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The Search for a Truly Cross Functional Trail Shoe

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Selecting footwear for a hike can be a daunting task; and when your adventure also involves stream crossing, slick rocks, and other off-trail obstacles selecting the best shoe for all these conditions can be even more challenging.  Over the years I have found several attributes of a shoes to be more important to others, and have found a couple of brands to offer models of shoes to better fit the need for a cross functional shoe: to be used on and off trail, through and in water and muddy conditions.
What to Look For In a Shoe
Some attributes to look for in a good cross-functional trail shoe include non-slip rubber, ankle support, breathability, drainability, durability, and the ability to stay on your foot while swimming, stream crossing or navigating mud (high-top shoes are best).
Chaco sandals, Teva and Keen water shoes are a long-time and popular choice for kayakers, SUP-ers, rafters and day-hikers and are most appropriate for warmer months, floating trips on the water and for milder trail conditions.   A more robust shoe, such as the Astral Designs TR1 or TR1 Merge, might be a better choice for difficult trail with wet or muddy conditions.
Material
Most trail/hiking shoes are made of some combination of durable material; and are usually not waterproof in entirety.  If you want to keep your feet dry and warm (for example in colder conditions), you might want to consider Gore-Tex socks, waterproof socks or adding an application of waterproofing to the shoe fabric before using.  Shoes intended to use in water and on trail often are designed to drain water, versus to be entirely watertight and waterproof; this feature is helpful when needing to maintain the lightweight properties of the shoes while stream crossing or swimming in the footwear. You can supplement the insulation of these types of shoes by wearing insulating neoprene socks, which like a wetsuit, maintain warmth when wet, unlike a cotton sock that pulls warmth from the skin when wet.
Fit
Make sure to try your shoe on before purchasing, and to additionally spend time breaking in the shoe (with the socks or layers you plan to use with the shoe).  A sure way to detract from the wonderful experience of a hike is getting blisters or pain in “hot-spots” early on in a hike if you have spent the time pre-trip to break in your new trail shoe.   
Each brand and type of shoe has a slightly nuanced fit, so if possible, try to go into a store to test fit, or order your shoes early enough to allow for return and re-order if the fit isn’t quite right.
Selecting Soles and Type of Rubber for Traction
Most trail and robust hiking shoes have stiffer soles, more stability, and better traction than typical running or walking shoes, but thick and rigid soles can be very slippery on wet, icy or rocky terrain.  Shoes that have a thick enough sole to protect against rough terrain, but still allow for good flex at the balls of the feet are ideal for unstable and wet/slippery terrain.
My favorite shoes for all conditions have siped rubber: which is a process of modifying rubber that is often used on car tires involving cutting thin slits across a rubber surface to improve traction and grip for use on wet or icy terrain.
What features do you find as “must-haves” in a cross-functional trail shoe?
These are just a few of the features that I find most useful in a cross functional shoe, and these features are by no means a comprehensive list.  What features do you find most useful in a shoe for trail, off trail, mud, slick rocks, and wet conditions?
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Mar 24, 2019
Need a light weight trail shoe with a toe gard or a tough front so when you kick roots or rocks you won't stub your toe. Also breathability so it can dry fast. I have Ultras and Vasque....are there any others??
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