What should I be looking for in a hiking boot? Tips for selecting a hiking boot. For day hiking I would say light weight, flexible boots that lace up, come up over your ankles and provide a little ankle...
For day hiking I would say light weight, flexible boots that lace up, come up over your ankles and provide a little ankle support. In a desert, where you are hiking in a lot of sand I would like to have all leather boots. There are a couple of different types. There is all leather boots and then there are boots that are split leather and Gor-Tex. In the desert, I would like to just to have an all leather boot. That way the sand doesn't get in and undermine the Gor-Tex or the porous fabric.
You will not necessarily want something with a big steel shank. Again, it will depend a little bit on the nature of the trail that you are hiking in. If it is very, very rocky and rabbley, you might want something with more ankle support and stability. Otherwise, for just a day hike, you can get away with a fairly light weight boot.
