Boots.
Like trail runners, a basic day-hiking boot can be used for anything from a couple miles on mild inclines to long days with steep scree and minor scrambling, but the key thing that separates them from trail runners is the ankle support. Your day-hiking boot prevents any sideways movement and helps you stabilize on uneven … [Read More]
For when you need to step it up a notch, a backpacking boot offers a more protective upper and a slightly chunkier sole that can withstand long days, high miles, and heavy weight, while enduring multiple changes in terrain and weather. That through hike of the PCT, CDT, or AT? A weekend of 40 miles … [Read More]
Glaciers, anyone? Snow? Crampons? These are the boots that you would take up Rainier and Aconcagua and Denali. They aren’t going to be bunny-slipper comfortable no matter what, just because of the rigid sole—a sole so inflexible that they have made more than one person do a quick Frankenstein impression on the side of a … [Read More]
Boots are a critical piece of gear for a hiker. You can hate your pants, get by with cheap poles, or forget your hat, and still have a perfectly fine hike. But as anyone who has ever had blisters, hot spots, soaking wet feet, frozen toes, or a heel that slips and rubs the skin … [Read More]