The Best Walking Shoes and Boots
Just the other day I received an email from a Nick Teel in Houston, Texas. He was curious as to which brand of shoes I thought would be best for long distance walking. He mentioned that he was 21 years old and had taken some 30-mile-long walks to the outlying towns around Houston. He loved the idea of walking long distances into the unknown, as I had done in my walk around the world in the 1980's, but he wisely noted that he thought it important to have the right kind of shoes for such a challenging trek.
Well, I am familiar with only two brands of shoes, because they are the only brands I've ever worn in my long walking/hiking career. And, frustratingly enough, one of those two brands (Rocky) no longer makes walking or hiking boots. And the other brand (Worldwalker) is sold only in Japan. So, as you can see, the two brands I've done my tens of thousands of miles of hiking in aren't even available to the American public!
Oh I can get the Worldwalker shoes and boots (afterall, they are named after me). But you see, even that is not as simple as it sounds. The shoe samples I receive are individually made solely for me. Since the Worldwalker shoe and boots are marketed exclusively to the Japanese, they are manufactured only up to size 9. That is because the average Japanese man has size 7 feet. Thus, it is not good business sense to manufacture the larger sizes that are common in the USA.
That said, I can however add some valuable first-hand expertise to the subject of which footwear is ideal for the long distance walker/hiker.
On the over 15,000 miles I walked across Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America I wore only lightweight, nylon-topped hiking boots. Why? Because in that four-year-long journey I knew I would be encountering every kind of terrain known to man--from frozen snow fields to steamy jungle swamps to the planet's hottest deserts. And quite frankly no shoe ever built could hope to last long in such oftentimes trecherous conditions. Only boots--and tough ones at that--could give me the assurance I needed that my feet would be protected fully at all times. Also, the ankle-high support the boots provided would help prevent my ankles all the more from being twisted or even snake bitten. And in my research at that time, I dicovered that the Wiiliam Brooks Shoe Co. in Nelsonville, Ohio, had just developed a very light boot that had Cordura nylon uppers and tough Vibram rubber soles. It was the perfect boot for everything from swamps to deserts, in that the uppers allowed the feet to "breathe" out, while at the same time being largely impervious to outside water sources. In addition, the Cordura--even though so very light--was said to be some five times tougher than leather!
Well, my choise was a wise one: the now-defunct style of Rocky hiking boot I chose proved to be a champion, whether I was walking down Wall Street or running from wild boars in Africa. Incredibly, it took me just four pairs of the boots to walk the world--or, as the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records noted: A record in itself.
In most of my "post-worldwalk" long-distance walks (e.g. down the lengths of South Korea and Taiwan, and on Shikoku Island), I have chosen to wear the mostly athletic-style Worldwalker shoes and boots. Those areas of the Far East that I just mentioned are highly civilized and have an extensive infrastructure of modern roads and sidewalks. A person can walk nearly anywhere in those countries on smoothly-paved surfaces. There just aren't the large amounts of risky walking surfaces and vemonous ground-dwelling critters that are found in the world's poorer nations. Also (and this is very important) because of the high population of those countries, there has been no need for me to carry any more supplies than can be squeezed into a knapsack. Thus, with less weight on my back I haven't had to worry as much about twisting an ankle. As such, shoes or light boots do the job equally well. And, indeed, the very lightweight Worldwalker athletic style shoes have been excellent. In the over 1,400 miles I've done with the Worldwalker shoes I've yet to be cursed with any blisters. With the Rocky boots it took my feet several weeks to make the adjustment. There's simply a lot more cushioning and arch support in the soles of the newer quality walking shoes these days.
All that said, I would recommend that Nick search for the hybrid walking/hiking boots that seem to be popular these days. However, he should make sure that what he chooses has lots of cushioning in the soles, and lots of ankle support, and is definitely waterproof. Afterall, if the feet go, then so goes the journey. There is no excuse for sore, wet feet with today's high-tech fabrics and computer-generated shoe designs. Long-distance hiking or walking always holds the chance of serious injuries and discomforts, and the peace of mind that high-quality boots or shoes gives one is worth the extra expense.
So what brands of shoes or boots would you recommend to Nick? I would like to see him get some good recommendations from the readers of this entry. I've told him to check in every so often, to see what other walkers and hikers are saying are their favorite walking and hiking shoes or boots. Please take the time to write your comments into the COMMENT box below and to post your recommendations and experiences. Just remember that the feet you save may be Nick's.
Steven Newman
Top photo: Me at a news conference in Chicago, in 1987, holding the sole pair of ROCKY boots that got me across all of Australia.
Bottom two photos: Recent Japanese full-page magazine advertisements for the Worldwalker shoe brand.
Comments
Ironically I have hiked in Kenya, Guatemala and Nepal using off the shelf hiking boots from Target of all places. I wish I were more of an authority on this issue.
JC
Posted by: Julian Cook | February 22, 2005 6:47 PM
Actually, JC, you have a valid point, regarding your off-the-shelf Target store shoes. If only the public knew how many of those shoes and boots you see in the Wal Marts and K-Marts of the world are made in the same factories that the high-priced name brands are made in. For example: the same Chinese factory that makes several of the expensive ROCKY hunting boots also made Worldwalker shoes. It's foolish to think that because something says MADE IN CHINA it can't be good quality. As a matter of fact, the new shoe factories in China are more high tech and more concerned with product quality than many of the aging factories in the USA and in Europe.
The Worldwalker
Posted by: the worldwalker | February 22, 2005 11:31 PM
Great to find this website. After reading about Steven Newman's round-the-world walk in the 1980s, I went out and bought a pair of Rocky boots when I was on sabbatical in the USA. I've still got 'em 20 years later, and they've stood me in good stead in my work as an ecologist on all continents. From the Namib Desert to Tierra del Fuego, and from Northern Queensland to the Scottish Highlands, my Rockys have never faltered. And I can show off to young techno-tykes that I've had a boot with Cordura, Gor-tex and Vibram since 20 years ago! Simple pleasures! Incidentally, a friend ran 3000 miles across the USA 8 years ago to raise money for my brain-damaged daughter, and trashed several more pairs of shoes than Steven did going right around the World!
Posted by: shaun russell | August 29, 2006 2:00 AM
Shaun,
Sounds like you not only were blessed with a great pair of boots, but also an equally great career. You have traveled to many places I will probably only dream of. I hope your daughter is doing as well as can be expected. Please tell her I said hello. I think I will pass your comments about your boots onto Rocky. It was a shame they decided to do away with their lines of hiking boots, to concentrate instead on their lines of institutional shoes and hunting boots. I know the hiking boot field is a crowded and fiercely competitive one (especially with all the low-cost Chinese replicas), but Rocky was always known for its appealing designs, innovations, and durability. I, too, still have some pairs of Rocky boots that are 20 years old. Now that's value!
Steven
Posted by: Steven Newman | August 29, 2006 3:36 AM