Trail Runners VS Light Hiking Boot

[Dirtymo]

Hey Guys,

2019 will be our second Archery Hunt in September. Last year we simply wore the boots we have always worn in late October and November. This year my hunting partner and I are both looking for a lighter cooler solution. I naturally started looking at light hiking boots, but also ran across trail running shoes. Curious if anyone has gone the trail running shoes route and how they performed if so?

Thanks!

 

[GunsAreFun]

It’s a popular option these days for some backpackers, but those guys mostly seem to be UL hikers doing 20 miles a day on prepared trails. They’re probably only carrying 15-20lbs. Can’t imagine their needs would translate to backcountry hunting.

Their strategy to keeping feet dry is to literally walk so much that their body heat dries the shoes from the inside out. Not my style lol

 

[WannabeHunter]

I was in the same boat about 9 months ago. There's lots of threads talking about this. You're going to find guys on both sides, but most will probably say the stiffer sole makes the heavier boot a better option over the trail runner.

I tried trail runners and my deer boots (2005 Danner Pronghorns) during some training hikes. With 40# at about 5 miles, my feet were very sore in both. The heavier pack made those less stiff options not doable. Finally found some Asolo Flame on STP that I think are going to work great.

Good luck

 

[Clovis]

I have had good luck with stout trail runners (Inov-8 Roclite 315s) and prefer them to boots for the conditions you describe. No issues, even with a heavy pack, and I plan to wear the same kind of trail runner this season. My feet get wet sometimes, but then they dry out. People feel differently about this I know, but I haven't found wet feet to be a big deal in practice. I always keep a dry pair of socks to sleep in and air my dogs out when I get the chance, and other than that sometimes they are wet and sometimes dry.

 

[CJF]

I like them old Larry Jones videos when he’s hiking up the mountains with some high top Nikes....but I could never do it!

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm not a fan of heavy boots/shoes. If I could get some basketball shoes with a good tread I would wear those all the time....needless to say I tend to wear lightweight shoes.

Esse quam videri

 

[quent]

I've been a heavy boot guy my whole life but we're going to Disney world this month and everytime we go my feet ache and hurt at the end of the day so I decided to look at light hiking/walking boot/shoes and got some merrell chameleon 7s. They're mainly neoprene with mesh and nubuck but surprisingly supportive. Might take them for archery when stalking. They aren't waterproof but I cant imagen them staying wet for long especially if you change out your socks

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[dado5]

Disney is a whole different animal in itself!! My feet are way worse off after 3days of Disney "hiking" than 3 days of Rocky mountain hiking even with a pack! Something about all the concrete and pavement.

 

[BigCountry344]

I was just thinking about this the other day, I think I’m going to give the danners a break and get a pair of inov with gaiters to try out at least for summer season.

 

[quent]

Disney is a whole different animal in itself!! My feet are way worse off after 3days of Disney "hiking" than 3 days of Rocky mountain hiking even with a pack! Something about all the concrete and pavement.

Haha definitely. My work boots do fine on concrete all day. I'd wear those there if I could. But it's a no go so we'll see how these merrells work. First pair I've had so I'll be judging hard haha.

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[Wrench]

I have several pairs of stiff boots. I recently tried danner mountain light 2's. I'm not sure if I'll wear bpots again unless it snows.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The old backpacking adage is a pound on your feet is like 5 in your pack or something. Point being is that heavy footgear contributes to fatigue fast. Using light footgear (and other light gear) is in vogue in the backpacking world now and fastpacking with sneakers is the ultimate manifestation of that trend. However, that is the same crowd that is spending gobs of $ to get their backpacking loads well down below #20 for multiday hikes.

While it is definitely appealing, the odds are your kit going in is going to be heavier than a light backpacking load due to items like optics etc, bullets, etc. let’s say 30-40 lbs vs 20-25 lbs for a backpacker. if you get lucky then you will be packing out meat and your load could go much, much higher. Stiff soles, ankle support and overall boot stiffness really payoff with heavier loads.

