This section is about the gear you’ll need to hike during the day. Many of these will cross over with day hiking so if you plan to do some of that, then you can use this stuff for both. Day hiking with a heavier pack is a great place to start training for a multi-day hike.

• Backpack
• Hiking Boots
• Water Bottle
• Water Bladder
• Camp shoes
• Gaiters
• Map
• Compass
• GPS and Phone Apps
• First Aid Kit
• Trekking Poles
• Headlamp
• Watch
• Pack Cover

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Hiking Gear first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Every time we head out for a hike (even just for a few hours) we need to do a few things first.

Make a plan

Asking a few questions every time you go hiking can help prevent problems before they even start. 

• What’s the weather and temperature going to be?
• Is there cell reception on the trail?
• Is this going to be an easy, medium, or hard hike for you?
• Who else are you going with? Will this be an easy, medium or hard hike for them?

Knowing the answers to these questions and packing accordingly will lead to a safer hike.

Leave a hiking plan

If something goes wrong on your hike, someone else should know where you are and what you’re planning to do. If you don’t finish your hike at the proposed time they can contact Search and Rescue to hopefully come find you. If you’re just going to be late and have cell reception or a satellite messenger then you’ll be able to contact your emergency contacts and let them know you are fine and will be late.

Try to hike with others

There’s no rule that says you have to hike with others but if you get injured or lost, having others around can help. If you’re alone, plan accordingly. There’s no one to help you get out of a bad situation.

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Hiking Safety first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Why do you need camp shoes? 

Camp shoes are lightweight shoes like Crocs or flipflops that you can wear around camp. Taking off hot, heavy hiking boots at camp and putting on fresh socks feels amazing and lets your feet air out and recover. The longer my hiking days, the more I want to take my boots off at the end of the day.

Camp shoes should be lightweight and comfortable, almost like slippers you can wear around camp. 

They aren’t required for backpacking. If you’re spending lots of time in camp, it’s nice to have a break for your feet. But if you need to save some weight, skip these and just wear your boots around camp. I highly recommend giving your feet a break at camp though. It’s one of the tips in our Guide to Preventing Blisters.

Can you wear them with socks?

Flip flops don’t work well with socks if it’s cooler. Most crocs or water shoes can be worn with socks to keep your feet warm. 

Go lightweight

Go as light as you can with camp shoes. Just being in your pack, they will just be more weight to carry. 

Keep an eye on the weather

If the weather is going to be hot and dry, something open like flip flops might be appropriate. If the weather is going to be wet and cooler, something covered and water resistant might be better.

Can you wear them for water crossings?

If there are water crossings on your trip, you might choose to wear your camp shoes to do that. Make sure you can dry them out before you get back to camp.

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Camp Shoes first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Why do you need a GPS or a GPS phone app? 

Some trails are marked clearly with signs and trail markers but many are not. GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a system of satellites that connects to your phone or handheld unit and tells you exactly where you are on the planet. 

GPS can be dedicated units like a Garmin 66s or just an app on your phone that talks to the GPS satellites. One thing to keep in mind is that running a GPS app on your phone will drain the battery faster. Make sure you know how long your phone battery lasts and take an extra battery to charge. Don’t kill your phone battery with a GPS app if you need it for emergency communication.

Most GPS units and apps can load track files, or breadcrumbs, that show you exactly where a trail is. Many websites have tracks available that you can follow. These are a great way to see exactly where you are trying to go and how to get there. Don’t forget you also need to get back to the car once you’ve made your destination.

GPS or phone app?

Dedicated GPS units will be a little heavier to carry but you’ll still have a phone as backup if your GPS battery dies or breaks. A phone will be lighter to carry and do many other things for you. I prefer to carry both, having the phone for backup and not running the battery low in case of emergencies.

Does it come with maps?

Some GPS and apps are loaded with maps right from the get go. Some require you purchase topo maps or premium versions of the apps to actually get the maps you need. Check for your area and the type of maps before buying.

Are the features you want, like offline mode, in a premium version?

