Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Best, light-weight hiker?

Anyone?

One that fits your feet, not all of the ‘Best’ ones will. I like the Lowa Renegade ordered in narrow.

Yup..go to a store and try on a dozen pairs and buy the one that fits best.

I wear Salomon X Ultra 3 Mid GTX, they are available in Wide.

Renegade's are my favorite too. Virtually no break-in required.

I’ll add to the solid advice that others have shared above.

Softer composition, use with less weight (almost suitable for every day wear): Solomon 3d, Solomon x ultra, Scarpa ZG lite, Scarpa Mojito Hike GTX, Peter Limmer

Medium stiffness & medium carried weight: Lowa Renegade, La Sportiva Nucleo, Scarpa Hydrogen, Peter Limmer

Stiffer & more suppprt to carry more weight: Kennetrek Hardscrabble, Asolo Fugitive or Neutron, Scarpa Zodiac, Lowa Denali

I didn’t include any mountaineering type boots - I think most if the above could be different levels of dayhiker.

Also check out Zamberlan, Miendl, Hanwag & Garmont

Myself, for your described needs I really like Solomons & Lowas but like others mention - let your foot decide.

Good luck!

Merrells that fit are better than Lowas or Zamberlans that don’t. Fit is king.

Cabela's Rimrock hiker's have been my choice for several years. Decided to try something lighter and after trying the Merrell Moab 2 on in the store, great fit, but did not transfer to the field. Went back to the Rimrock's.

I tried a pair of these for light hiking and training hikes after reading about them on here. They got turned into work boots immediately. Way to light duty for any sort of weight on the back with rocks, etc. which I have in spades. They are about done as a light work boot after less than a year too. Their eyelet positioning is very annoying too...

Depends on your hiking conditions. Most of the time I go with Merrell MOAB low top Ventilators. I rely on ankle strength rather than ankle support. When I quit wearing high top boots I also quit twisting my ankles. My experiences showed that existence of support lead to dependency on that support. I switch to the waterproof version of the same shoes if it is wet. I have a couple pairs of medium height Merrell (MOAB and Phaserbound) which I will use if I'm expecting to be walking in water, not just wet grass/brush. Also in snow. My one exception to the ankle support "rule" is snowshoes ... I don't spend enough time on them to build up the necessary strength to avoid ankle twists.

I often carry an old pair of Merrell Trail Glove zero-rise running shoes as camp shoes when backpacking. They are real light. Dry out fast if I decide to go wading in them .. fishing, for instance. And unlike sandals, if I were to somehow damage my regular hiking shoes, I could hike out with them. Not much protection from rock bruises so it takes more care, but it can be done.

My all time favorite light hikers were Merrell "Overdrive" shoes. Long discontinued. They're sort of a blend between the MOAB and Trail Glove yet different than both. For me, with my weight, they were pretty hard-bottomed on flat surfaces but when I'd start scrambling over rock piles, jumping and landing, etc, the sole would "give" enough to absorb the shock. I wish Merrell would bring them back.

The one downside that I notice with low tops is gravel/scree sidehills and low brush sometimes wanting to fill my shoes with rocks or sticks. I use gaiters as needed to avoid or at least minimize that.

Tom

I haven't worn anything heavier than a trail runner/ approach shoe in years unless carrying a heavy pack offtrail. I hike and hunt in trail runners unless there is snow on the ground. Modern footware is miraculous and the choices are staggering. I have been wearing Altra Lone Peaks for the last few years and have never had a blister or a bruise on my feet while hunting Antelope, mule deer, coyotes and wolves in 6 states.


mike r

altra lone peak with the sneaker gaiters. Not great on wet muddy, rocky steeper terrain surfaces or in heavy rain otherwise very comfortable or

Merrill moabs. II ve packed with lighter packs on hiking trails. I would not wear a heavy pack off trail with them. I like early season archery while hunting , quite cool and light

nm

I hike in trail runners (La Sportiva Akasha's) year round, BUT when I'm hunting I use boots. I've tried some lighter "boots" and while decently comfy on a lot of terrain, when getting into more challenging terrain- rock, steep sidehilling, etc they simply fall short.

Get a load of meat on your back, they really fall short.

I agree on the X Ultras. Too soft for anything serious. And they start falling apart awfully quick. But, they are so comfortable that I ordered another pair after wearing out the first. The replacements (X Ultra Pioneer Mid) only have a single speed hook and are less annoying to lace. Soles feel even softer, so hopefully I get a year out of them.

The LGBPTQ members Strider 1 call it Cinnamon Fairy Toes aka Twinkle Toes.



Lol!
V

Depends on what you mean by "light hiker". If light hiker means small/day pack, then about anything works that fit your feet well. If by light hiker, you mean heavier daypack, backpack, lots of rocks, then different shoe. Alot of people have gone to shoes for all of the above. I'm kind of in that boat. I wear Salomon X Ultra for everything but do have the mid height shoe. Last weekend did a quick overnight in the Smokys with a 40 lb pack ( had fishing stuff and some of the wifes things). I've worn the low top version but discovered recently I need a EE in Salomon. The weekend before we did a shade over 20 miles in a single day with 3200 ft of vertical. No foot issues of any kind on either trip with the X Ultra. Im on my 2nd or 3rd pair. I've also worn my Brooks Cascadia trail running shoes for day hikes. Have done up to 15 miles in a day with them. Zero foot issues.

In summary, it depends on your feet, ankle strength, and terrain. I spend alot of time walking around barefoot. My feet are physically tougher, both skin and soft tissues in the foot from doing it. As a result, I can get away with shoes in most hiking/backpacking situations. If I was off trail in steep, nasty terrain (i.e. rocky, gnarly) I'd move to a short boot. We have alot of rock in the Smokys but nothing like I've been in out west, especially the Winds a couple years back.

Regardless of what you buy, try them on, make sure they fit with the sock system you plan to use. If your choice doesn't work, eBay will yield some return on your investment. In fact I've bought used shoes/boots that were in good condition from ebay when I wanted to try something. In fact bought a pair of Keen Targhee II a couple weeks back. They fit my feet well. I don't plan to hike much in them but do intend to wear them around on crappy days. My normal X Ultra have seen way better days and wanted to try something different.