or so as i still feel fairly light on my feet, after 12 miles or so though i tend to just kinda throw 1 foot in front of the other, so at longer distances when i stumble my other leg isn't as quick or strong to support.
With boots you have that ankle protection.
Horses for courses, i know that some marathon runners sing the praise of barefoot running, so absolutely no doubt it's possible.
For me though even after giving lighter thinner shoes a damn good chance i'm still better off on longer hikes and hikes with a weighty backpack with stronger hiking boots.
Cheers
Mark