Why Running Shoes?
Your feet will stay cooler in a good running shoes than in hiking boots, and this means fewer blisters. Once I switched to running shoes and lightweight socks years ago, I stopped getting blisters, and I don’t mean fewer blisters. I mean no blisters. I haven’t had one blister since I switched, not even after a 110-mile 7-day trek in the Rockies, for example. For socks, I have used nothing but thin nylon dress socks for years. They are cheap, and they weigh less than an ounce per pair. That makes it easy to carry enough fresh socks. They also can be easily rinsed out and dried quickly. My feet won’t tolerate hotter socks now, although I do bring a warmer pair for sleeping or for cold weather. Unless you have size 13 feet, you should be able to find good running or hiking shoes that are under two pounds per pair. Carry a kitchen scale to the shoe store if you have to. Unfortunately, catalogs sometimes don’t show weights, so you’ll have to guess which hiking shoes are lighter based on the
