Choosing the right camping shoes is always an important thing that every long day campers take into consideration. If you intend to a relaxing camping trip in camping sites by the sea, well then you should not wonder much about camping shoes. However, if you plan to go camping in jungles or in remote mountains, you’d better purchase a durable and suitable pair of shoes.
Depending on your purposes for camping destinations, this article shares you with 5 tips for choosing best camping shoes that might interest you a lot.
How to choose best camping shoes
What you need to do is to follow these below steps:
Steps
- Observe the shoes design and construction
- Decide the right shoes for your camping purpose
- Wear the shoes
Step 1: Observe the shoe material and design
As most people go camping for long days and tend to choose remote areas, shoes should be light in weight and durable to support you well on different grounds. Shoes that are designed primarily for camping possess such following main important features:
Upper material
Almost all shoes made from full grain leather provide excellent durability and resistance to abrasion. They are also resistant to water under harsh weather conditions. I bet you would love to walk for a long distance during your camping trip, or you can even love to go hiking or climbing mountains. A shoe with such leather shall support you a lot to protect your feet from pains and injuries.
However, full grain leather is often not breathable and light, so this cannot be suitable for those who go camping for relaxation and light activities.
On the other side, shoes, which are made from split grain, are usually light in weight and provide excellent breathability. The airflow can come in and out of the shoes easily, leaving your foot dry and cool all the time.
Synthetics can also be an option for you to consider. This material is lighter than leather. Furthermore, it dries faster and costs less than leather too. So if you often go camping in jungles or by seas, shoes with upper material from synthetics are no doubt a clever choice.
Midsoles
The midsole offers cushioning and buffers to support your feet from shock. Shoes with EVA cushioning technology usually provide an excellent experience to your feet as they play as shock absorbency, thereby protecting your feet from sudden shocks in uneven and rocky terrain. A good midsole, furthermore, delivers you a sense of comfort and flexibility.
Outsoles
Most shoes are facilitated with gum rubber outsoles. Firm and hard outsoles tend to increase stability and durability for your feet. However, as they are quite stiff, you can get slick if you are careless or go off trail.
Step 2: Decide the right shoes for your camping purpose
Now that you have known there is a variety of shoe designs and materials for different camping purposes. What you need to do now is to ask yourself what you want to do for your camping. I can list here some main popular camping purposes that you might have and suitable shoes respectively.
Heavy hiking or climbing
In summer, people like to go hiking and climbing. If this is the case for you, then you should choose the shoes made for camping on mountains. As I said earlier in Step 1, you always check the material and design of shoes first to ensure they are qualified for your requirement of a good shoe.
To go climbing, you can consider a mountaineering boot with the boot-knife to withstand rocky and uneven territory and to support you to maintain your balance in case you almost fall over the ground. Such kind of shoes is designed for handling heavy loads on your back.
Light hiking
Hiking boots are here for you. If you don’t like hiking boots, you can use running shoes instead. They are durable and light in weight to support you well in your hiking. Running shoes or light hiking boots are perfectly used for day hiking irrespective of how long the distance is.
Camping near lakes or seas
If you love to go camping by sea or in the jungles where there are a lot of rivers, water shoes with better water resistance are good choices. You can get into the sea or river while wearing these shoes without worrying much about your feet. These water shoes protect you from sharp rocks at the bottom of rivers and keep your feet warmer in colder mountain water.
Normal camping in safe camping sites
If the main purpose of your upcoming camping trip is to relax, camp shoes are beneficial. Such shoes can be sneakers, house slippers, etc. Normally, people choose their favorite shoes to wear in camping sites. They are comfortable and breathable to put on for the whole day.
Step 3: Wear the shoes
It is time for you to try out the shoes. Never buying the shoes without wearing them first. Tell the salesperson about the shoe size. In some cases, the size of your foot cannot fit well in the shoes with the same size. So, it is obvious that you need to try out more shoes to ensure you feel a snug fit. Step and walk around to check whether you feel something wrong.
Furthermore, ask the salesperson to let you wear socks while trying out the shoes. Some shoes are perfect for thin socks, not thick ones. Therefore, make sure that the sock thickness matches well with the toe box of the shoes you prefer.
To sum up
Now that you are in a position to choose best camping shoes for yourself with my above advice. Knowing well your purpose for camping decides your option for a pair of shoe. Even a good shoe is a failure if you use it for wrong purposes, thereby making it a waste of money. I hope that you can make up your mind at this moment.
If this article is helpful for you, share it with your friends and let them know your choice.
