What should I look for in footwear for walking long distances in mostly urban areas while carrying a heavy backpack?

Question

I want to start looking for the footwear for my next world hitchhiking trip.

On my last two trips I got name brand hiking shoes (Kathmandu and Merrell) but the soles wore out before each trip was up.

I'm not asking for specific brands or models, just what kinds of materials, specs, or characteristics to look for. (Though "durable soles" is not an easy trait to Google for.)

I will only take one pair of shoes. As a hitchhiker I can cover up to 30 km in a day carrying 15kg or more. Hiking shoes are designed for use mostly on natural surfaces and use on asphalt and concrete causes them to wear more quickly.

I used to wear normal sneakers/trainers but moved up to hiking shoes for the extra support for the times I was on rougher terrain with a backpack where I'd injured tendons before.

Is there even a class of footwear suitable for my needs?

Answer 1

Well, I am really biased for this question:

German Meindl shoes.

I am wearing them exclusively and you can send them back to repair them and get even a new sole. One pair I owned hold 15 years (!), they are nearly indestructible with good care.

Meindl separates shoes in categories, the higher (A->Z), the sturdier and more robust, but also heavier.

• A: No shaft, relatively thin soles: free time, walking, traveling. Urban areas, parks, good ways.

• A|B: More robust version of A: Walkings in mountainous terrain, but still on good paths. Signed walking ways. Almost as light as A.

• B: Shaft and soles with grip: Walk more challenging trips and on bad ways.

• B|C: Trekking shoes. Allows very challenging walking routes even in high mountains. Walk on bad ways, ways with pebbles and easier climbing routes.

• C: High mountain shoes. Climbing will now be assumed, it allows climbing irons.

• D: Himalaya and South Pole. No ways anymore, but overhanging routes, glaciers, ice curtains and extreme cold.

Essentially if you only do light hiking, you can use A or A|B. You can always chose a higher level, but the shoes get more and more heavy, so the best option is choosing a shoe which is good for the trail you use and then choose the lightest shoe.

Answer 2

Basically you want good support, a sturdy sole and cushioning. As long as you are not going to tackle difficult terrain, a cross-training running shoe can probably do it. My first pair of Nike lasted me over 10 years including carrying an 80L backpack, with roughly 25kg of stuff in it, for months at a time.

After that pair was done, I switch to something even more durable, a hiking shoe with a subtle look so that I can wear that one exclusively in cities too since I also do not carry an extra shoes. The new ones are from Salomon. This is the second pair I got, after the first one lasted 8 years. I particularly liked the internal laces which means nothing is dangling or gets untied even after extensive walking. On my last trip I averaged 18km/day for 86 days without a noticeable increase in wear.