Many people attend programmes with shoes that slip, are tight, are too fancy to wreck in the mud…….

Trekking in India involves all kinds of terrain. When you are trekking in Maharashtra, warmth is not such a big deal, but being able to walk through sticky mud is. If you are trekking in the Himalaya, the mud is not as sticky, but the distances are longer and warmth becomes a priority if you want to avoid frost bite.

I thought a quick post to point people to would help me by removing the necessity of repeating this information all the time.

1. NEVER wear shoes for trekking for the first time when you are walking for hours at a time and can’t change them if they get uncomfortable. Break your shoes in gently (for your feet – shoes don’t feel). Use them for shorter trips before heading out for that week long extreme trek.
2. ALWAYS trial walk on a variety of surfaces – rough, smooth, marble, stony, wet, etc. to check for slipping.
3. Buy trekking shoes in the evening when your feet are slightly bigger than in the morning from standing all day.
4. The shoes should fit comfortably. By this, I mean a soft cushioning around your feet so that they are neither gripped by the shoe, nor rattling from the extra space.
5. For treks and situations where you expect to do a lot of walking, thick soles work well.
6. Some people prefer hard soles, others don’t. You will need to find out from experience.
7. COTTON SOCKS and plenty of them, please! You don’t want to get those nice shoes smelly, and your companions unconscious.
8. Floaters or slippers to wear on the campsite. I mention these and the socks in this list, because they are an important part of a comfortable experience with trekking shoes.
9. Expensive or cheap trekking shoes? Experiment with different brands and types of shoes to experience what makes you happiest. For example, action trekking shoes in Mumbai are reasonably priced, popular with young hikers and most people find them comfortable, while others would want imported brands specially engineered for trekking.
10. Care for your shoes as you would care for a car. Checking condition, waterproofing, cleaning and other small bits of attention ensure that your shoes don’t end up surprising you in a way you don’t like when in action.

If you think this list is silly, try being in my shoes where every programme has a percentage of participants not happy about their footwear (or me not happy with theirs – in the case of high heeled sandals – because the climbing site was near a beach), or try getting embarrassed participants to talk about fungal infections on feet when they want first aid.

Which is the best trekking shoe for you?

Update: While I have no specific recommendations on shoes, Raka had suggestions about brands of trekking shoes and availability in India.