Question: Is it important to have hiking shoes instead of sneakers when going hiking?
My 18 year old nephew is going out to Yellowstone to work for the summer. He has sneakers, good pair that fit him correctly, but I don’t know whether those will serve him well while hiking on his days off. What are the benefits of buying actual hiking footwear? Is it imperative to have them?

Answer:

Answer by the_guy_in_alberta
A good pair of lightweight sneakers will do the trick for a few day hikes and the odd over-nighter. The benifit to buying specifically made hiking runners are that they will probably last a lot longer. Although you read stories about people hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail with a set of Wal-mart runners. The choice really comes down to how big your wallet is and how much of it you want to fork out. Of course if he intends on scrambling up a mountain or crossing numerous snowfields he may want something like a light pair of hiking boots.