If the shoe fits, wear it

This is my selection of (some of the )best shoes I own. And I own many, many shoes 🙂

1) Columbia Trailstorm waterproof.

Extremely comfortable hiking shoes. I’ve owned 2 pairs already and these shoes are simply awesome, although I wouldn’t treat the ‚waterproof’ property too seriously. I can get thoroughly wet even after 20 minutes of walking on a wet grass. Other than that, awesome. I don’t even use gel inserts for these.

2) Salomon XA Ortholite Goretex.

Perfect for running. Really light. These are really wornout so i’ll probably replace them with a slightly bigger pair, because my feet tend to get bigger even after 15km of running. As a result, a half-maraton is the best i can do in these shoes. Salomon shoes are always a bit smaller so make sure you buy a bigger size than usual.

3) Hoka kaha 2

I bought these recently. Very comfortable for everyday use in winter and early spring. Later they get too warm. They are a bit too narrow for me so I still need to see how they fit with inserts, because if I walk for too long I get blisters which match the insole contour.

4) Underarmour Charged Engage

I bought them really cheap, like 30EUR and they don’t cease to amaze me. I put gel inserts in them and use them as hiking shoes. Extremely comfortable and durable, too (unlike Merrells lol 😛 )

5) Dolomites

These are the equivalent of the T-42 tank but for shoes. Absolutely waterproof, you can cross a small river in them and your feet won’t get wet.
The downside is that they are very hard inside. I put on two pairs of socks (1 cotton, 1 merino) and it’s not enough. Perfect for a 20-25km hike in winter or early spring but you need to make sure your toes are properly protected. Extremely expensive, too. I only bought them because they were heavily discounted at TK Maxx and at the time I had no idea about this brand.

Obviously (:D ) these are not the only hiking shoes I have but these are probably the best. I also own a pair of Merrells that I need go glue together every 2nd week because they would have just desintegrated a long time ago. I like them because they’re superlight but their quality control is disastrous.

What will I wear for the big hike? Probably the trailstorms + some light replacements (a good opportunity to kill off the Merrells maybe). But it all depends on the weather.