I bought these running sneakers because I had been looking at hiking sneakers. I wanted something low on the ankle, light weight and flexible. Pros: These have a flexible sole and good tread, the fabric breathes. Light weight but supportive to your feet. These are great for walking, light hiking plus I have found they do well in snow and slippery conditions. Great sneakers for your get home bag or to keep in you vehicle. Reason why I feel these would be good "get home sneakers" is the light weigh will not tire you as quick plus you can run in them if needed. There is decent tread if you need to walk off road. The vents and the fabric would allow them to dry more quickly then boots. Cons: The venting. These sneakers are cold in the winter. I knew there was venting when I bought them but never realized how well venting in shoes works. These are great for winter walking (packed snow and ice) but so cold. Not super supportive for heavy hiking. My recommendations if you are looking at buying these new trendy running shoes or hiking sneakers: Try to flex the shoe in your hands, some have very hard soles that have little give. Decide if you will be wearing the shoes all seasons or just for warm months. If need be once you get them home wear them indoors to see if they tire your feet, do they feel to heavy after a few hours? Look at the venting, do you want venting or not. Would I buy this pair again? No, they do not meet all my needs but I have learned what to look for when I go to up-grade. But for now I feel good about my purchase because these were about $40 (clearance rack) and I have worn them in all weather and in different terrains and have been pleased. If I could warmly wear these on 20-30 degree days I would stick with them but I would like an all-season sneaker.
FYI.... Most Rock Climbing Shores, that are NOT designed for Snow and Ice, are very "Sneaker" like, these days. They have Sponge Souls and light weight Tops. Usually High Tops to provide Ankle Support....
I've been using a pair of New Balance 411 All Terrain running sneakers for the last season and a half. Usually I have to get rid of my running shoes every six months, but since I only use them when on the trails they are still good. They are vented also, but I've never just walked with them on, always run. Needless to say, I never got cold with them on, because after I stop running I am full of sweat and will get cold regardless. They are pretty inexpensive as far as running shoes go, and my next pair will come from Amazon, since I know they still make them. I've noticed shoes are like tires, you only buy them once in a great while. When you had a good set that you've liked that are worn out, and go to get some more, they no longer make that particular model anymore. Amazon.com: New Balance Men's Mt411V2 Trail Shoe: Shoes I guess enough people like running trails to keep buying them.
I trek around the area with these.... not necessarily running but they do that okay. We have lot's of water, mushy ground and such..... good to have a pair that has good traction and water resistance that is needed in my AO. Men's Moab Waterproof - Hiking | Merrell Sites-merrell_us-Site
I second YD's post above. Big fan of Merrell myself. For simple tasks and daily walking and hiking, to serious trail hiking out of the elements, definitely a Merrell. But, like BT mentioned, snow and ice and even really rocky terrain (shale for instance which can cut light fabric) I would stick to the serious mountaineering boots (Danner, Bates). These are the Merrell Continuum series, I really enjoy these hikers. Those Adidas sneakers you posted @Motomom34 look almost identical to my pair, but a different color... These are Hi-Tec Ion-Mask sneakers which were surprisingly inexpensive, around $20, but they work really well. I especially like the quick lace feature. These things breathe really well and I use them for running since they have good flex and stability. These are the Nike 5.0 sneakers, which have complete flex and hug your feet well, but after running a few dozen miles in them, I realized they were a very bad solution. The pain they caused me was excruciating. No support at all. Sure, I cut about 1min 30 seconds off my run time on a two mile run, but I paid the price.
For lighter boots i wear a pair of SWAT boots without the steel toes,for low cut hikers i like the C.A.T brand shoes,dont have a pair right now last year i splurged on a pair of 2000g thinsulate cabelas hiking boots for hunting..i do have a pair of adidas running shoes but i normally just waer them around the house,i like having the extra ankle support of hightop boots when im outdoors D