GPS and apps almost always have different versions that come with different features. A GPS unit might only come with maps preloaded in certain versions. Some apps only have offline mode in the premium versions. Check before heading out into the woods. 

Carry enough batteries for the GPS or app to last

Activating the GPS and having the screen on with phones takes extra battery power. Practice on smaller trails so you know how long your phone or GPS lasts while using the maps. Always carry a backup battery and cable to charge your phone if you run out of juice and really need to use it.

Test out your GPS and phone and figure out how to make the battery last the longest 

GPS have certain options that drain the battery faster. Having the screen on will drain the battery longer or saving tracking points more often. Disable or change these power-hungry features and your battery will last longer.

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: GPS and Phone Apps first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Why do you need a First Aid Kit? 

When you’re out hiking, you might be hours away from help. You are your own first aid when you’re in the backcountry.

Small cuts and sprains are going to be the most common thing you encounter on the trail but you’ll want to be prepared for common ailments like headaches, upset stomachs, allergies and sore muscles.

Get a pre-made kit to start

Pre-made first aid kits for outdoors and hiking have a lot of the common things ready to go. There are also good lists online of ingredients you could use to make your own or add to a small store-bought kit. Adventure Medical Kits has a bunch of different sized kits.

Make sure you buy or include drugs YOU might need

I always make sure I have bandages, Benedryl, Gravol, TUMS, and Advil as those are the things I’ve used most on past trips. I also carry an Epi-pen for wasp stings. Other things like anti-diarrhea drugs are helpful if something gets into your water. 

Keep everything dry

Make sure your kit is in a waterproof bag. Some of the items may get ruined if they get wet.

Know what’s in your kit and how to use it

Go through the kit you make or buy to know what’s there. Find out how to use each piece. Even watching videos online can show you the basics and may help one day. Check nothing is expired at the beginning of every season. We highly recommend taking an adventure first aid course one day for some good practice.

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: First Aid Kit first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Why do you need a coffee maker?

I don’t go far without my Aeropress coffee maker but it’s big to bring on the trail. I like the Starbucks instant coffee packets the best. Easy and fast to make without much hassle. A bit of coffee whitener or powdered milk that is shelf-safe for a week and the day can begin. If you don’t drink coffee, completely ignore this section!

Bring what you like

There are so many coffee makers on the market, it’s easy to find one you like. Practice at home and get used to using it. There can be some early mornings on the trail!

Some folks carry an Aeropress, drip cup and filters, basket filters or just instant. Whatever it is you like, there’s probably a lightweight version for the trail.

The post Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Coffee Maker first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Camp and hut shoes aren’t absolutely necessary but it’s so nice to give your feet a break. Camp slippers and down booties are a great option when you’re in the hut or there’s smoother ground around your tent.

The Camp Slippers from EXPED are thin, lightweight, insulated slippers that are great for around camp and huts. There are some cases when the soles need to be thicker but for many cases, having insulated slippers is just glorious on sore, tired feet.

First the quick pros and cons.

About the EXPED Camp Slippers

Ok. let’s get into the details on these Camp Slippers.

They have 50 denier a recycled polyester shell with 100% recycled synthetic insulation. They don’t have a down bootie level of insulation inside but they’re warm on cool nights.

The 4mm 420 denier sole is very water resistant. It’s thin enough to roll up for packing but protects your feet from wet ground. It’s not shoe-thickness so you can feel rocks through them but walking on grass, smooth ground, leaves, tent pads and huts is plenty comfortable.

Specs

• 4.8 ounces for medium
• 100% recycled synthetic insulation
• 50D recycled polyester shell
• 4mm 420D recycled TPU soles
• Gear loop
• $59.95 USD

Fit

I have a Large for my size 10 foot and it fits very large. I’d size down for a better fit and it looks like a few others on the product page have found that too.

What do you think?

What’s your perfect camp shoe?

Do you wear camp slippers, booties or a lightweight pair of shoes?

The post EXPED Camp Slippers Review: Lightweight and Comfy first appeared on Pack & Trail.

We recently looked at a Bowflex treadmill as a way to get some kilometres in when you’re stuck inside in the winter, too busy or coming back from an injury.

