Following my completion of the Bluestack Way in September I was on the hunt for a new pair of shoes or low boots that would tick all the boxes of the ones I wore on the day but would give me the waterproofing that I so badly missed.

Altra Lone Peak trail running shoes are very popular with lots of long distance hikers. They’re one of the most popular on the Pacific Crest Trail and closer to home they feature on a few YouTube channels such as Haze Outdoors and Paul Messner.

Altra’s main USP is that they are a zero drop shoe. This essentially means that the front and back of your foot are at the same height, leaving your foot completely flat. Most regular shoes have a raised heal with 10-12mm being the average. Stilettos are at the extreme end but my experience with those is pretty limited!

The other design feature of Altra shoes is that they have an especially wide toe box allowing your toes to splay and adopt their natural shape. It is believed that a combination of zero drop and the natural toe box improve foot strength and stability.

When researching footwear for The Bluestack Way I was already decided on a non-waterproof trail shoe. The theory with this is that your feet may get wet but they will also dry out quickly. During my training this worked really well but turned out to be a complete disaster on the actual day when the shoes never got a chance to dry and ended up soaking wet on the mountainous section of the walk.

Some of this was down to the shoes I chose. I had been put off Altra at first by the zero drop. The adjustment period can be quite long as the knees, feet and lower legs need to adapt to the new walking position. Also a video by Haze Outdoors, while positive about the Lone Peak 7s, made me doubt their durability and longevity. At a €100-120 price point I was a bit concerned that I’d possibly wear out a pair during the 12 week training program and then need a second pair for the actual walk. This wasn’t really feasible. I also looked at Brooks Cascadia which were used with great success by Ben’s Hikes and Camps (formerly Londoner Outdoors) when he thru-hiked The South Down’s Way. I had some durability concerns with these also but was almost ready to push the buy button when I came across the Merrell Moab 2 shoes.

These seemed the perfect answer. While the heaviest shoe so far they were still considerably lighter than boots, were definitely the most rugged of the three and came highly recommended by a few reviews that used them on long distance thru-hikes. In addition I was able to try them on as they were stocked in my local Sports Direct. This wasn’t proving to be an easy option with the Brooks and once I’d tried the Moabs and found them very comfortable it was an easy decision to make. It was only on the day of the walk that I found their flaw, that they take much longer to dry out than other, lighter but less robust shoes.

The week following the walk I did a lot of research into a waterproof alternative that would cope with Irish terrain conditions better than a breathable shoe but still be light enough for long distance challenge hikes. Altras once again came to the fore as I’d been doing a lot of reading on the benefits of zero drop or barefoot shoes for Plantar Fasciitis which has come back to haunt me this year*. Again though, I wasn’t convinced by their durability and was pleased to find an alternative with a brand called Topo Athletic that were recommended by HikingGuy.com.

*it’s just occurred to me that my PF wasn’t an issue when I was cycling regularly and has flared up again this year at the same time I’ve stopped cycling!

He reviewed a similar breathable trail shoe but I found what I hoped would be a great Topo Athletic option for me in the Trailventure 2 WP low boot. Near zero drop (only 5mm), wide toe box, rugged vibram sole, higher than a shoe but lower than a boot, light and fully waterproof.

Despite being woefully inactive since completing The Bluestack Way I have managed to walk just over 30km in these boots so far. They’re very different to regular boots, much different to the Moabs and very comfortable. My feet and legs are slowly getting used to the different style of sole and I’m pretty confident that they will be the answer to my long distance hiking plans for 2024. My biggest issue is that I’m not wearing them often enough (ie I’ve become very lazy!) and also that I’m still wearing regular shoes in the rest of my life.

In order to rectify this latter point and egged on by my friend Mike on Facebook, I’ve decided to venture further into this brave new world by changing to minimalist shoes for work. As a tester I’ve decided to go with a low cost option with a Chinese brand called Hobibear. These are available on Amazon for £35-50 but Mike pointed me towards a seller on AliExpress with a 5-day delivery and a £20 cost.

These are basic shoes, they definitely won’t win any style awards*, but they are surprisingly comfortable. I’ve been wearing them around the house for a couple of days and so far they’re not causing any issues. The next step is to start wearing them in work for at least part of the day with regular shoes as back up and gradually extending the amount of wear time. I also need to get back into a regular walking habit in the boots but if all goes well I’ll then look at a more durable and better quality minimalist shoe for work and every day use.

*my wife has compared them to the plimsoles the kids were forced to wear in school when they first started!