I’ve got a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilators as my everyday shoe, and I’m pretty happy with them. My last pair lasted for 2 years of heavier-than-average ordinary use – perhaps 1-2 miles per day on concrete for my commute, and another mile per day indoors. When I replaced them the soles still had some life left in them, but the rubber toe part of the upper was disintegrating.
Obviously 2 hrs per day hiking is going to do a lot more wear and tear. Still, I’d expect them to last a lot longer than 2 months.
All this talk of boots or shoes lasting for years doesn’t really address the issue; you need to be thinking about how many miles they last.
It is typical for the types of shoes people wear for hiking to last somewhere around 400 to 500 miles; some a little more and some of the ultralight trail runners may only be expected to last 150 to 200 miles.
Heavy leather boots may last a little longer (maybe 500 to 700 miles) and can be resoled when they wear out, but the price you pay (other than the dollars) is the fact that they are heavy. Compare a pair of trail runners at less than one pound to a pair of leather hiking boots at 3.5 pounds – figure that your two hour hike has you lifting that extra two pounds or more of boots somewhere over 7,000 times. That extra weight is the main reason so many people have gotten away from the traditional hiking boot and gone to trail runners.
I live near (and frequently hike on) the Appalachian Trail and often chat with hikers on the trail about their equipment. Typically, thru-hikers go through four or five pairs of shoes for the 2,100+ miles. Most of the thru-hikers these days are wearing trail runners, although the Merrell Moab Ventilators are also pretty common – I also see many different types of hiking shoes, but only a tiny percentage are wearing traditional hiking boots. Most of those I see wearing boots are locals and older (pronounced: set in their ways) people out for a day hike or a section hike of a few overnights.
My non-scientific survey shows several models of Salomon and Brooks to be the most often seen brands on the trail with the Merrell Moab close behind – others show up in much smaller numbers.
Another reason for the switch from heavy boots to lighter shoes is the idea of “support”. Some say high boots support the ankles, but really only if they are very stiff and tightly laced – not very comfortable – and anyway, if you are walking several miles a day on rocky trails, your ankles pretty quickly become strong enough to not need any additional support. As for arch support, well, modern thinking says it’s better to let your feet function as nature intended that to force them into unnatural positions.
So … if you are walking six to eight miles a day on rocky trails and you want shoes to last more than a few months, you have to be willing to pay the price(s) for wearing stiff, heavy boots.
Very good points. Let’s see: 60 days at 6 miles per day = 360 miles. That’s what my old shoes did. If I want shoes to last for 6 months – Call it 180 days times 6 miles = 1080 miles. That might be a hard requirement…
Even if the soles manage to hold up, the insoles would be shot. Do you use footbeds in your boots?
I agree that asking for 1000+ miles on a pair of boots is a tough one. Any boot that would last that long will be a horror show for your feet and knees.