Cardio is great and required for most sports but it’s not the whole meal deal. Training for anything will see more benefits when there’s strength training in the mix too. For that we need weights. But they can be expensive. And take up a lot of space.

The Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells are adjustable so only take the space of 2 large dumbbells but have all the different weights of 15 sets.

This post is a review of the SelectTech 552 dumbbells.

The 552’s can adjust from 5 to 52.5 pounds. The weights adjust 2.5 pounds up to 25 pounds and then every 5 pounds after that. The small form factor replaces 15 different sets of weights in just 2 dumbbells. The optional rack takes up a bit of space but makes them way more convenient to use.

Let’s get into the review of these dumbbells and see what makes these such a good buy for home gyms (and your body).

Specs

• Adjustable 5 – 52.5 pounds
• 2.5 pound increments up to 25 pounds
• 5 pound increments up to 50
• 1 year JRNY app included, but not required
• 43 x 21.2 x 22.8 cm (16.9” L x 8.3” W x 9” H)
• Made of steel, nylon, ABS, thermoplastic, and rubber.
• $549 CAD for the weights
• $229 CAD for the rack

Efficient Use of Time and Money

The 552 dumbbells are good bang for your buck. $549 buys you 15 pairs of dumbbells. They take up a lot less room than 15 sets of dumbbells.

I added up getting a set of Amazon Basics Dumbbells, and it would be over $750 CAD for just 8 pairs, from 10 pounds to 45 pounds. Reviews say they stink like rubber for a while too. But that’s only 8 pairs.

The Better Body Dumbbell set is closer with a range of 5 to 50 pounds. S you get 10 pairs of weights and rack. That set is currently $1559 CAD. More expensive.

There’s also the Synergee Fitness Dumbbell set, again with 5 to 50 pound weights. So that’s 10 pairs and rack for $1,999.95 CAD. Way more expensive.

So far, with these weight sets, it’ll be cheaper to get 2 adjustable dumbbells than trying to find a set of 15 different pairs.

There is one downside to only having 2 dumbbells instead of 15 different sets. If you work out with multiple people, you’ll have to share the 552s. I’m usually the only one using them at my house so it’s not a problem and saves a ton of space.

Frame and Build

The bars and plates themselves feel solid. I’ve been using them for a few months now with no issues. The hand part of the handle is rubberized which makes it easier to hold.

The plate holders on each end are very thick plastic. They slide into the weights easily. My only concern would be dropping the weights might break these plastic ends that hold the weights. I don’t drop mine but I can’t say I’ve been careful with them and it’s been fine.

Whether the weights are full at 52.5 pounds or just have 5 pounds on them, they feel balanced and good to hold. At 5, 7.5 and 10 pounds there aren’t many plates on the handles so they’re bigger than a regular dumbbell.

I don’t find the longer handle an issue with any workouts. Larger weights will be larger and longer anyways.

Changing weights

The best part of the 552 dumbbells is changing weights. It’s easy and feels good to click through the weight ranges. The click is very satisfying. A large dial on each end spins to select the weight you want. Each end has a dial for that side of the handle.

At the lighter end of the weight the increment of the dial is 2.5 pounds. So the difference between weights from 5 to 25 pounds is 2.5 pounds. After 25 pounds the increment is 5 pounds. The one last increment is 2.5 from 50 up to 52.5.

One small item that I’d prefer to see changed, is the dials moving in the same direction on either end. In my brain 1 moving clockwise and the other moving counter-clockwise would make them spin both towards me or both away and easier to set weight. It doesn’t take long to get used to them both spinning the same direction.

Most of the time I’ve been using the dumbbells with the same weight on either end but you don’t have to. Bowflex calls it Offset Weight Selection when you pick different weights for each end. One end could be set at 20 pounds, the other 30. This means you have 25 pounds on the handle. They balance differently when you do this which is good for some exercises.

JNRY and SelectTech Apps

JRNY have 2 apps right now on iOS with weight workouts: SelectTech and JRNY.

