Outdoor Vacations 101: Hiking and Trekking Shoes

Selecting the Right Shoes or Boots for an Outdoor Adventure Vacation

Oct 9, 2009

Wearing the right footwear for a hiking vacation, trekking expedition or backpacking camp is critical to safety, and depends on several factors. Some tips.

On hiking trips, long treks and backpacking camps, perhaps the most important piece of gear would be the shoes worn for the trip, as they protect the feet, all important for the main activity on the trip - walking. The parameters for choosing the right shoes or boots for a specific trip are several, and depend on factors like kind of terrain that is likely to be encountered, weather and the kind of support that is required based on physical fitness of the person concerned.

Selecting Footwear for a Hiking Trip or Backpacking Trek, Different Soles for Different Kind of Terrain

If the terrain to be covered is rocky or mountainous, then one needs to look for a pair of shoes or boots with soft soles. For example, crepe soles are soft, spongy and have a lot of give, ensuring a good grip on uneven terrain. Simply put, since the sole is soft and flexible, it moulds itself to rocky contours to provide a steady and firm grip when walking or climbing.

If the terrain is muddy, slushy or sandy, one would need to select shoes or boots with hard soles. Hard soles provide a better grip in these types of terrain: here, the mud, slush or sand moulds itself to the unyielding sole to enable a firm grip, even when the going is slippery.

Selecting Footwear Based on Weather, Ventilated Versus Sealed

The kind of weather that is likely to be encountered also plays a key role in deciding on which boots or shoes to select. Hot temperatures and sultry weather would require footwear that breathes - ideally leather uppers with air holes and vents that will provide aeration for the feet.

If one is likely to encounter cold, damp or wet weather, then sealed shoes would be the answer. As the description implies, sealed shoes completely keep water and moisture out and can be used in conditions of extreme cold, snow and rain. Of course, at the end of the day care would need to be taken to ensure that feet are washed out, dried and powered to prevent any fungal infections. Shoes would also need to be powdered and aired.

Selecting the Right Footwear, Ankle and Heel Support for Protection

Footwear with ankle and heel support goes a long way in providing protection for the feet and preventing falls and sprains on a hiking trip or a trekking holiday. A good choice would be the firmer boots - provided a pair is available with the right kind of sole and ventilation for the proposed trip. It is important that the boots should hug the feet and prevent movement of the foot within the boot - there should be no forward-backward motion or slippage inside the boot as this can be result in blisters and injury to the toes.

All shoes and boots need to be worn with the right socks. Ankle support boots will need longer, calf-length socks. Sealed shoes in cold weather will require layered socks - a cotton inner followed by a nylon layer and then a woolen layer. Sealed shoes in wet weather will require a thin cotton inner layer and an absorbent outer layer. In warm weather, with ventilated shoes or boots, a single pair of absorbent cotton socks would be best.

Selection of the right footwear is crucial to the well-being of one’s feet - the most critical piece of equipment on a hiking vacation or trekking holiday. Just make sure the right footwear is worn for the right terrain and weather, with the right support, and watch how those feet can move!

The copyright of the article Outdoor Vacations 101: Hiking and Trekking Shoes in Backpacking Gear is owned by Kalyani Candade. Permission to republish Outdoor Vacations 101: Hiking and Trekking Shoes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.