But recently, I switched churches, and now I sing the praises of lightweight, low-cut trail shoes. The new breed of light hikers is far superior to the flimsy dayhikers of yesteryear. They're also cool, as comfortable as slippers, require no breaking-in, and are more agile on or off rocky trails than big boots. Plus, they dramatically reduce the weight on your feet, and thus the energy you expend. Of course, these shoes do have limitations.
None are waterproof or warm enough for winter use.
They don't give as much arch or ankle support as a big boot, so prepare for some foot fatigue if you wear them on long days under big loads. Now that you know the pros and cons, here are seven models our field testers wore everywhere from Arizona's Grand Canyon to Alaska's Brooks Range, from the Scottish Highlands to the summit of Wyoming's Grand Teton. We tramped a total of 2,676 miles, which is just a bit longer than the Pacific Crest Trail. Some of these models try to balance these qualities, while others make no apology for favoring one function over the other. Because we think that backpackers will want the best of both worlds, we rated the shoes primarily on all-around performance.