Hiking Shoes

Hiking Shoes and Sandals

Hiking is an incredible experience that truly makes you feel one with nature and hiking tests not just your physical limits but also the limits of your gear. When hiking, your shoes can either be your best friend or your worst enemy and nothing can relieve the pain having to hike with a shoe that is not comfortable or can’t take a beating. This is why we, at Decathlon, design shoes that provide the adventurer in you with the best possible Hiking experience.

Discover a wide range of hiking shoes for men and women and hiking sandals at Decathlon!

Things to consider when choosing the right Hiking Shoes and Sandals:

The Style: The best way to choose between various styles of shoes is to understand what you intend to use it for and the kind of treks or hikes you have in mind. Typical shoes belong to two categories, light hiking shoes are best used for day hikes and less demanding surfaces and Mountaineering or Snow Boots are best for mountain or snow hikes where the durability of your shoes is the prime concern.

Material: The materials preferred for hiking shoes and sandals are either synthetics like nylon and polyester or leather. Synthetics are lightweight, easy to carry around but are not the most waterproof. Leather is the more durable one here made specifically to take a beating but is heavy and not very breathable in nature.

Cut of the Shoe: Cuts of hiking shoes are classified into low-cut, mid-cut and high-cut. Low cut shoes are designed for casual hiking that is lightweight and provides adequate grip. They very closely resemble running shoes. Mid-cut shoes are for more demanding trails with waterproof capabilities and better grip. They cover the ankle and provides more support. High-cut provides for the best ankle support and designed for terrain that is dangerous.

The Fit: The fit is the most important factor and a key determinant of your hiking experience. You should have enough room in the shoe to accommodate the natural swelling of your feet. The ideal fit is when the shoe fits snug and always make sure to try out before you buy.

How to choose the right shoe for the right terrain?

Nature Hiking Shoes: For nature hiking, the two things to look out for are grip and the comfort the shoe provides. Nature hiking often demands you to go on off-road trails and to help you at this, we design shoes that provide the best in class grip with our CrossContact sole that lets you take on anything nature throws at you. Our shoes also come with a 5mm thick PU sole sock liner and comfortable foam around the ankle collar to provide your feet with the comfort it deserves no matter how rough the terrain becomes.

Mountain Hiking Shoes: The 2 features of a good mountain hiking shoe are waterproofing capabilities and the ankle support it provides. Keeping these in mind, we design hiking shoes that come with a waterproof membrane that is tested on a 12-km walk in water up to mid-point of the upper and provide adequate ankle support so that you can stay away from any possible injuries that you might encounter when on a hike in the mountains.

Snow Hiking Shoes: For snow hiking, one needs a shoe that provides good warmth to the feet and is waterproof to keep your feet dry throughout the duration of the hike. At Decathlon, we understand your requirements and design shoes that provide warmth and keep your feet at comfortable temperatures and come with a breathable, waterproof membrane to always stay dry.

Head to the nearest Decathlon store to find the best pair of hiking shoes for men and hiking shoes for women!

Footwear is the most essential accessory on a hike. If its a hot weather and the duration of hike is less, choose a sandal with correct grip based on the terrain. If the duration is longer, check if you need waterproofing, cold protection, ankle support and the weight of the shoe. Quechua has segregated the hiking shoes based on terrain, which are nature, mountain and snow.

Running as an exercise needs flexibility and better grips on hiking trails. We have a specific shoe for such an exercise, which is called Fast Hiking. The fast hiking shoe, ensures better fit, grip and flexibility.