s. you like boots, then there ya go... boots it is
Lot's of stuff is available on this topic thru the search engine, too. Below are a few reposts of mine which you may or may not choose to consider.
Let me start by saying that if someone chooses to walk in the types of boots you have listed, that is a personal choice. If
asked, I
might recommend a different type of hiking footwear to try. But footwear choices are so individual to fit and comfort, that someone making an informed decision for a boot who, having given them a good trial run and liking the choice, is not getting an argument from me
.
The problem is with any broad generalizations made advocating boots for hiking and backpacking. There is now a large body of experience which contradicts such specific advocacy. In other words, hiking boots are not critical for comfort. To be sure, boots have their adherents (I love my Lowa Camino for winter time); and some are great quality footwear. However, the trend toward trail runners and trail shoes now have a large following as the technology has matured. And for good reason.
For example, the preference by ultralight thru hikers over the last 5 years on the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail have largely been to running and trail runner type shoes. This trend has been increasingly adopted by other backpackers over the last several years. Additionally, the issue of a 'waterproof' shoe is increasingly being turned aside --- as the weaknesses and disadvantages to the technology have become more apparent --- in favor to materials which drain fast and dry quickly.
When I am hired to gear test runners, trail, runners, hiking shoes, and boots I have purposefully walked through streams to assess their ability to dry out and perform when wet, have hiked over severely rough, rutted, and rocky debris strewn trails to check out stability and comfort and support, and have taken muddied and wet rocked uphill trails to determine traction and stability under typical adverse conditions in the back country.
In some instances, boots would have performed slightly better; in other areas there is no discernible difference. Generally, a heavier and beefier hiking boot will definitely last longer than a runner, trail runner, or hiking shoe, but at over three times the price of such footwear, boots should be expected to do so.
But, and this is a critical factor for me, and to a lot of backpackers and trekkers: Boots can be from two to nearly three times as heavy on the foot as those other choices.
The military studies on fatigue and footwear have determined that, on average, one pound on the foot is equal to five pounds carried on the back. At nearly three and a half pounds per pair, that means over 17 pounds. At an average weight of 1.75 pounds per pair of trail runners, wearing a trail runner drops that weight to 5.25 pounds
The practical issues for less experienced and fit pilgrims are several. Excess fatigue and wear on the legs can obviously drain energy quicker, making for a more tiring day of walking. The frequency of issues, such as shin splints, knee pain, ankle strain, and blistering rises with higher levels of work to the legs, which is increased by heavier than needed footwear.
There are several other issues regarding boots versus trail runners and shoes. And as with generalizations about boots, there is a danger in being overly general regarding the suitability of trail runners as a universal given.
I have thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, which includes severe terrain underfoot, in trail runners. I use trail runners and running shoes now instead of the heavy boots that I used to use until the early 1990's. I now have thousands of miles of practical use, both from personal walking and in gear testing various footwear products.
The picture you included looks fearsome for a footwear challenge, and trail runners and running shoes have dealt with such terrain quite nicely. There really is no universal 'either/ or' need to choose a heavier boot over a lighter shoe based on only terrain anymore.
As I wrote above, it is an individual choice as to what footwear one chooses to wear. It is also true that in the non winter, cold-weather seasons, the choice of a trail runner, runner, or hiking shoe is more than adequate to do the job for those who do not have extenuating medical or orthopedic limitatioankns.