How to Choose Hiking Boots & Hiking Shoes

Series Summary

Hiking can be an incredible adventure full of great exercise and breathtaking scenery. You could be backpacking in the Colorado Rockies or hiking in New England, trekking through snow, rivers, and steep terrain. No matter where you are backpacking, using the right hiking gear can make the difference between a great expedition and a miserable trip. Outdoor stores all across North America are full of hiking equipment; but, how do you know but to choose? You could spend thousands of dollars in two hours on backpacking gear, and buy all the wrong equipment. "So how do you learn how to buy the right hiking gear?", you might ask. Well you can learn right here, for free and online, from our expert backpacking guide.

In this free online video series on hiking, learn from backpacking guide Kate Carcio as she teaches how to choose essential hiking gear and equipment for your backpacking excursion. Learn how to choose hiking boots, hiking shoes and socks, how to dress for warm and cold weather hiking, how to choose rain gear for hiking, how to choose sun and bug protection, how to choose maps and guidebooks, why having a compass and GPS is important, how to choose day packs and multi day packs, how to choose first aid kits, how to choose hydrating gear for hiking, how to choose hiking poles, what type of cooking equipment is best for hiking, how to pack food for your hiking trip.

Video Transcript

"Hi, I’m Kate I’m here with Zoar Outdoor on behalf of Expert Village and we’re going to talk about hiking today. Alright we’re going to be talking about some hiking footwear. It depends on the type of hike you want to do, but generally speaking, the most important part is going to be your socks. To prevent some blisters you should have a thin layer of socks and then a heavier layer of socks. These are really good to wear under hiking boots. Hiking boots should be well broken in, they should have a pretty good tread on the bottom, for any stumps, steep terrain, and rocks that you might be going through. You should be able to lace them pretty snug all the way up to the top. If you are wearing hiking boots you can also wear gaiters, this is how it prevents water from getting inside and creating blisters and many other gross things you might encounter on the trail. These are really good for New England, or anywhere its cold cause they’re leather and they keep most of the water out. If you’re going on a two hour hike or a light hike for the day in pretty nice weather you can also wear sneakers. These should also have a really good tread on the bottom because you will be going over difficult terrain and there’s not as much ankle support but if it’s warm out and you feel comfortable with it, these would be just as good. If you’re out west where you might be doing some river runs and some possible hiking on the side, you can wear sandals. They should be pretty supportive around your ankle, they should have a pretty good tread and you could possibly hurt your toes with these, so I generally don’t like to hike very long with these."