One of the most important purchases you can make for your travels is your shoes. With the correct pair of boots every trip is a pleasure, regardless of the weather (well, almost). Your shoes are definitely not the place to save money, but surprisingly, the most expensive boots are usually the worst! That's because the most expensive boots are overdesigned and way too heavy for casual, or even long distance hiking.

    I personally recommend the lightest weight hiking shoe you can wear comfortably with your backpack load. Even a long distance hiker doing the Appalachian Trail needs to buy the most minimal boots he or she thinks they can get away with. When thinking about longer trips, the immediate thing to do is think you need military level strength and durability for you gear. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    You see, the most important component to comfort on any hike is the weight of your gear, assuming you're dressed for the weather. Wearing a lighter boot with a lighter pack saves energy and makes hiking almost as effortless as walking. There's nothing worse than trying to hike with a 50 pound backpack up and down mountains in intense heat, with boots that are like 5 pound weights of each foot. For some reason, this is what people think hiking should be. It ain't.

    Get your packweight down. I hiked 1,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail with a base weight of 20 pounds. Because of this I was able to use trail runners instead of heavy hiking boots while out on the trail. With the switch to trail runners I saved 3 pounds on each step on my hike. The right shoes and packweight really can make all the difference in your comfort.

    There are a whole lot of hiking shoes out there, but my personal favorite brands are Asolo, Montrail, Merrell, and Vasque. They're all extremely well designed boots, and they all will do a great job in providing the ankle support needed out there on the trail.

    REI is really a great place to buy cheap hiking boots. When I was planning my long distance hike I would always check the REI-Outlet for great deals where you can save some serious money over the retail cost of the shoes. Otherwise, all these shoes are a great value for the price, and will take you the distance.