Trail runners, lightweight shoes, barefoot shoes, sandals, hiking boots, waterproof socks and even literal barefoot hiking are all topics of hot debate in the backpacking world. Questions of durability, safety and physiological benefits and risks accompany the question of: what kind of footwear should one wear backpacking?
For this article, I decided to go to an expert on biomechanics and ask burning questions. I interviewed a physiotherapist. The expert opinions, in combination with my over a decade of passionate backpacking and personal experience dealing with foot injuries, I want to provide a high-level review of backpacking footwear to help hikers find the shoe that’s right for them. For the purposes of this article we are not reviewing any specific shoe or boot and will refer to two general categories of footwear:
- Lightweight shoes, and
- Full support boots.
Differences: Shoes vs. Boots
On that general note these are the basic pros and cons of both lightweight shoes and full support boots.
Lightweight shoes: advantages
- Lighter and allow the user to burn less energy with each step
- Usually cheaper than a full support boot
- More agile than a full support boot
Lightweight shoes: disadvantages
- Less support in the ankle and instep than full support boots
- Usually less durable than full support boots
- More frequently replaced than full support boots
- Lightweight shoe manufacturers frequently change styles and features (pro or con depending on what they change)
Full support boots: advantages
- More support than a lightweight shoe
- More durable than a lightweight shoe
- Less frequently replaced than a lightweight shoe
- Boot styles remain in manufacturing for longer periods than shoes
Full support boots: disadvantages
- Heavier than a lightweight shoe
- More expensive than a lightweight shoe
- Clumsier than a lightweight shoe
Interview with a Physiotherapist
Elizabeth Koleyak (Liz) swept into the coffee shop looking stylish in her jacket and brightly colored striped scarf. Her dark curly pixieish hair perfectly frames her big brown eyes and sparkling grin. She is confident and instantly likeable. I wave and she joins me at the table. Faint freckles and her natural athletic grace give her an air of a sun goddess.
What none of that information tells you is, Liz is brilliantly intelligent, pure athlete and a physiotherapist. Liz is a dancer, an ultra-marathoner and a hiker. She used to teach wrestling and still coaches various athletic events. She recently volunteered as a physiotherapist for the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
I asked Liz for an interview because asking her questions about how the body works and how to treat injuries might be one of my favorite personal science projects. I am ardently curious when I talk to any health care professional; partly because I have had many injuries and partly because they have great ideas and help me see the human body in a holistic way. My long term, informal research indicated physiotherapists see the human body as an interconnected ‘system’. You cannot change one mechanism in the human system without having a ripple effect in the rest of the system. Footwear and foot mechanics are no exception.
Questions and Answers
What are the most common athletic foot injuries you treat?
- Ankle sprains – typical sprains and high ankle sprains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles’ tendon
What are the most common long term use foot injuries do you treat in athletes like backpackers?
- Calf strains
- Achilles’ tendon
- Tibialis posterior
- Plantar Fasciitis
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to: Interview with a Physio Therapist: A Biophysical Perspective on Backpacking Footwear
My interview with a physio-therapist, as well as my personal history with foot injuries, is making me think more carefully about backpacking footwear.
The backstory –
“My reasoning on my footwear is pretty simple, I have nerve damage and without a full support boot I lose the ability to hike long distances due to nerve pain.”
I was born with a club foot and corrective surgery played havoc with my foot anatomy. “Normal” footwear doesn’t work for me either. I would guess there are lots of folks whose feet aren’t anatomically optimal and that require something other than ultra light footwear.
Refreshing to see sensible and balanced advice on footwear. Far too many people seem to become partisan on one side or the other of the lightweight/full-support debate.
It clearly depends on you (your injuries, weight, level of transitioning, financial priorities etc), and on the project (the terrain, temperature and distance). In the end it’s a personal choice.
If you have the opportunity, please do a follow-up and ask Liz for her advice on ankle stability training and foot-strength training. These are fast developing fields and it would be interesting to hear her informed views.
Thanks all, after years of personal experiments I thought it was time to do some research and get better answers than one size fits all shoe 😉.
According to my mom, I was born “knock-kneed and bow legged,” required hip-to-toe casts as an infant, developed flat feet in grade school, chondromalacia patella in my 20s, plantar fascitis in my 30s, and still walk/waddle like a duck. I’ve worn various kinds of orthotics since childhood and hiked in everything from zoris to monstrous leather waffle-stompers.
Now my feet and legs are the least of my problems for hiking up to 25 mile days while carrying a pack weighing up to 35 pounds.
Basic advice: keep trying different footwear, socks, supports, trekking poles, exercises, hiking techniques — and “experts” — until you find a combination that works for you. Don’t give up and accept pain, blisters, or other limits.
And expect your feet to change.
— Rex
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