Hello everyone,
I need advice on what kind of hiking boots to get. I’m a student and on a bit of a budget, so it’ll probably be something not perfect, but at least cheaper (I am in Canada looking at [decathlon](https://decathlon.ca) and then drop by and see what fits).
Anyways, here’s my problem:
I am a bit of a stumbly hiker, I zone out now and then and subsequently misstep, and sometimes fall over. As paying more attention to where I am going, is apparently not something I’m capable of (I tried, failed, and fell), I wanted to ask: In what type of hiking shoes or boots am I least likely to hurt myself?
Would it be better to have boots that go over the ankle with the slight discomfort of sweaty feet in the summer? Or just get regular shoes and the rest is just a matter of training up ankle stability and flexibility? I don’t know, and I’d really appreciate your opinions on this, as most gear recommendations seem to be aimed at more competent hikers than me.
Thanks in advance!
by Qwadswas
9 Comments
Use stilts
Get focused. Until then, get trekking poles. They turn you into a four-legged walker, much less likely to stumble and fall.
Fix your ankles first before you attempt to put a band aid over the issue.
Had a family member that was a trainer for a NBA team. According to them, almost every guy in the league has ankle issues. They gave me an exercise to begin with and progress from there. Start by simply standing on one foot for 60 seconds every day. Then work up to single leg deadlifts. You’ll feel all of the muscles around your foot and ankle twitching and getting stronger.
Higher boots don’t really improve ankle stability – it’s much more about having a stable base on which you place your foot. The important factor here is sole stiffness across the shoe, and how readily it twists. This doesn’t necessarily mean a super stiff shoe either. A lot of the top brands these days have got really good at making shoes that are flexible along the shoe, but very stable across it.
Your best bet is getting your shoe fitted in store – I don’t know what places you have in Canada, but generally the folk in outdoor stores know their stuff and can give you good suggestions. Decathlon have great deals, but as they stock a much wider range, the staff their might not know as much about the gear (and where I am at least they definitely don’t have dedicated footwear staff).
And as others have said – focus. I am often a bit of a stumbly hiker too, when I’m not paying attention and just plodding along, or tired at the end of the walk. But if you are focusing a bit more on where you are placing your feet, and just controlling your ankle, it’s very easy to feel much more secure.
Oboz
If you’re truly not capable of concentrating enough to not regularly stumble on the average trail, then I suggest choosing terrain more appropriate to your abilities like a paved park trail or preserve trail that is very highly maintained, as no shoe or poles can help if that’s really the case.
If you’re able to make use of trekking poles, I’d take them over a shoe upgrade. You still have to take care where to place them… so in fact they take more skill and concentration to use than without them, but your stability overall will greatly improve when used correctly.
Fellow clumsy hiker here. Trekking poles save my rear end on every hike.
You should also stay away from shoes with a very high stack height. Basically those really thick cushy soles.
Some shoes have zero toe spring and can lead to you catching the toe on stuff more, mostly minimalist “barefoot” shoes. When the shoe is sitting on flat ground the toe should be slightly curved up.
Trail runners are your best bet if the terrain allows followed by one of the lightweight hiking “boots” that are more of a shoe.
Trekking poles before worrying about shoes or boots. You can get into a rhythm and then talk to companions or even get lost in thought and still have quite a bit of stability. Obviously, very rough terrain demands concentration, but for long miles on established trails, they work wonders and you can get them pretty cheaply to start.
Consider looking into barefoot shoes. The idea is that the soles are much thinner and more flexible so you can feel the ground better which allows your reflexes to kick in that little bit faster. While I can’t speak to that I will say I’ve done three day hikes (7 miles, 8 miles, and 9 miles, plus a bunch of shorter outings) and haven’t had any issues with my xero hiking boots