"One person" told the OP boots are better. I think that pretty much settles it.Originally Posted by devoidapop
My old USMC boots are lighter then most hiking boots. Only military gear I hike with now is USMC tattoos .
Thom
They play on perfectly flat surfaces. It’s a little different when you roll your foot sideways on a rock, or root.
I attribute the ability to roll an ankle without getting hurt during LD UL backpacking in large part to strengthened and flexible ankles from playing tennis and basketball and not regularly employing/carrying trekking poles.
Not totally against mid cut lighter wt boots mid cut ttail runners of heavier design for some backpacking but see the lack of employing them also contributing to strengthened and more flexible ankles.
If stiff, hard, thick leather boots are "your" thing, then by all means wear them to your hearts content. But to say that lightweight trail shoes are a "fad", that is nonsense. I guess whatever works for the individual hiker, after all, its your miles of hiking, not mine.
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
It is astonishing how people have tendencies to think. It corresponds to how easily people become defensive, go to war, structure culture, and perceive things. So many have a narrowed duality of choices mindset. Everything doesn't have to be either/or, good/bad, right/wrong, black/white...
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/non-dual...-we-dont-know/
Nearly two decades ago when I started making the switch from boots to trail runners I noticed I would roll my ankles more (non-injury) with the running shoes. As I gradually wore them more and more and in rougher terrain in preparation for my first thru-hike, the ankle rolling stopped. Sometime during the first few months of thru-hiking I noticed I even stopped looking where I put my feet. It became natural to depend on apparently strengthened ankles.
I also disagree with the "fad" description. I know quite a few hikers and I've never seen a single one go back to a heavier boot, at least for hiking. It's good to have an old pair around for trail work and sloppy snow.
One thing that helps in terms of avoiding ankle rolls when hiking in trail runners has been actual trail running on very uneven terrain. I used to do a lot of local trail running but after moving, I don't have access to many local trails anymore. So instead I sometimes make a loop of a local park on a dirt track that has exposed tree roots and some other obstacles. It helps with agility and ankle strength to run on uneven surfaces.
You can take my heavy leather hiking boots when you pry them from my cold, dead feet.
Completed Sections: Springer to Clingmans Dome, & Max Patch to Gorham NH
I can say Im pretty darn good about foot placement awareness but it doesn't mean I'm perfect. I roll an ankle occasionally. I can't recall the last time I've injured an ankle, sprain or otherwise, in anything. Last time I had an ankle injury it was a break occurring in an auto accident. Yet, whenever rolling an ankle is mentioned its associated with a sprain as if they are the same. One can roll an ankle and it not be associated with a sprain or injury. I strongly attribute being able to do that because I didn't wear high top heavy boots in my life.
L.L. Bean Cresta leather boots or bust.
Be Prepared
Those are awesome boots. Strapped a pair on and did a weekend hike - no blisters.
I agree if your idea of a heavy pack is 30 lbs, maybe 40 on a very heavy day. But if you’re a smaller guy like me and had to carry the same 80lb load as the rest of the squad, you realize quick how important that ankle support is off-trail. Especially when a twisted ankle doesn’t mean your weekend is blow, it means your entire mission could be blown.
I know, completely different circumstances. But it is a reason why boot style shoes are still prevalent. Backcountry hikers who carry heavy loads appreciate the extra support.
The military has changed its approach to boots drastically, even since I first entered in 1992. It was still heavy leather combat boots for everyone, and a one-style-fits-all approach. Issue boots for everyone.
Since then, they’ve actually been very instrumental in the transition to lighter footwear. NADIC researched it pretty intensively and discovered the now pretty much accepted idea that 1 extra pound on your feet is equivalent to 5 pounds carried in your ruck.
Since the first Gulf War we started to transition a little, allowing more flexibility in off the shelf boots. Then after the transition to ACU’s and the complete ditching of the all leather boot in favor of the desert tan boot. No more polishing, what a blessing.
Now there are a myriad of tactical/combat boots which are essentially running shoes with a thin fabric ankle upper.
Too bad I got out just as this transition was going into full effect.
I use beefy winter mountaineering boots in the winter (good with crampons)
I use leather boots in late fall and early winter and then in the spring. (good with microspikes and water prevention)
I use trail runners in the summer and fall (because it's a fad ;-) )
To be devil's advocate...what is the proof that an ankle does not move in leather boots? It's not like they are ski boots or something like that. :-)
Let me go
Up in the whites, the standard advice from Fish and Game is now "sturdy footwear" for many years it was leather footwear with good ankle support. For folks working off trail and trail crews in the region the "secret handshake" was wearing a pair of Limmer heavy leather boots and AMC folks tended to use them so they could try to blend in with the pros. Realistically these crews needs heavy leather work boots mostly due to the wear as most of the time they are in one spot digging and moving rocks where a trail runner will get shredded. They also wear out soles and Limmer's can be resoled multiple times (albeit the width sometimes reduces). They are less apparent these days as Limmers don't come with steel toes required of some agencies. If you look at what the typical ridge runner and even hut crews are wearing today many are now wearing trail runners although once they can afford a pair many end up buying Limmers for the look.
The advice to a new hiker for "sturdy foot gear" is mostly to encourage the newbee hikers to wear something other than flip flops, sandals, heels, or shoes with obvious defects and other totally inappropriate gear. This is not theoretical, I have seen them all on the trail. The concept of wearing sturdy boots was mostly having someone effectively wear a cast in advance of an ankle issue. Most neophytes haven't built up their ankles and terrain can lead to a lot of odd footfalls. Add in heavy boots and ankle sprains are less frequent but when someone does get one with heavy boots it usually pretty severe. That lines up with my experience. I might have twisted an ankle less often but when I did it was far worse usually taking days if not weeks to recover.
Last edited by peakbagger; 03-26-2018 at 11:01.
In my experience the one factor that most affects ankle roll, is the width of the out sole along the length of the shoe. Of all the brands of shoes I’ve worn, the one I’ve had the least problem was the Merrill Moab (there may be others as well). It has a very wide sole where it meets the ground.
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I would never even consider going back to heavy boots. I believe the OP is ill-informed about any trend.
WHAT?? No more polishing boots in the U.S. Military?? SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!
6 months after I retired, my buddy sent me a pic of his new suede boots. They had been rumored since I was in Basic.
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