The SelectTech app was a specific app just for the 3 adjustable weights they have. It had a list of 6 45 minute workouts, each with 5 or 6 exercises in it, mostly using the adjustable weights. It’s free until it’s retired.

Bowflex will be retiring the SelectTech app some time in 2022. All of the workouts have been moved to JRNY along with many other workouts and exercises.

JRNY is the main app from Bowflex for all machines and weights going forward. The Video section for Whole Body is free. If you want to track workouts on their JRNY treadmills and bikes as well, it costs $29/month.

In the JRNY app, there a Just for you and Videos section that work with the weights. Just for your recommends length and types of videos that you might like once it learns what you do.

The Videos section is a huge, filterable, list of different length and type of workouts. It’s got yoga, HIIT, cardio, strength, pilates, mobile and stretching videos anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes long.

There are hundreds of videos in the app already. When filtered to just strength videos 341 show up at the moment.

For more details and screenshots, see our full review on the JRNY app.

Micro-workouts

Fitness trainer Tom Holland works with Bowflex and has put out his own book The Micro-Workout Plan. The point of the book and the workouts is that you can do workouts in 5 minutes or less and still get results over time. Some of the workouts use the adjustable 560 weights (since discontinued and replaced with the 552s).

I’ve been doing these workouts over the last few months. They’re so easy and quick to get a workout in before work, at lunch or right when I get home. It’s far easier to get a workout in when they’re 5 minutes instead of an hour.

I like the combination of short micro-workouts and small 552 weights fitting anywhere in the house and the day.

SelectTech Dumbbell Stand

The SelectTech weights come with their own cradles. They hold all the plates when you have all the handles out. The cradles can easily sit on the floor but it’s nicer to have a rack.

The SelectTech Dumbell Stand holds the weights up off the ground so they’re easier to grab.

For looks, I had hoped the 552s bolted onto the rack but only the 560 weights do. Straps keep the cradles attached to the rack.

A small media stand on the back holds tablets nicely. It’s not that had to set up the tablet elsewhere but if you work out in front of the rack then it’s an easy spot to put your phone or tablet.

The rack was easy to put together and took less than an hour (dealing with many interruptions). The Bowflex manuals are very easy to read and use. I’ve used their manuals to put together the Bowflex Treadmill 22 and it was easy to follow.

The rack does make the whole setup larger. It’s 63.5 x 67 x 68.3 cm (25″ H x 26.4″ W x 26.9″ L) so it makes the tiny weights much larger. I prefer having it around so it’s easier to use the weights. When it’s easier to use the weights, I’ll work out more.

Conclusion

The SelectTech 552 dumbbells are a great buy if you are looking for 15 different sets of weights that won’t take up much space. They are cheaper than buying all the different weights and only take up the space of 2 large dumbbells.

If you have space, the rack makes grabbing the weights and watching your workout videos a little more convenient.

Pair up the 552s with the some micro-workouts and you have fast, compact workout solution for the off-season or coming back from injuries.

More Tasty Photos

Get in the Comments

Do you use dumbbells at home? Have you used adjustable dumbbells? Would you try them?

The post Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Swapping out the stock insoles for something better is an easy way to get a better fitting and more supportive shoe without buying another pair.

SOLE insoles have been in my hiking boots and ski boots for a long time. I never have any problems with fit in trail runners but as soon as I go to hiking boots and ski boots I always have to tweak the fit with a SOLE insole.

This review is on the Performance Medium from SOLE, a medium-volume, carbon negative (!) insole meant for trail runners and hiking boots.

First, here’s the basic specs and then we’ll dig into the details.

Specs

• SOLE Performance series
• Medium thickness
• Softec cushioning
• base made with ReCORK recycled wine corks
• Zero drop
• Polygiene technology
• 3.2 mm thick
• reduces planta fascia strain

The SOLE Performance Medium Insole

Performance is the product series and Medium is the thickness. Let’s start with the Medium thickness.

Each of the lines of insoles that SOLE has a thickness. If there isn’t much space in your shoes like a dress show or something that’s tight already, then you can go with the Thin insoles. If you have lots of room in your boot and need lots of cushioning, then get the Thick insoles.

