Shoes

The Gear Shed
1

Hello group. Multi day hiking in the berg. Trail runners with trekking poles or hiking boots?

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Hiking poles - always!
I’ll opt for sturdy hiking boots - depending on backpack weight and terrain (I normally carry a heavy backpack). I mostly use trail runners for day and weekend hikes.

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3

Whichever works best for you :slight_smile:

Trail running shoes are lighter, dries out faster and breathes better.
Hiking boots offers more protection (ankles from rolling, toes from kicking rocks, protection against snake bites) and offers a solid base for your feet which makes hiking in uneven terrain easier.

Both have their pros and cons, you need to decide what works best for you. A heavy pack with sneakers will be murder on your feet, but walking on a dirt road (like towards the Mnweni Cultural Centre) in sturdy hiking boots is not fun either.

Hiking poles works super well, for me the question is not wether to take it or not, but how many. There are many benefits of hiking poles, here’s a few:

  1. It helps with balance. Crossing a slippery, rocky riverbed is so much easier with a hiking pole
  2. They can assist in getting you up a pass. Saves your legs a bit
  3. They save your knees on steep descents
  4. You can remove “trip grass” from the footpaths so you don’t trip over it
  5. You can move snakes off the trail without fear of being bitten.
  6. I haven’t tried this out myself (nor do I know anyone who has), but they make a formidable weapon. You can poke an attacker in the eye or right through his stomack with a hiking pole.
  7. They make great improvised washing lines - have used them this way in caves before.
  8. Some tents use them as tent poles, so you can save weight.
  9. Etc. etc. etc.
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4

I bought a pair of La Sportiva Trango Treks. They hurt me so badly I decided to change to Hoka trail runners. Never had a problem on the PCT but the berg is a different story with less trail! Just wanted to know if there is a trend with the type of shoe use in the berg?

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I have trail runners Altra lone peak 4 which i will use when i know if i am going to be walking on a defined path such as you find on the PCT and Appalachian trail. When i know i will be going mostly off path then there is no debate i put on my Solomon 3D GTX simply because you need the ankle support when walking over tufts of grass and uneven rock.

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6

Thanks for reply. Do your Salomons keep dry? Or like my trango treks and previous Salomons get completly soaked with in 20 minutes and then stay wet for days! Looking for a solution.