Boot weight and ankle support
Posted: Jul 8, 2014 5:46 pm
Scott McCrea's brief note in the latest NEWS caught my interest, since I was talking about this yesterday with my brother and a friend. We made a one-mile hike to a nice cliff, and climbed a little. My friend was wearing medium-height hiking boots, I junky tennis shoes, and my brother was barefoot. The topic of ankle support came up, and I said what I always say when I hear the phrase "ankle support," ..."I thought that's what ankles were for." In my mind, comfort and tread are the only real factors.
Today I read Scott's note on page 31 of the July NEWS. He references an outdoorsman's blog that supports the idea that light shoes are better than stiff, heavy boots (this for long-distance walking/hiking, not caving). Ankle support is briefly mentioned, but weight is the main topic. I looked at the article that Scott referenced, and then did some more searching of my own. First, I searched Cavechat for "ankle support." In two pages of results, one individual claimed to prefer rock climbing shoes with little support, everyone else seems to accept that good ankle support is a vital requirement. Including this person:
Then, I searched other sources, and found this bushwalking site that addresses the topic. Check out the third topic down. I admit, I like what this guy has to say mainly because I happen to agree with every bit of it. Does it make any sense to you?
As for weight, it's obvious that heavy shoes will wear you out faster. Scott weighed 8 pairs of boots for his NEWS article, but an important factor that was not included was the absorbency of the material. Some boots may start out lightweight, but will double or triple in weight when soaked with mud and water. Others, like cheap wellies, might be a bit heavier, but will carry a relatively minimal amount of water and mud.
How to apply all this? It doesn't really matter. Shoe choice is rarely as important as we sometimes think it is. Even if you don't decide to reconsider your caving footwear, there is still one way to make use of this information... Realize that people have varying preferences, and that what you always thought to be true may just be a myth. And if you see someone caving in little tiny shoes, leave them alone about it! They might be smarter than you realize.
Today I read Scott's note on page 31 of the July NEWS. He references an outdoorsman's blog that supports the idea that light shoes are better than stiff, heavy boots (this for long-distance walking/hiking, not caving). Ankle support is briefly mentioned, but weight is the main topic. I looked at the article that Scott referenced, and then did some more searching of my own. First, I searched Cavechat for "ankle support." In two pages of results, one individual claimed to prefer rock climbing shoes with little support, everyone else seems to accept that good ankle support is a vital requirement. Including this person:
I see so many youths still wearing sneakers today. No ankle support is dangerous.
Then, I searched other sources, and found this bushwalking site that addresses the topic. Check out the third topic down. I admit, I like what this guy has to say mainly because I happen to agree with every bit of it. Does it make any sense to you?
As for weight, it's obvious that heavy shoes will wear you out faster. Scott weighed 8 pairs of boots for his NEWS article, but an important factor that was not included was the absorbency of the material. Some boots may start out lightweight, but will double or triple in weight when soaked with mud and water. Others, like cheap wellies, might be a bit heavier, but will carry a relatively minimal amount of water and mud.
How to apply all this? It doesn't really matter. Shoe choice is rarely as important as we sometimes think it is. Even if you don't decide to reconsider your caving footwear, there is still one way to make use of this information... Realize that people have varying preferences, and that what you always thought to be true may just be a myth. And if you see someone caving in little tiny shoes, leave them alone about it! They might be smarter than you realize.