The insoles are zero drop. Most of my shoes are not but I prefer as little drop as I can find. And they’ll maintain the zero drop of shoes that are already zero. Drop is the height different from the front to the back of the shoe. Most shoes have a few millimetres difference. Some coming out these days are low or zero drop meaning the heel and the toe are at the same height, just like standing in your bare feet on the ground.

The Polygiene stays fresh technology keeps the bacteria out that makes things stink. They stay decent-smelling longer. I’m not going to say they stay flowery fresh forever because, well, they’re in my wet trail shoes that don’t smell great at the best of times!

One of the best parts is the deep heel cup. They prevent your heel from sliding left and right. I find this more a problem in hiking boots on uneven terrain. And when your heel starts slipping, your friendly neighbourhood blisters start showing up.

Okay, time to look at molding these insoles, how good they feel and how they’re made with a bunch of recycled wine corks.

Molding SOLE insoles

There are 2 ways to mold the SOLE insoles to get a better fit.

The first is to heat them in the oven for 2 minutes at 200° F. This uses more energy but is faster to do.

The second is just to wear them. The pressure and heat from your feet will push them into a better position for your feet. This will be more eco-friendly as it doesn’t use a stove but it takes a few days.

Wearing them around feels a bit odd. I have relatively low arches and the support was pushing up hard to start. Good for higher arches! After a couple days it warmed up and packed down into the correct spot for my foot. If the arches are bit tall for your feet take it easy on the first couple times wearing.

Performance of the Performance

I love how the Performance insoles feel after they’re worn in. They have just enough arch support and keep your heel in place. For shoes that didn’t have enough padding, they provide more and help stave off those sore feet.

They didn’t work in some of my shoes where there wasn’t enough space. The Mediums are a medium thickness and took up too much space in my shoe. I would have to go with the Thin versions of the SOLEs for those shoes (which have a ReCORK version too).

Carbon Negative ReCORK Base

Clearly, you’d want an insole because your shoe isn’t comfortable or doesn’t fit properly. It has to work.

On top of making your shoes more comfortable, SOLE have created an insole that’s not just carbon neutral, but carbon negative, to produce.

The base of the Performance Medium footbeds is made of recycled wine corks. Through a program called ReCORK that SOLE started, they collect old wine corks, grind them up and create footbed bases that are shock-absorbing, durable, and antibacterial.

Why use cork?

Most shoes use some sort of foam to build up the base like EVA. This foam comes from, you guessed it, fossil fuels. More oil has to come out of the ground to make the foam in shoes.

Instead of those corks going into the garbage (they can be composted but I’m sure most aren’t) they can be recycled and sent to SOLE through the ReCORK recycling program.

So one source of the cork is saving used corks from hitting the landfill. Another is straight from cork trees.

ReCORK has collected more than 128,772,485 corks so far. They even have a search on their website to help you search for wine bottles that use real ‘cork’ cork.

Carbon Negative Cork

To calculate the carbon emissions of the entire life of a Performance Medium footbed, SOLE walks through every step from finding the raw materials to making the footbed (even cooking it in the oven to mold it) and calculates the carbon required.

To sort out how much carbon a Performance Medium takes to create, they work with a company that specializes in calculating carbon emissions. They found that getting the raw materials, making the product, transporting everything and disposing of it all takes 1.87 kg of of CO2 equivalent for each pair of footbed.

What’s different about the cork versions of these footbeds is that the small amount of cork included actually sequestered 4.15 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. So while it was growing, the cork tree sucked out an average of 55 times the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere that it stored in the tree and in the cork.

After the cork tree pulled 4.15 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere, SOLE put 1.87 kg back into the atmosphere making the footbed. But at the end of the day I got the footbeds after 2.28 kg of CO2 were pulled from the atmosphere. By using cork these footbeds aren’t just carbon neutral, but carbon negative.

Cork comes from bark of the cork oak tree. The cork can be harvested without cutting down the tree. It keeps on living after a bark harvest. In fact, it starts to pull more CO2 to grow back the cork that it lost. Cork trees can be ‘peeled’ every 9 to 12 years, and up to 15 times over the 200 year life of a cork tree.

