How To Find Cheap Lightweight
Hiking Shoes
Back in the 1990s I switched from using
hiking boots to lightweight hiking shoes for backpacking and
hiking. This was a part of my move to "ultralight backpacking"
from more mainstream practices. As soon as I switched I stopped
getting blisters. I've had perhaps one or two in the years since
the change.
Besides eliminating blisters and keeping
things light, I had another important goal: to spend less money
for clothing and gear. Switching to shoes fit into that plan
pretty easily I discovered. Based on my own experiences, here
are some of the ways to keep your hiking shoes both cheap and
light.
Closeouts
When I take longer hikes and backpacking
trips I like to have high-quality shoes on my feet. I try to
use good running shoes that weigh less than two pound per pair.
When catalogs or online sources list the weights, I buy them
that way . When I buy shoes in the local shoe store I can tell
by lifting them if they are in my weight range. You might want
to bring a small kitchen scale to check weights if you aren't
good at gaging these things by feel.
Now, a common problem is that many of
the best running shoes cost $80 or even $100, and I don't like
to spend that much on shoes ever. The solution? I buy closeouts.
People apparently want the latest fashion, so last year's styles
need to be cleared out by manufacturers. Performance doesn't
change much from year to year as far as I can tell, and thanks
to a fashion-conscious market last years styles are hard to sell,
and so are discounted as much as 75%. I've bought $85 running
shoes for as little as $25 during a closeout sale.
One good place to check for these deals
is the Sierra Trading Post catalog. I'm not going to mention
specific brands that are light or cheap because that changes
all the time. Just get online, get a few catalogs sent to you,
and you'll find some decent discounts on good shoes.
Try Low Quality
Another strategy I use for keeping my
hiking shoes light and inexpensive is to go to Wal-Mart or Kmart
or other places which sell shoes cheap. The shoes I use at the
moment (2009) are $10 at Wal-Mart right now and for the past
year. Without a doubt they are low quality in terms of materials
and longevity, but they grip better than any expensive shoes
when I'm hiking in rocky territory or climbing around.
With these cheap hiking shoes like these
I recommend using them only for short backpacking trips and hikes.
Don't go too far into the wilderness for too long. I had a $7
pair of shoes on a week-long 110-mile trip in the Rockies, and
I almost had a serious problem when they came close to falling
apart after seven days of rough going.
On the other hand, they were very comfortable,
light, and required no "breaking in" time at all. I
will probably always use low quality shoes on occasion, but I'll
limit their use to trips of about three days or less. If you
try this you might also want to carry some duct tape just in
case you need to repair the shoes.
A quick summary: Try closeout sales for
quality running shoes (better than those specifically called
hiking shoes in my opinion). Buy the cheapest comfortable shoes
you can find for shorter hikes and overnight backpacking. Take
a scale to the store with you,and be sure your shoes are less
than a pound each. This is how you keep it cheap and light.
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