Best Hiking Shoes 2023 | Trail Runners – GWC Mag

Why are trail runners better than boots for hiking and backpacking?

Trail running shoes for hiking are better than boots for the following reasons:

1. They are significantly lighter weight, which makes each stride less taxing, allowing the wearer to hike faster and more efficiently. 
2. Trail runners have grippier outsoles and lugs for better traction.
3. They are comfier, more breathable, and far less likely to cause blisters.
4. Used as hiking shoes, trail runners are less rigid and give better surface feedback, which increases the accuracy, mobility, stability, and balance of your footfalls, which reduces likelihood of sprain.
5. Over time, wearing low top trail running shoes helps to increase the strength of your ankles, eliminating the need for high tops and reducing the likelihood of a future sprain.
6. Lastly, they also provide everything you need to start trail running, if you so choose! It’s great training for hiking season!

Why do we prefer trail running shoes that are not waterproof?

In almost all hiking scenarios, even most wet, rainy, and cold ones, we prefer hiking in traditional mesh trail runners, rather than boots, waterproof hiking shoes, or even waterproof trail running shoes. This is because waterproof shoes are much warmer, and significantly less breathable than mesh, which causes heat build up and foot sweat.

This in turn leads to an increased likelihood to blister, especially in conditions that should be dry and pleasant.

Over the course of a backpacking trip, we would rather get wet and dry off, then stay damp the whole time. It is a marketing ploy from hiking shoe brands to convince people they need waterproof shoes to hike. There are some situations, usually involving snow where we will wear waterproof shoes, but they are few and far between.

Why do we like trail runners with wide toe boxes?

Over the course of a long day of hiking, through repeated footfall impacts, the forefoot will start to swell and the toes will expand and spread apart slightly. For this, it is immensely helpful and significantly more comfortable to have trail running shoes with a wide toe box, because it prevents discomfort at the end of the day when you need it most.

However, wide to boxes aren’t license for a sloppy midfoot or heal cup, so it’s important that you find a trail runner that fits and enhances in this way, and is not just a wide loose shoe.

What is heel/forefoot stack height and what does drop mean?

Let’s go over some of the basic stats for hiking shoes, which may be foreign to readers. Heel-to-toe drop and stack height, both of which are measured in millimeters. Heel-to-toe drop, or drop, refers to the difference between the height of your heel and the height of your toe.

Basically, a zero or low drop shoe encourages the use of more calf and Achilles engagement, taking pressure away from your knees.

On the other hand, higher drop hiking shoes encourage a rearfoot strike, which may alleviate any Achilles pain or strain. A trail running shoe’s stack height refers to the number of millimeters it elevates your feet from the ground.

Higher stack heights will provide more plush and comfort, while lower stack heights will help the user feel more secure and close to the ground. The other stats we’ve provided, such as comfort, off-trail use, traction, and more are all self-explanatory.

Should you wear gaiters with your trail running shoes?

Nobody on the Adventure Alan staff are super keen on gaiters. We tend to hike in pants, and find that based on decades of backpacking experience, debris rarely enters our shoes, and when it does, it’s trivially easy to get rid of it. For 95% of hiking we don’t wear gaiters.

But for some conditions, like snow, sand, or loose gravelly scree fields, they can come in very handy. Shop gaiters for trail running shoes at REI.

More Reading

How to Choose the Right Hiking Shoes | Everything You Need to Know Which covers, the Myth of Ankle Support, Wide vs Narrow Footbox, Zero Drop Shoes, High vs Low Stack…