Climate Neutral or Carbon Negative?

SOLE and ReCORK work with CO2 Negative, a company that provides carbon labelling and carbon negative certification. They walk through product life cycles (from getting the raw material to people buying, using and disposing of them) and measure how much carbon is produced at each step. They help companies put labels on each of their products showing how much CO2 equivalent the product produces so we can make better decisions when buying new products.

CO2 Negative is similar to the Climate Neutral Initiative. Climate Neutral is a few years old and so has more members. So far they have 264 members that go through the 3 steps. Every year, each company measures how much carbon the company produced in all of its operations. They then pay for carbon offsets to bring the company up to carbon neutral. Last is a plan for the next year to reduce carbon emissions to begin with. Once they’re certified they’re allowed to use the Climate Neutral tag on all their products.

Both initiatives put labels on product that let us consumers know what the company is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent climate change.

SOLE Active versus Performance

SOLE has a bunch of different kinds of insoles and footbeds. See here for a quick comparison.

Their biggest ranges are Active and Performance. Performance is the line in this review. Active is a very similar footbed but made with EVA foam instead from fossil fuel.

Within the Active and Performance lines, there’s different thicknesses: Thin, Medium and Thick. If you don’t have much room in your shoe then Thin probably works. If you have a lot of extra space to fill then go with Thick.

Two other options to pick from are Wide and Met Pad. Choices are a bit more limited when you start to go wide or include the Met Pad.

Wide is just wider than standard width. If you have a wider trail runner or boot, go with the Wide footbed to cover the whole area.

The Met Pad is for reducing strain on the ball of your foot. It lifts the ball of your foot slightly to line up better with your toes and should reduce pain there.

The insoles in this review are the Medium thickness in the Performance Series. SOLE says the Performance Collection is:

• Made with recycled cork
• Carbon negative
• Molds quicker to your feet through wear
• Cork is naturally shock absorbing, antimicrobial and insulating

The Active Collection is:

• Made with EVA foam
• Ultra durable – withstands prolonged high-intensity use
• Best for swapping between shoes

Conclusion

Lots of of people slide on a shoe or boot and go hiking and they have never have any issues with fit or blisters. I’m jealous of those people. I’ve spent years fiddling around with insoles, taping, socks and different boots to get a good fit.

Insoles are a cheaper way to get more support in a boot or take up extra space. SOLE have been making insoles for years and have types for all shoes. The Performance (with the cork base) and the Active (with the EVA foam base) have been my favourites.

The Performance Medium in this review is excellent for mid to low volume feet that require a bit of support. If you have flat feet, you probably don’t need these. By walking or heating for 2 minutes in the oven, they will form to your feet and you get custom orthotics for a fraction of the cost of real custom.

If you have had success with other SOLE insoles, you’ll like the Performance line too. Best part is they are carbon negative. The base is made with recycled wine corks saving them from the landfill. All SOLE insoles are getting a carbon label from now on, regardless if they’re carbon negative or positive.

The post Review: SOLE Performance Medium Carbon Negative Insoles first appeared on Pack & Trail.

If a boot has a waterproof membrane inside then it should be waterproof for a long time.

If a boot is some kind of leather without a waterproof membrane then it will very water resistant.

If a boot is just fabric or mesh, then it is not waterproof.

These same rules apply to hiking shoes and trail runners. They can have a waterproof membrane, be water-resistant leather or open fabric.

If waterproof boots and shoes keep all the rain and puddles out, why would you want mesh? There is a very good reason to have a non-waterproof shoe.

But first: does waterproofing actually last?

How do waterproof boots work?

To answer that let’s look at how waterproof boots work.

Waterproof boots start with the waterproof membrane. Gore-Tex, eVent, Merrell’s M-Select DRY and Oboz BDry are all different kinds of waterproof membrane. They’re soft, flexible materials that have gone through very high-tech and proprietary processes to let sweat through but keep water out.

