MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR
I hike in lightweight trail running shoes in all seasons:
Lightweight trail shoes maximize comfort, minimize injury, and minimize energy expenditure? Is this a little misguided?
It comes from this ism: That a pound on your feet results in the expenditure of energy equivalent to five pounds on your back.
Barefoot? I like walking barefoot in my neighbor’s flat, grassy backyard, assuming they aren’t dog owners. Grounding in cool grass feels pretty nice, especially on a hot summer day.
I dislike walking barefoot just about any other time.
If you are hellbent on gluing yourself to ideologies and conspiracy theories, then you’ll happily hike barefoot, and you’ll probably fib about how awesome the experience was for you when you actually try to hike many miles, on or off a real trail, several hours a day, several days in a row.
There are so many reasons why barefoot hiking doesn’t apply to most of us:
a. We’re not acclimated to it on a daily basis and the musculature of our feet, shins, calves, knees, hip flexors, back – they just aren’t adapted to the variances of uneven ground surfaces.
b. We hike in rugged terrain with stones and roots
c. Our mostly indoor culture has trained us to be rather clumsy – and if we try the barefoot practice, we’ll likely end up bruised and bloody.
Hiking Shoes
I’m a fan of adding weight to your feet. How much weight should I add to my feet?
It’s a balancing act, and there’s no right answer.
Sole:
Heavier soles are more durable and often offer better traction on wet rock or soft terrain like snow, mud, or tundra.
Lighter soles are softer and grip better on dry trails. The less-aggressive lugs on lighter soles are usually better for slickrock and talus.
Midsole:
Less cushion gives you a more responsive feel and a thinner “stack height” (the distance between the bottom of your foot and the ground surface). A more responsive feel is better when you need to carefully place your feet. Climbers like a responsive feel.
Stack Height: A thinner stack height gives you more stability on uneven terrain. Off-trail bushwhackers and scramblers like a thinner stack height.
However, a thicker stack height – which generally translates to more cushion, is better for trail hiking or carrying a heavier pack. It’s more comfortable.
Heel Drop:
This is the distance between the bottom of your heel and the bottom of the ball of your foot. Traditional boots and running shoes have heel drops of 12 to 25 mm. So-called “low-drop” shoes range from 2 to 6 mm. There’re even zero-drop shoes now.
Lower may be better for you biomechanically because it transfers some strain from your feet and ankles to your shins and calves.
Higher may be better if your musculature isn’t yet well-adapted to low- or zero-drop footwear.
Last Shape:
Lasts (the “footprint” of the shoe) that match the shape of the human foot (narrow heel, wide toe box) are all the rage. The theory is this: let your feet (toes and arch) splay out naturally as you walk and you’ll distribute the load (your body + pack weight) better.
Wider toe boxes are generally more comfortable for long-distance walking.
Narrower toe boxes are generally more comfortable when the terrain becomes steeper, or more technical – because your foot doesn’t slide around so much inside the shoe.
Longitudinal Stability:
This is the resistance of the shoe to bending along its length. Minimalist footwear tends to be floppy. Some shoes you can even roll up into a ball. This is how you know they don’t have much longitudinal stability.
Less longitudinal stability (stiffness) allows your feet to roll naturally through the entire walking gait.
More stiffness = less arch fatigue, which may be better for those of us not used to walking long distances every day, or for carrying heavier pack weights.
Winter hiking in high-stack trail shoes with ultralight traction spikes in Rocky Mountain National Park.