Light shoes certainly can be done. I have seen Nepalese sherpas haul god awful loads up mountains in dime store flip flops. However, If you go with lighter footgear, make sure you train it on rough terrain with realistic loading. You need to strengthen your feet and ankles to account for the lower level of support - both for your comfort but also for injury protection.

 

[FlyGuy]

I’ve made the switch. Kenetrek ME down to scarpa zodiac down and finally to Salomon Speedcross 4 GTX (GTX = Goretex). My feet were in bad shape last year after almost two full weeks of moose/elk hunting in Idaho. I finally wore my trailrunning shoes on the last day of the hunt and was immediately like “why didn’t I switch to these sooner!”

The much lighter weight made such a difference in my leg fatigue. And without the hard sole my feet are able to actually move naturally, so I didn’t get blisters like I do in boots, and my footsteps are tremendously quieter.

Since then I’ve all my hunts in (waterproof) low-top trailrunners, however the longest outing has been 2 x 4 day trips. I will be using them again in September for a 15 day backpacking elk hunt in the Gila wilderness. I did a very quick scouting run out there last week. On the last day I put in 13.5 miles with an extremely heavy pack (full camp, Turkey decoys, shotgun & elk sheds). The only thing on my body that didn’t hurt after that hike was my feet.




You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[NorthIDHunter]

Does anyone have any experience with these. I really like the idea of a high top light weight gore-Tex boot/shoe
https://www.inov-8.com/us/roclite-345-trail-running-boots-black-yellow-mens#reviews-detail

 

[RCL]

Inov 8 makes fine trail runners. I have used them for trail races for a lot of years.
Never had any with the Gore-Tex liner.
Lots of different models for different conditions.

 

[Wrench]

One of the nice things is stalking ability. In stiff soled shoes I sound like a horse.

I wore a pair of Dwight Schuh converse all star type shoes on a wilderness hunt many years ago. I took off sliding down a frosted bear grass hill and eventually ripped the sole off one of my boots. I was severely harsh miles from my rig. I luckily had some duct tape with me that I was able to bandaid it together enough to get out....but it sucked.

I now have minimum standards for for wear.

 

[NorthIDHunter]

One of the nice things is stalking ability. In stiff soled shoes I sound like a horse.

I wore a pair of Dwight Schuh converse all star type shoes on a wilderness hunt many years ago. I took off sliding down a frosted bear grass hill and eventually ripped the sole off one of my boots. I was severely harsh miles from my rig. I luckily had some duct tape with me that I was able to bandaid it together enough to get out....but it sucked.

I now have minimum standards for for wear.

Oh man that would be crazy. Its hard for me to wrap my head around hunting in anything but either full leather or hunting specific boots. But would like to try something more light weight, may go more of a lighter hiking/backpacking style boot and not a trail runner.

 

[Wrench]

I was solo in the north cascades and sneaking a bear when it happened. I threw my bow once velocity started going up. I'd be world famous on YouTube if it was on film. I had to wait for the sun to melt the frost to hike back up to my gear.

Try throwing your new $800 bow when yu make $8.00 an hour!

 

[RnnHntr]

I am a long time ultra runner and have literally put thousands of mile on trail running shoes. That said, I prefer a purpose-built boot for hunting. I am typically only carrying 5 or so pounds running, 10 to 12 if I am doing a long (15+ miles) unaided run. With a bow or rifle, my hunting kit starts at around 18 to 20 pounds, and goes up from there. The trail running shoes do not give me the support once the loads start to increase. At the light end, I have a pair of Russel PH Safari boots that are good early season boots for flatter dry country. I prefer a backpacking boot/mountaineering boot as loads get heavier and terrain steeper. My latest is a pair of the Lowe Tibet GTX. I just got the boots, so will will be interested to see how they work out. They are replacing an old pair of Danners.

 

[*zap*]

I love my Merrill trail gloves but would never use them for hiking with a pack if I had a choice. Just got a pair of Belleville c793 8" high boots today, they are fairly light and gortex. Think they will be an awesome hiking/hunting boot for me.