Boots or trail shoes ?

silverharp

Out of curiosity I weighted my hiking boots and was a little shocked that they weighted 1.6kg which is more than some tents. My default position was that you need boots for support and the fact that Ireland is more boggy than some of the US trails where the shoes would be more suitable.

So the questions are (assuming hiking with an overnight pack), does the support argument stand up? Ive read some different opinions that its better for your ankles to be free to move and that the top of boots tend to be soft anyway so don't offer much additional support. Secondly are trail shoes an option for an Irish winter combined with gaters? and assuming they are suitable what do you need to watch out for?

Have done outings with trail runners, love the lightness and freedom of them and using them more and more. Shorts can be great too.

Alun

It's a personal thing IMO, and personally I wouldn't wear trail shoes on anything other than, well, trails. A lot, if not most, of the walking I do involves long stretches of open ground without even a sheep track to be seen ... hole-ridden, rocky heather covered areas or waterlogged, soggy, squelchy areas and I wouldn't use trail shoes for that. Well, waxed, leather boots and gaiters for me in those circumstances. For me it's got less to do with ankle support and more to do with trying to keep my feet dry for the inevitable time you find that well hidden 3 foot deep bog hole

griffonmark

Alun wrote: »

It's a personal thing IMO, and personally I wouldn't wear trail shoes on anything other than, well, trails. A lot, if not most, of the walking I do involves long stretches of open ground without even a sheep track to be seen ... hole-ridden, rocky heather covered areas or waterlogged, soggy, squelchy areas and I wouldn't use trail shoes for that. Well, waxed, leather boots and gaiters for me in those circumstances. For me it's got less to do with ankle support and more to do with trying to keep my feet dry for the inevitable time you find that well hidden 3 foot deep bog hole

+1
Makes sense to me: boggy, cold, wet feet, stones, plant material, thorny stuff, etc

duckysauce

For me the boots definitely give extra ankle/foot support , maybe just my foot or ankle . I have worn trail shoes on certain walks and have nearly rolled my ankle , I know if I was wearing my boots my foot would have been more solid. So I normally wear trail shoes for lower level tracks with fairly even tracks , and boots for higher level uneven ground. Then again have been with people who are happy to wear trail shoes on every type of terrain. Each to their own.

I would have come from the hiking background so never even thought about the prospect of trail runners, but after doing a few IMRA runs up Carrauntoohil, Lug, Mangerton etc. this summer started using them for treks too. Having said that, we're coming off a dry summer so that made them more of an attractive option. But trail runners can drain quite quickly, so the water doesn't "slosh around" as it might in boots once water gets in. And the length of the hike might be relevant, easier to tolerate wet feet for a few hours than say some 10 hour outing. And as others have said, the ankle support may be an issue too, haven't done any scrambling in them myself but mountain runners seem to get by - some of these runners may have ankle support too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OsL6brYV-I

IS_a_Class

for hiking just about anywhere nice that is off-road in the west of ireland, you'll typically have to walk through a bog at some stage, even the sides of hills and mountains are boggy. While you may get away with trail shoes in the middle of a dry summer if you mind your step, I find that waterproofed Army boots essential to keep my feet safe and dry. Heavy as well, but absolutely essential.

Hugh_C

I've just finished a week in the Sierra Nevada in Southern Spain, mostly on dry trails and rocky/shale terrain. I did the lot in trail shoes and enjoyed the experience for the most part - the lightness was a godsend compared to the Meindls I use here in wetter Ireland. I was aware of a lack of ankle support on one descent but I didn't roll and the ligaments are still intact

I guess the answer is "it depends". If you're expecting dry conditions, then yes trail shoes are ok, if it's going to be boggy, I'd go down the more traditional boot route.

silverharp

^^^

probably sums it up, I was doing the WW over the weekend and even though I had boots on and didn't go through any boggy areas my feet were still wet by the evening although I didn't notice it. So shoes might just have been fine but it would leave you restricted where you could walk.

the support point is an interesting one , the "shoe advocates" say that the lighter your shoes the better you are able to sense the terrain so you can catch the rolls before they happen. Ill not dump my boots yet