This boot of waterproof material is made into a boot shape with a soft liner on the inside. The rest of the boot materials are added to the outside like the fabric or leather uppers, the laces and the sole.

A chemical Durable Water Repellency (DWR) is added to the outside which makes water bead. If water soaks into the outside of the boot then air can’t flow through it, preventing any sweat and moisture from breathing out through the waterproof membrane.

This DWR coating comes from the factory but eventually wears on. Nikwax and other companies have products to wash or spray the DWR layer back on. Waterproof jackets and pants work the same and also have a DWR coating.

Does waterproofing last forever?

Waterproof membranes don’t last forever.

Hiking boots get a lot of abuse. They hit the ground with every step hiking. They get dirty and wet a lot. They bend near the toes and other places.

Eventually dirt wears its way through the outer fabric and into the waterproof membrane. Dirt and sand act like sandpaper overtime when the boot moves. That’s why it’s important to clean your boots. You might not care there’s a bit of mud on there, but it might mean years of use on your boots.

Once dirt’s in the membrane, it can clog the little tiny holes called pours that let sweat breathe or can tear larger holes and let water in from the outside.

Waterproof vs breathable

Everyone has their own preference of waterproof versus breathable boots and shoes but the preference has slowly changed over time. If you saw someone hiking in wet conditions in trail runners in the 1980s, you might think they didn’t know what they were doing. Now if see someone hiking long distances or in somewhat wet conditions, they might be wearing lightweight breathable trail runners.

Non-waterproof shoes and boots are lighter, more comfortable to hike in and don’t cost as much. Waterproof versions of shoes and boots adds a couple ounces and $30 to $80.

Air easily flows in and out of non-waterproof shoes resulting in more comfortable and cooler feet. Even if they do get wet, they dry faster than waterproof versions.

Waterproof membranes aren’t perfect. The layer that keeps rain out can also traps moisture in. They work better in cold and mild temperatures to push moisture out. In warmer locations and weather, that moisture sits in your boots. Sweaty feet can lead to blisters.

We try to err on the side of lighter weight and more breathable for most hikes but that’s going to be very uncomfortable in some weather. Taller, waterproof boots are much more comfortable in cool wet and snowy conditions. The trade-off of less breathability likely will be more appreciated when your feet will be soaked the whole time.

River crossings

Trails with many river crossings are a bit of a special case for choosing footwear.

Will you be crossing in your waterproof hiking boots, non-waterproof shoes or other footwear you have for crossing like sandals or watershoes?

Waterproof boots are only waterproof up to the gusset in the tongue. The gusset is the fabric that connects to the tongue to the rest of the boot. If water gets up past that, it’s just going to pour in. Wet foot. Long dry times.

Non-waterproof shoes will dry faster if you just cruise right through the river. Your feet will certainly get wet but will dry faster than a waterproof boot.

Another option is bringing a small lightweight shoe for camp and water crossings like sandal or watershoe. Change into these shoes for crossing and then back into your dry hiking shoes after. A small towel or t-shirt works well for drying your feet off before donning hiking boots.

Do you need waterproof boots?

Smaller, non-waterproof shoes will be lighter on your feet and more breathable in warmer conditions.

That said, cold, wet and snowy conditions are much more comfortable in taller, waterproof boots.

So do you buy tall hiking boots or lightweight shoes?

Both.

If you can, a combination of lightweight shoes and waterproof boots will let you tackle any trail and any weather with the best tool for your feet.

If you can only afford one, then it will depend on what you like doing most.

Day hikes during warm weather? Get a lightweight shoe.

Long wet hikes? A waterproof hiking boot. Most brands have ‘Mid’ style hiking boots which are shorter but still waterproof. They’ll be smaller and lighter than the taller versions.

There’s always going to be a spectrum of what you can wear on a hike. Some people will tend to the taller boots, and some will tend to the smaller, lighter shoes.

At the end of the day it’s entirely up to you what you pick but this article hopefully gave you some information about all the options so you can test them out for yourself.

The post Wet Feet or Not: Are Hiking Boots Waterproof? first appeared on Pack & Trail.