Why your Inca Trail Hiking Shoes for Machu Picchu is very important?

Hiking shoes for the Inca Trail Trek and Machu Picchu “Peru Travel Guide Blog Posts“.

A nice pair of Trekking shoes is one of the most important accessories you’ll wear during your Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu.

Please read this detailed and important article and consider our top detailed day by day recommendation such as Altitude sickness in Cusco – Peru. 

If you are considering Hiking the Inca Trail Hike, or Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5D/4N, or any other risky high point hiking treks around the world, then you should know, your most essential allies are your hiking shoes. Whether you are stepping on the hardscrabble trails above the Andes clouds or some of the wider, better-groomed trails in Peru, high quality and durable hiking shoes are an absolute must.

If you don’t choose carefully, you will tire soon and be susceptible to cramps and blisters, or set yourself up for twisted ankles and an array of more serious injuries while hiking the Inca trails or any other hiking trips in Peru.

What is the “Inca Trail Hike” In Peru?

The Inca Trail is the most famous hike in all of South America. It is even considered by many as one of the top 5 hikes in the world. Along the classic Inca trail hike of 4 days and 3 nights, you’ll cross gravels and muddy terrains during the rainy season, zones of half mountain, and view many archeological Inca ruins. There are a lot of opportunities for carrying out trekking activities for hours in a lot of fun ways until you arrive at Machupicchu Inca Ruins.

To enjoy these activities, without thinking about your feet, you can choose between several options – boots, half-boots, slippers or a good  pair of Inca trail footwear.  Whether you opt for a waterproof version or not, with a breathable membrane or lesser protection, the variety of materials allows you to choose the most suitable Hiking shoes for yourself.

There are many fun activities in which you can indulge yourself, but the variety of those complicates our decision. The choice of – What kind of hiking shoes would be the right one for you?

We’ll try to help you clarify that later, but in general, the choice of your Inca trail hiking shoes will depend on a combination of external factors like:

• The kind of Activity you’re looking for
• Place in which it realizes your Hike
• Orography
• Terrain
• Meteorology
• the weight of the shoes that we must load

And a few Personal Factors:

• Physical form
• Hiking experience
• Morphology
• Elevation

Requirements for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Hiking shoes

1 . Protection:

Hiking Boots and shoes are meant to protect our feet. That is why most hikers do their research by reading numerous travel articles related to trekking shoes. When you walk into mother nature or climb onto the mighty mountains, it is easy to receive or to give blows to stones and roots. Therefore, our trekking shoes or boots must wear a reinforced rubber front to protect our toes, a heel to protect the back of our feet, and lateral and instep protection. Without these protections, we risk serious injuries, along with losing confidence in complex terrains, leading to unfortunate results and losing security.

These protections also serve to hold the foot, something very necessary, for example, to cross a half-slope. With a normal athletic shoe, the foot will force the shoe towards the slope, preventing our movements. With a trekking shoe, you will be able to stand firmly, hike a rugged trail to Machu Picchu, and travel safely through all types of terrain on the Andes. For this reason, We created this article Inca Trail Shoes in order to hike Machu Picchu.

Important to Note

The main protection that we need from men’s and women’s hiking shoes along the Inca trail is its sturdiness, comfort, and ankle protection. So in many cases, the choice of medium or high boots will be adequate.

Note: We’ll talk more later about slippers, medium boots, and high boots

And let’s not forget something that tends to be ignored

There is a difference between hiking – The Inca Trail or Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu – with weight or without it. When we are carrying a backpack for days, it is essentially a nice pair of shoes or boots that stabilize us on the trek. It makes the difference between having itches, pains and irritations, versus not having them at all. That is an addition to the security that comes with stability because nothing is more dangerous than losing our balance and focus on the mountain.

One most important part to consider while selecting hiking shoes and boots

Grip Sole

All trekking shoes must have a sole that allows you to practice the sport for which it is designed. On the mountain, while talking about the Vibram Soles, we are not only pointing towards something that helps us in practice but also, towards our safety and physical integrity.

The Hiking Boot’s sole is the thing that binds you to the terrain and allows you to move through the complex landscapes. The compound with which they are made and their design – are fundamentally crucial and requires a lot of research beforehand. In addition, they have to endure in dry, wet, compact, loose terrain, snow, mud, etc. To achieve this, the designs must show a multidirectional degree of freedom that allows you to climb effectively, not skate. Enable you to make half slopes with confidence, or slow down in descent plain.

The sole also acts as a protective barrier. A very soft shoe, for example, will make you regret in uneven areas, with stones and edges. Most leading brands rely on Vibram and its different soles to fit their model but there are also others that use their own soles, such as Columbia, Keen, and their Stealth rubber. Salomon with their Contagrip soles, or Haglöfs brand with their Asics rubber, which offer a total guarantee.

It is easier to fall for the low range products in the market of trekking footwear, with soles of dubious origin. At that time, you should remember, in the mountains, quality and performance are directly related to safety.

2. Breathability/impermeability

Impermeability is something very important to make it through the Inca Trail. As every time we talk about mountain material, the breathability-impermeability binomial seems fundamental.

On the one hand, we need to go comfortable, dry, and avoid overheating. For that, we need our footwear to transpire. On the other hand, we need to be protected against the elements, in the open air. Not only in the rain or snow but, in the mountains, there is also mud, puddles, rivers to cross, and the meadows in the morning are moist of dew.

