When Did Hiking Boots Turn into Hiking Shoes?

If you are an enthusiast, and enjoy the great outdoors then you may already know the answer to this one, on the other hand, if like most people you rarely venture out for intrepid hikes into the back and beyond then you might be asking yourself the same question, especially if you have a trip planned in the future but, it’s been a while and, you need some new gear;

Don’t worry, they haven’t gone anywhere

You’ll be pleased to know that hiking boots didn’t change or suddenly evolve overnight, as such, although that’s kind of what you get with hiking shoes, a product of evolution. Whereas hiking boots offer the absolute pinnacle of protection against hazards and dangers, hiking shoes on the other hand are a more rounded product and whilst even the best of the best in terms of quality shoes won’t be able to offer you anywhere near the same level of protection, they are, essentially, for different purposes.

If you’ve ever been on a long hike, camping or some kind of outdoor trip that involved you trekking some distance, the chances are, that you went with a pair of hiking boots because, well, why wouldn’t you? If you remember though, you can probably agree that they weren’t the most comfortable of foot wear and perhaps you even ended up with blisters and sore feet yet, you didn’t really experience any kind of danger that warranted the use of hiking boots.

Now, you have a choice

For that reason, hiking shoes have become a ‘thing’, a more practical option that means you don’t have to go the whole hog and wear heavy, cumbersome boots, if you don’t want to. Boots normally weigh you down, provide more protection than you’ll ever need, even in something like a car crash, and generally speaking, won’t allow you to walk, or hike for as long as you could do.

On top of that, most people tend to take a pair of trainers or similar with them as well as the boots they are wearing which adds to their load. Why take 2 pairs of footwear, if you don’t need to? It doesn’t really make any sense.

With hiking shoes, you now have an option of enjoying the comfort of something like a pair of trainers albeit, designed to be more durable, breathable and they have added support for the areas of your body that normally take the most punishment, a huge range of styles and colours and, some of them weigh next to nothing at all.

It’s a thing of practicality

Hiking is a practical sport/pastime/activity, just like pre-booking your accommodation, if you’re planning to stay a night or two. As such, so should the equipment be that you take with you it makes any sense to take a knife to a gunfight, so why take a big pair of boots and an additional pair of, more comfortable’ footwear on your day trip or, even a weekend camping trip, if you don’t need to?

It’s not about ‘looking’ the part or taking loads of gear you don’t need, it’s all about taking the essentials. Taking what you really need in order to make sure you make the most of your trip and that it’s enjoyable.