I’ve always used traditional hiking boots but I have sweaty feet, messed up toenails, and arthritis from gout. Stiff hiking boots were aggravating all of these issues so I recently switched to trail running shoes. I had avoided low cut shoes/boots because I hate getting rocks and debris in my shoes and needing to stop to take my footwear off to clean them out only for it to happen again 20 minutes later. I found an awesome set of gaiters at REI that keep debris from getting into my shoes and now I can hike in shorts which is way better than long pants. The traction and comfort of the Speedcross 6 shoes is incredible and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to bulky hiking boots. They’re running shoes but they seem to work just as well for hiking and I’ve been on two hikes in Alaska without much pain in my feet. They ventilate well so my feet aren’t soaked with sweat and I don’t get blisters. Highly recommend trying a pair. I’m not sure if they will last very long but I’m happy to keep spending the money if they keep my feet in good shape.
Trail runners for me as well. Mostly I wear Hoka Hoka One Speedgoats (though I think the 5 is unfortunately worse than the 4) in dry weather, Topo Ultraventure Pro for wet weather when I need more traction. Gaiters are a must - check out Dirty Girl Gaiters to up your style.
I use altra lone peaks.
I use running shoes if the conditions are dry and I’m not carrying too much. I still wear boots for multi-night backpacking, or if the conditions warrant better foot protection (loose scree, lots of mud, snow).
I have some Salomon hiking shoes as well and am quite happy with them for hikes under 8 miles or so. But any longer than that, or on rougher trails, my feet do better with more protection in a Merrell Moab 3; which I picked for the wide toebox.
I would try Lems, but I don’t have the budget for that quite yet. And I do get low cut Moabs, so none of the ankle rigidity that I can’t stand either. I’ve never tried gaiters, good idea though and something I’ll keep in mind.
I used to wear Moabs but I think the quality of Merrill’s stuff has declined over the years. I really liked my first pair but after that they didn’t feel the same.
