I just bought my husband Carhartt steel-toed hiking boots. They were a great deal and are multi-functional (he can use them to hike and for work). Was just wondering peoples experiences with this kind of boot? Are they too heavy for long hikes??

Try and stay dry in the Northeast this weekend!

Yes!!!

Most of us hike in trail runners, rather than boots, these days. I was a boot holdout for years but finally made the switch two years ago. I'll never go back to boots!

Steel-toed boots have their uses, but definitely not for hiking and backpacking! The lighter the footwear, the better. From the home page of this site:


I join you in wishing the best for those on the east coast. Irene doesn't sound like a particularly nice lady!

EDIT--since trail runner-type shoes can be worn around town and at home (I wear them all the time, except for going to church), they definitely are multi-purpose.

I have some steel toe hiking boots. They are great for trail work with a chain saw. I think they are more comfortable than normal steel toe boots. I would never wear them hiking. They are too heavy. And in the winter, too cold and heavy.

Great for trail work.
Not great for hiking. Trail runners are all you need when hiking trails. Light boots for off trail/bushwhacking.

On my first backpacking trip I used my steel toed work boots. They were heavy but I wore them six days a week and they were comfortable. I did get regular hiking boots after a few trips but I really had no complaints about the work boots.

Steel toed boots make sense for trail work, but, interestly enough, they are banned from fire lines, if I am not mistaken...

I was searching for a reason for the steel toes, and trail work logging is actually pretty smart.

While I personally wear trail runners, I know people that have weak ankles and who need the support. There are ways of getting around boots (high end ankle braces, using the double eyelets on trail runners) but it depends on the person. Personally I'm thinking of going back to hiking boots as I've started taking my children backpacking and usually get stuck with heavy packs.

If you are used to walking a lot in steel toed boots, it probably won't be too much for you, but there are other choices that could make easy hiking and light backpacking more enjoyable and allow you to cover farther distances.

thanks for the tips!

I wouldn't think of going hiking in steel-toed boots. In fact, I'm moving away from steel-toed boots on the job (where I'm required to wear safety-toe boots). There have been safety boots out for a while that use a synthetic composite toe in place of steel. They meet all safety requirements and are significantly lighter. Best of all, to those of us who work outside in the winter, they don't retain cold as do the steel-toed boots. I also imagine that the heat-retention properties of steel are why steel-toed boots are not used for fire fighting.

I still see no reason to use any safety-toe boot while hiking, unless it was a safety requirement.