Hiking boots support and protect your feet over long trails and rocky terrain. While regular athletic shoes might be fine for a short walk in the park, hiking boots will keep your feet comfortable and protect you from injury on longer hikes. The right boots will offer adequate support for the type of terrain you're hiking, without being too heavy. When you buy hiking boots, go shopping later in the day when your feet are their largest, and wear the socks you intend to wear hiking. Walk around in the boots for a while to ensure they fit well. If you do a lot of hiking, you may need different boots for different types of trails.
Trail
Trail shoes are lightweight and resemble running shoes, but feature stiffer soles to offer more support. Also known as light hikers, these shoes have low-cut sides and flexible soles, which make them more comfortable than other hiking boots. Trail shoes are usually made of canvas, leather or a combination of both. The soles have deeper tread to offer better traction on trails. Choose trail shoes if most of your hiking is down on well-maintained, smooth trails with little elevation change. Trail shoes don't offer the ankle support of other boots, and they usually aren't waterproof. The low sides also let in gravel or sand on loose-surface trails.
Rough Trail
Like trail shoes, rough trail boots are made of canvas, leather or a combination. Also known as mid-weight boots, they're cut higher than trail shoes, so they offer more ankle support, but are still lightweight. The soles are reinforced to offer moderate support, but they aren't stiff enough for long hikes with heavy packs. The soles have deep tread for good traction on slippery or rocky surfaces. You can choose summer-weight trail boots with ventilation for hot hikes, or all-leather and insulated versions for winter treks.
Off-Trail
If your hikes take you bushwhacking onto undeveloped trails, or if you make multiday trips with a heavy pack, choose off-trail hiking boots. These boots, also known as heavy boots, are cut even higher on the ankle for good stability and support. They're usually made of leather and may feature Gore-Tex or Thinsulate linings. The soles are heavily lugged for traction on talus slopes and have steel or hard plastic shanks to provide extra support. All that support means off-trail boots are stiffer than trail or rough-trail boots, and require a longer break-in period before they're really comfortable. Most off-trail boots also have a lip along the welt of the sole for crampon connections.
Mountaineering
The stiffest of all hiking boots, mountaineering boots are high-cut and made of full-grain leather with stiff steel shanks. These boots will have crampon connections and rubber rands around the welt of the sole, which makes the boots more durable and waterproof. The boot uppers are usually water-proof and insulated.
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