The membrane footwear solves this problem, as it allows the foot to transpire while maintaining its waterproof ability. But keep in mind, despite being breathable, it is not so much like Hiking Shoes or hiking boots without the membrane.

The hard and resistant trekking boots and shoes perspire little due to the accumulation of materials on them. So, if you travel through warm and mild humid areas, you can choose models with less resistance and no membrane.

For other cases… we insist on safety and protection, always ahead of other factors.

Humid areas on a path of the Pyrenees; Throughout the day, the membrane becomes indispensable

3. Security

This is actually the consequence of all of the above. Hiking shoes & Hiking boots that grip in all situations, protecting us from blows, rubbings, ores, and inclement weathers. Shoes, allowing us to load a heavy backpack and making our trek safe in complex terrains – such as on mountains and in wild landscapes.

4. Comfort Care

Obviously, Comfort is important. It allows us to enjoy the activities on our trek (and we all prefer to be comfortable).

But what happens when our hiking footwear hurts us, causing chafing and blisters. It will make our trek tremendously insecure by increasing the chances of an accident.

But we must not confuse our comfort that emanates from the choice of a suitable product with our comfort in general. For example, we all feel more comfortable with slippers than with boots. Or with a softer shoe than one somewhat stiffer. But every unique situation requires a unique type of footwear.

Comfort is important once you have chosen the type of footwear. If you opt for boots, you must look for a model that, with all the required benefits, feels more comfortable. But you must not risk wearing sandals or slippers without protections just because you find it more “comfortable”.

In addition, today,  Hiking shoes or boots are not like what they used to be before. Not like the punishment boots that you just need to wear and suffer. Nowadays, hiking boots and other similar footwear, are of equal or even superior comfort than any slipper. They don’t hurt and fit like a glove.

This is crucial to emphasize in a time when due to the influence of speed and some professionals, a poorly understood security comfort is a priority. We have to understand that they have a physical form, a technique, and an experience that most of us lack, and which, moreover, do not usually carry just weight in their activities.

Let’s make an important rule of thumb today. “Security has to be the most important factor that motivates our choice, Always“.

High, medium boot, shoe-slipper? Which Hiking shoes do you prefer for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Trekking shoes (here we could include the most resistant trail running shoes for ultras, like the Ultra Raptor of the Sportiva) are obviously very comfortable. But unlike running or other types of sports shoes, they usually are higher from below of the malleolus, which rests on them, allowing an ankle attachment. It’s less than that of a boot but provides solid protection at the end of the day.

Grip Soles also incorporate front, side, and heel protection, and are suitable for the mountains. (although in the case of the trail slippers, and the lighter, they can be too soft, and not completely protect us from the irregularities of the terrain). And having no cane, they sweat better.

Does this mean that we can use them as trekking and hiking shoes? yes or no? Are they designed for any situation? The quick answer is NO.

Slippers are more agile and lighter. This has its advantages, but also its inconveniences.

The lower shank of the slippers protects our ankle, and these are good for easy terrains or short excursions. But on a very long day, when your energy is drained, the support that hiking Shoes or boots give us is irreplaceable. Who has not felt that ankle’s twisting at each difficult step due to a lack of energy? And a much worse condition with a hefty backpack on your shoulders.

Obviously, this all depends on the physical form and the experience of each person. That, in no case, is the same as a professional or someone with much better shape and experience, than for an occasional practitioner in better or worse shape. Before you imitate the way they dress, fit, and do things their way, you have to evaluate whether you are truly like them, and can you really do it? Or not.

If you use trail slippers for hiking or trekking, keep in mind, that the soles are softer. This is good for walking on the roads, and on regular terrains, or for those who are in shape and experience. For those who like to “feel” the terrain. But for most of the occasional practitioners, who go “off-road”, a much better option will be with the protection and safety of a stiffer sole.

In short, when we are carrying a heavy backpack while crossing the landscape for several days, in molts of winter, etc., slippers do not help us with stabilization and they cushion us less.

Millet High Route Gtx, Alpine trekking boot that can be used for mountaineering, true smiles, etc. 

Hiking Boots:

Hiking boots are heavier and less agile but provide good protection and stability when we carry a hefty backpack. And let’s not forget that there are many different heights of cane. Half-cane boots are like the SUVs, best of both worlds.

These are the best tips for the Inca Trail shoes.

* The most protected, high-cane boots are multifunctional, and you can use them for non-technical mountaineering purposes without any problems.

* Boot’s cane not only protects your ankle but also from the elements (like mud, rain, snow, humidity, etc.). It preventing them to enter to our foot.

When to wear the slippers and when to wear Hiking shoes for the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu trip?

As we have said, in addition to the external factors. The physical, technical and experience of each is a very important element. But in general:

* For short outings and clear weather conditions, you can wear shoes or slippers.

* For longer outings and chillier weather conditions, or in case of humidity and irregular mountain terrains where you’ll be crossings the land of several days while carrying the hefty backpack on your shoulders, you should wear rain protection shoes.

There is no use for a perfectly designed membrane, boot, or slipper if we do not wear the right Socks. They are going to be in direct contact with our skin, and therefore their design should be seamless (flat seams). They must adjust perfectly and be made with the materials that guarantee the evacuation of sweat and thermal regulation of cold and heat. Normal socks should never be worn, with seams, etc. You’ll only get friction, blisters, and discomfort.