Last month I wrote a post here about hiking shoes. I was talking about how difficult it was for me to find hiking shoes. I actually ended up getting two pairs a few weeks ago but I haven’t had a chance to test them out yet. I’ll have to come back and let you know more about them when I do test them out. I’m hoping to get out on the trails this weekend but there are no plans set in stone for that yet.

In any case, in the original article I mentioned a company that makes hiking shoes – Webtogs. At the time, I was looking at their Berghaus brand of shoes. They recently sent me a link to a video that pointed out something else that I might need – a lightweight jacket.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like wearing layers. I originally come from the Arizona desert where the idea of wearing layers was just plain foreign to me. My main goal was to take off as many layers as possible! I lived in tank tops and light denim jeans. Now I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and that means that I have to wear layers. I’ve adjusted but I still don’t like it.

That’s why my attention was caught by this particular product. Supposedly the jacket (called the Marmot Mica Jacket) is so lightweight that it barely even feels like a jacket. I own several jackets but none of them are particularly lightweight. And I don’t own one that’s good for hiking. According to the video (which you can watch below) the jacket is made with a unique material that is waterproof and breathable while still being lightweight. Looks interesting.

Tags: clothing, hiking gear, lightweight jacket, outdoor wear, webtogs

I got the chance to spend some time hiking yesterday. It was beautiful out and I had a great time. But going out hiking brought up a problem that’s been plaguing me for literally years now. The problem is that I don’t have good hiking gear even though I hike frequently. Every single time I go out, I say that I’m going to get hiking boots and a good hiking backpack. And then I never actually go get either of them so the next time I go hiking I find myself once again trekking around in my tennies with a school backpack weighing me down.

I’ve finally started looking into different pairs of hiking shoes. I haven’t decided on any yet but am kind of intrigued by the Berghaus brand available through Webtogs. One of the things that caught my attention was their YouTube videos that describe their shoes really well (see the one below to get an idea of what I mean). This seems really helpful since it tells me what to look for in a hiking shoe, something that I’m not really entire sure of.

From the video below, I learned that leather is a good choice for hiking shoes since it’s durable and all-season-friendly. I learned that I want a waterproof hiking shoes (which I supposed I could’ve figured out on my own if I’d thought about it since it does seem like common sense). I want shoes that have good traction so I don’t fall when climbing. And I want a lightweight shoe that’s not going to feel heavy on my feet as I walk.

The coolest thing about this shoe is its advanced lacing system. I’m sure the video describes it better than I can so I’ll just let you watch it but suffice to say that it highlights the fact that there are a lot of great hiking shoe features that I need to take into consideration before I buy my pair. No wonder it’s taken me so long to make a decision on this!

Tags: berghaus, hiking, hiking shoes, kathryn vercillo, shoes, shopping, webtogs