Shoes

Some hikers wear large, heavy boots with ankle support. Others wear trail runners. Even a few sandal wearers! Whatever you wear, comfortable, capable shoes are one of the most important pieces of kit you have.

Shoes can make or break a hike. How they perform in various terrain matters.

When your feet swell up is there enough room to not get crushed? Do they breathe? Durability?

As with every other piece of gear, opinions are strong. Some want big boots with all kinds of support. Others want as little as possible to stay agile.

Whatever you choose, there are a few things that can help:

• Let your feet breathe on extended breaks (shoes and socks off)
• Rotate pairs of socks each day (washing the pair when water is available)
• Adjust laces if/when there is uncomfortableness (a tiny tweak can make pressure and pain go away)

When you find ones that work, buy up more pairs! Brands like to change up designs for the same model, so look out for that.

Thru-hikers can go through 3-5 pairs of shoes and often buy them all ahead of time and have shipped when needed. Not great to have to try and adjust to a new shoe on trail.

Good shoes make hiking enjoyable. If there is ever any foot pain, figure out why.