Hiking Boots for Africa
Perhaps no other decision will be as important as your choice of hiking boots.
First of all, you'll be encountering varied terrain, whether in the mountains or the streets of East African cities. Secondly, you have the potential to change biospheres rapidly: you can go from desert to alpine moorland in three days. Finally, your mode of transport will be your feet, a part of your anatomy that you'll find the new subject of anxiety and worship.
The wrong pair of boots can aid the onset everything from Achilles tendonitus to a rash of crippling blisters. In the field, these injuries are potentially devastating. On the streets, they will make you more vulnerable. So, it goes without saying that a good pair of well-chosen boots is vital to backpacking in East Africa.
Medium-weight, light mountaineering boots offer the best compromise between the models available. The body of the boot should be full grain leather with a rubber (usually Vibram) sole. These types of boots are better for East Africa than the heavy mountaineering variety which take longer to break in and offer less flexibility.
Make sure the boot is designed for extended backpacking with heavy packs. Once broken in, it will make for a good, all-purpose boot for the hostel to hostel minded backpacker.
Boots are one of those things that you ought to try on and walk around in before buying. For this reason, I recommend visiting your local backpacking/outdoors store. Make sure the boot is secure (doesn't budge) but has enough room for your feet to breathe. You should put on two pairs of heavy trekking socks before trying on the boot, as this will account for the swelling of feet that usually occurs while backpacking.
A good test of boot size is to make sure the boot fits snugly and comfortably and then kick a wall as hard as your can with the toe of the boot. If your toe doesn't slide to the front of the boot, then it's probably a good fit. Obviously, you will need to create some kind of diversion for the salesperson when attempting this.
You should expect to pay $200-$250 for a good pair of hiking boots. Recommended brands are:
Asolo Men's TPS 520 GV
Asolo Women's TPS 520 GV
Men's Merrell Wilderness
Women's Merrell Wilderness
Garmont Men's Dakota Plus Nubuk
Dakota Nubuck - Women's by Garmont
First of all, you'll be encountering varied terrain, whether in the mountains or the streets of East African cities. Secondly, you have the potential to change biospheres rapidly: you can go from desert to alpine moorland in three days. Finally, your mode of transport will be your feet, a part of your anatomy that you'll find the new subject of anxiety and worship.
The wrong pair of boots can aid the onset everything from Achilles tendonitus to a rash of crippling blisters. In the field, these injuries are potentially devastating. On the streets, they will make you more vulnerable. So, it goes without saying that a good pair of well-chosen boots is vital to backpacking in East Africa.
Medium-weight, light mountaineering boots offer the best compromise between the models available. The body of the boot should be full grain leather with a rubber (usually Vibram) sole. These types of boots are better for East Africa than the heavy mountaineering variety which take longer to break in and offer less flexibility.
Make sure the boot is designed for extended backpacking with heavy packs. Once broken in, it will make for a good, all-purpose boot for the hostel to hostel minded backpacker.
Boots are one of those things that you ought to try on and walk around in before buying. For this reason, I recommend visiting your local backpacking/outdoors store. Make sure the boot is secure (doesn't budge) but has enough room for your feet to breathe. You should put on two pairs of heavy trekking socks before trying on the boot, as this will account for the swelling of feet that usually occurs while backpacking.
A good test of boot size is to make sure the boot fits snugly and comfortably and then kick a wall as hard as your can with the toe of the boot. If your toe doesn't slide to the front of the boot, then it's probably a good fit. Obviously, you will need to create some kind of diversion for the salesperson when attempting this.
You should expect to pay $200-$250 for a good pair of hiking boots. Recommended brands are:
Asolo Men's TPS 520 GV
Asolo Women's TPS 520 GV
Men's Merrell Wilderness
Women's Merrell Wilderness
Garmont Men's Dakota Plus Nubuk
Dakota Nubuck - Women's by Garmont
Labels: backpacking, footwear, gear, trekking
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