Shoe Or Boot?

Before focusing on boots, if you’re looking at lightweights, you should also consider trail shoes. It’s a common misconception that shoes are less stable than boots because boots give ankle support. In reality, for boots to stop you turning your ankle, they’d have to hold you in a vice-like grip, like a ski-boot in fact.

More important to stability is a well-fitting heel and a well-engineered sole unit and chassis, the higher ankle may feel reassuring, but it won’t really protect you from sprains and twists. There are some advantages though, you’re less likely to scuff your ankle bones on rocks and you can wade through deeper puddles without getting wet.

Beyond that though it’s personal choice and while many walkers prefer the higher cuffs of a boot, shoes often work just as well.

Fit

As with all footwear, the best lightweight boot in the world is useless to you if it doesn’t fit your foot and we’d always suggest you try a variety of brands before buying. Try to shop in the afternoon because your feet can swell up during the day by up to half a size and take your own socks along and footbeds if you use them.

You’re looking for a comfortable but not loose fit with no hot-spots or rubbing. Good shops will have a slope inside where you can check that your heels don’t lift going up and your toes don’t slide forwards coming down. Take time to play with the lacing and remember you can sometimes use volume adjusters to slim down the fit.

Last but not least, a really good boot-fitter will be able to look at your feet and get an idea of what’s likely to suit their shape. Try not to have preconceptions, each brand has a subtly different last and you’re looking for the one which best matches your foot shape.

Outsole

There’s lots of variation in outsole grip when it comes to lightweights and you need to think about how and where you’re going to use the boot. It may be that if you’re buying mostly for summer use and you walk mainly on rocky or hardpack surfaces that you don’t need a huge amount of tread – the Salomon Wing GTX in some of the photos for example, has quite a shallow tread which struggles with real mud.

By contrast, the big, widely-spaced cleates on the Brasher SupaLite sole are much better on soft ground as you might expect from a boot designed primarily for UK rather than alpine use.

Lacing

Finally, although it seems like a minor thing, we always prefer outdoors footwear that has a slick, easy to adjust lace system. That might seem like a minor thing, but it makes it far easier to adjust the lace tension to work for you.

Good quality lace hooks will resist corrosion and help the laces to slide easily through them. When you’re trying boots, take the time to get the lacing just right, it makes a real difference. Finally if you opt for a boot with a speed-lacing system, as used by adidas for example, make sure the sider is secure under load and there’s somewhere to tuck the surplus lace cord.

Coming soon our group test of the best lightweight boots out there.