Advice re boots needed
 

I am not a big time backpacker. I have done the occasional overnighter, but usually only for one or two nights. I have a pretty new pair of gore-tex lined medium wieght Vasque hiking boots that I have used the last year or two. These are not heavy duty hiking boots; they sort of look like Steroid enhanced hihg tops, but are comfortable and the gore-tex works just the way they say it should (proven in streams and snow).

This year, our stake girls camp is in the Sierra and the group my daughter is going with is taking a 4 day 3 night hike which will involved about 16-20 miles total hiking and will be about 50% rugged trail and about 50% cross-country (or so I am told). ANy advice as to whether or not I should upgrade to a more rugged boot? Other than wasting money and a sense that the boots I have may not be strudy enough for cross-country stuff, I have no real reason to do so.

Btw, I bought them at REI, in case anyone wants to make fun of me for doing so.

Vasque makes a really good boot. If you like the ones you've got, I don't know that I would upgrade.

Here's why: The #1 concern when it comes to backpacking is COMFORT. If they fit and you like them, you've won 3/4 of the battle. All other concerns for standard backpacking are very minor when compared to the comfort issue.

With that in mind, here is the science/art involved in picking a boot.

Support: You can get away with a "lighter" boot depending on how much weight you're going to carry and how sturdy your ankles are. The boot is not likely to fall apart, it's your feet that you should worry about. One solution in your case (if you have bad ankles) might be to bring along or wear an ankle brace. I have bad ankles. I hike in a pair of full leather boots. However, when I'm going light I often wear an old pair of running shoes w/ braces.

Sole: The heavier boots have a thicker more stiff sole. Think of the difference when you step on a pebble in a jogging shoe and in a slipper. If you step on a pebble in a slipper you'll feel it, if you're wearing a jogging shoe you may not feel it. Backpacking boots are just built for bigger pebbles. Consider the weight you are going to carry and the instability (bumpiness) of the terrain.

A good test would be to put on your boots and then throw a few bags of rice or flower into your backpack until you get to a weight close to what you might actually carry on your trip. Take a walk around your house/neighborhood and see how you feel. You'll be able to feel the difference between being top heavy unstable and shoe unstable.

A real man would make that hike in flip-flops.

a real man has callouses so thick on the soles of his feet, that when he steps on nails [insert finish to witty retort here].

...the nails need a tetanus shot.

If you do go with a different boot make sure to break it in really good. I've know lots of people who go out and buy new boots for a specific hike and really pay in the sole for it.

Thanks for the advice, esp DHU and Akili, I am inclined to keep what I've got and see what happens. I can always find other things to waste my money on.

I'm a little late to this thread, as I was on a brief trip to outer darkness, but here are my two cents:

My favorite boots of all time were a pair of Vasque Skywalk II's. In general, Vasque makes some of the best boots on the market.

When my Vasques died, I went to the REI and they no longer carried my favorite Vasques. So I bought a pair of tank boots, the La Sportiva mountain boots, with crampon nubs and the works.

The tank boots are too much boot. They were expensive, and they are heavy. They are incredibly well built, and offer the best ankle support I have ever had in a boot, but I find that I seldom use them for most of my hiking.

What do I use most of the time? A pair of Keen sport sandals.

Many ultralight hikers swear by the sports sandal as the best all around hiking shoe. While it offers little ankle support, the ultralight community offsets this weakness with skill. Simply put, a very good hiker with a pair of quality trekking poles seldom needs to support her ankles with layers of leather and gore-tex.

In SoCal, I do almost all of my trail hiking in my Keens. I do all of my desert hiking in my Keens. The only time I pull out the tank boots is when I make my annual trip to Glacier, where I do a long overnighter into the back country. When it comes to trekking where there are no trails, the tanks are perfect. Likewise, the tanks are excellent on ice and snow. But for 90% of my hiking, the Keens are best.

If you REALLY want to spend some serious money on cool trekking equipment, invest in a pair of carbon fiber trekking poles.

The Dirty Hippie is right on in most of his comments. The weight in your pack (and in your gut) is what determines how sturdy of a boot you need. The ultralighters don't need a sturdy boot because they carry so little weight. IMO, ultralight, or a sane variation of that (no need to drill holes in your toothbrush handle, imo) is the way to go.

I recently went hiking in the Olympics up in Washington and used a pair of Danner Acadia's. I also use these with my Army ACU's as my uniform boots. I know a number of guys who used these in Afghanistan on deployments and they handled the rugged terrain there without a problem.