Boots vs. Trailrunners vs. SANDALS!

Join us as we hike through a local slot canyon and test out 3 different types of footwear while crossing rivers, hiking down trails, and maneuvering through boulder fields! Which type of footwear is best for a mostly water-filled hike?

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[kitt]

I love hiking in closed toe sandals. After stubbing my toes several times hiking in open toed sandals I switched to closed toed and love them. I even wear them in the snow with a pair of waterproof and a pair of heavy wool socks. This combo is really warm crossing ice cold water.

[laurafindsjoy]

Very helpful video. I really like the OV brand and content, and I love the OV products I've bought. I would really love to see more videos featuring female hikers and families. I'm a mom who is trying to get my teens and tween outdoors more.

[rickwebermusic]

I switched exclusively to sandal hiking over a year ago, and haven't looked back. My sandals of choice are the Bedrock Cairn 3D Pros. They are super grippy, comfortable, and secure. They are also more durable than any hiking shoe/boot I've ever worn. After the first couple of test hikes in them, any fears I had about hiking in sandals went away. Most of the common fears (stubbed toes, cuts on your feet) don't actually happen in sandals. Occasionally, I will get a small piece of debris in the sandal. But it's easy to get it out when that happens. And to be fair, I would occasionally get debris in my old hiking shoes too- except I was forced to take the shoe completely off in order to deal with it.

[rumblechick]

Beautiful location! All shoes have up and downsides, it just depends on what you like and are willing to deal with for the trade-offs.

[danjohnson]

I love my Adidas Rockadia Trail Runners for all my hikes, light weight, great grip, good ankle support and they disperse water really well !

[Garruk]

Teva sandals are best choice, always. 🙃

[trickleest]

I love how open you all are about your opinions. Awesome review

[dianelamoureux]

Great idea for a video! Very interesting, thanks. For myself, I have hyperlax joints (born that way), therefore uneven, rocky terrain and river bottoms are always challenging. I have sprained my ankles countless times over 40-some years (most of the time *not* while hiking). But I could never hike with sandals. I mean, I did it a few times way back in my early 20s, but it was hell, very hard on my feet. I have to have a boot that goes up my ankle.

I also have been wearing orthotics for a few years now and wow! what a difference! I wouldn't want to live without them anymore. I don't get sore feet like I used to, it's wonderful.

A couple of years ago I thru-hiked in the rockies (Kananaskis country in Alberta) for a week (45-50 pounds of stuff on our back)

[SummitSeeker]

Timely video... I’m not a trail running shoe hiker. I like mid cut boots for stability, comfort, durability, and grip. However trails with lots of water have me rethinking my approach. I like the idea of the trail runner for it’s light weight and relatively quick dry capabilities but I hate hiking in wet feet. I’m a fly fisherman and love fishing in my Teva Sandals. I’m used to hiking into difficult to get locations and am always surprised at how well the Tevas handle the terrain. When rocks do get in the sandals it is easy to get them out. Not bothersome at all. We did a day hike up Mt Whitney and I wore my Merrill Moabs non goretex and my feet sweat up a storm. My son wore his Teva sandals and absolutely loved them, eventhrough a couple snowy sections. On the way down he cooled his feet in every stream we passed. I’m getting ready to update my 23 year old pair of Tevas with the current Terra Fi 5 Universal model. I may start hiking in them more often. Not sure about backpacking in them though... Great videos guys. Keep them coming!

[titanpreparedness]

Great information guys. I recently did a 20miler with combat boots
Never again, unless i have to. Looking into trail runners now.

[ROE]

Useful & interesting comparison. Reenforced my choice to stick with my hiking boots. I’ve tried sandals (Teva) in the high desert of AZ when I lived there and had all the problems Tayson commented on. Pretty darn sure my “tender” feet would not appreciate sandals in the outback of TX. Pity because sandal work really well on the Gulf Coast beach. 😀

[jas]

Good info. Would love to see more females participate in your comparisons for all hiking gear and other. I’m a very athletic 68-year-old female hiker and would love to gain insights from all person’s perspectives especially when it comes to purchasing or considering hiking gear.

[Doc_Watson]

Interesting. Gravel and debris between my foot and sandal is why I've stopped walking trails in sandals. Very happy wearing Vibram Five Fingers. And they take up almost no room to pack an extra pair to have a dry set at camp while the other pair is drying (if needed, they are quick drying)

Can you provide information for that cot? I prefer a hammock, but if I need to go somewhere that I couldn't hammock, I would rather sleep on a cot then on the ground. (Been using an army style cot for car camping but that's too big to backpack)

[rosarubea]

I need to ankle support and foot protection. Sandals are light weight, so for that kind of trip I'd wear boots for the rugged dry stuff and put sandals on when you get to the water.

[DetraDearmas]

I've been thinking about sandals seriously. Hiking sandals with grip, a great strap system that won't let the foot slip and are thick cushion with a flat sole. That's not easy to find. Have y'all done any sandal comparisons?

[nealamesbury]

My experience with bedrock 3d’s were negative, - last night threw them away. This morning just ordered Teva trail. My last Teva were perfect. - for hiking, where ever- I recommend having a little area in front of the toes, to protect them. Personally, I’m done trying sandals - Tevas only for me.

[eljayhughes]

Ashdown gorge is beautiful, got caught in flashflood and cut off from exit. Force to 200ft embankment to highway 14

[tom_olofsson]

Wow, another tough day at the office.

[TheRedsox]

I have tried all three and if I had a first choice, it would be trail runners as my go to footwear. Where was this hike?

[orboflightning]

I’ve worn trail runners hiking the rainbow falls trail in the Smokey Mountains park and I wish I had sandals. I hated having wet feet all day. I see what your guy was saying regarding support and being locked in, but I’m a careful walker and I have decent ankles so I’m not worried about slipping or twisting my feet too much. I hiked that trail starting the day during a huge downpour in the morning, so the streams were really flowing, but I was never really worried about traction or protection from debris.

Boots are always too bulky for me. I have a pair of insulated boots for cold weather hikes but if the weather is above freezing I’ll never wear boots. I have a nice pair of Vasque leather boots that I never wore long enough to fully break in, so they aren’t very comfortable and they are too heavy. Plus I don’t know what your thoughts are but I feel like the overly rigid Vibram soles are actually a hinderance. I’d much rather be able to flex with the terrain, especially on rocks, and I gotta say I think it’s a real shame how hard it is to find hiking footwear without Vibram Soles.

I wonder what are everyone’s thoughts on hiking down/up the slope in trail runners or boots then switching to sandals? Maybe the extra weight isn’t worth it but I imagine to many it would be something to consider. Maybe it depends on the hike distance.

Thanks for the video guys. I can tell it was a real bear 😂✌🏼

Also, any plans to make some clothing without Down? I have the Loftek jacket because it was a synthetic but I’m bummin cause I can’t buy some of the other items I want since they have Down.