If your first piece of footwear is keens/chacos/teva sandals, does anybody have any advice on the second, more substantial shoe? I'm thinking I'll need something that works for both cold weather hiking as well as the occasional nightclub. Any experienced RTW-ers with some wisdom to share?

If you're going to colder climates (and hey, wet feet get cold even in fairly warm temps in the rain!) a light pair of tennis shoes works very well. I bought a pair for $5 in Thailand that I subsequently walked around all of Europe with. Might have been good to go with something more waterproof though, as they soaked through in about thirty seconds in a good downpour.

I should also mention that I also had a third pair of shoes when I traveled, which was my pair of Birkenstock's as I am in love with the things and they didn't take up much room and I could get away with wearing them for going out purposes with a skirt. Arguably not completely needed yes, but it was a preference thing and everyone carries a few things not absolutely "needed" anyway.

I can't say that my choice was terribly classy, but I chose a pair of all-brown Balance hiking/all-purpose shoes. I loved them with all of my heart and since I did a LOT of hiking and carrying all that extra weight can be intense on your feet, I recommend a solid colored cross-trainer type shoe.

Now, this shoe didn't work with skirts, but because they were solid brown they looked fine (if not a tad grungy by the end of my year) under a pair of jeans. I added that to my chacos and a pair of shower shoes - and then when I was in Oz/UK I bought a 4 Euro pair of flats to match a skirt and then pitched them when I got to SEA and India becuase...well, you don't need cute shoes there because you're not doing that kind of partying. Flip-flops/my brown shoes worked fine in every going out occaision over there - it's really only Europe and Oz where they have rules against flip flops at the clubs.

Hope that helps, like I said, it wasn't the height of fashion but those three shoes got me nicely through a year RTW!

~Shannon
alittleadrift.com

Definitely a light hiker. You could walk for a day in the city or be prepared for anything short of an expedition with them, they're relatively light, and if you dump enough money into them, probably laced with Gore-tex for waterproof comfort. I've personally had the Vasque Breeze, and the New Balance 1201. I've found the new Balance have fit better (the ones I have on my current trip), but I think the quality of the construction and efficiency of the venting on the Vasque were both far better. But there are dozens of light hikers out there... a little something for everybody.

I add a second vote for the waterproof light hiker in addition to a versatile pair of sandals. I used Keens on a 2-month trip and loved them (especially since I am a bit clumsy and kick a concrete curb once in a while- they saved my foot in Peru for sure).

I am also contemplating throwing in a pair of water shoes (very lightweight, compact) for swimming in places with sharp, coral pieces on the beach. Has anyone found these useful? We will be doing a fair amount of beach bumming on our big trip.

My 2nd shoes are North Face light hikers and they are super dreamy. And versatile. And awesome. And if it was legal where I live I might marry them. Well.. maybe not marry. But you get the idea. One pair of sandals and one pair of hiking shoes seems to cover 95% of situations.

I'm finding what shoes to bring the hardest part of getting ready for my RTW! Aaahhh!!!

I've finally decided on a light hiker shoe but what I cant decide is to get a waterprood version or not. I'll be travelling around South America, Oz, SE Asia and India for the year.

I work in a shoe shop and we sell a great light hiker but it's not waterproof. So my dilemma. Do I get my staff discount and have a great, but not waterproof, shoe for cheap or should I go get a waterproof version of the same shoe at triple the price? Is waterproof neccessary? Please help me!

I settled on the Teva Tamur V

Hey juuuliejulie -

I personally vote YES for the waterproof thing, but make sure it's BREATHABLE waterproof. Like with Gore-Tex. Because plastic boots are technically "waterproof" too, and that isn't so good. Especially for the heat. Shoes like the OP's choice are not breathable. I had a pair of "waterproof" Teva hikers once too. Sure, they didn't let water in, but they also didn't let sweat out... so at the end of the day you might as well have been swimming for how dry your feet will be. Eeew.

Go check out some light hikers with Gore-Tex. I think highly of the Vasque Breeze, and clearly Shawnosaurus has good feelings about North Face. But if you do decide NOT to go with Gore-Tex, then whatever you do stay away from "waterproof" boots. Just get something with lots of vents so your feet don't drown in their own sweat. Hope that helps!

I'm usually of the mindset to bring less and just purchase things on the road as you need them.

That was my attitude with footwear with my trip through the Americas. The problem I had is that I was unable to find a nice tennis/athletic-style shoe that fit my foot for months. I tried buying shoes in probably 5 different countries and couldn't find one that fit until Chile. It isn't like I have huge feet either, atleast when compared to men in the US (size 11!).

Thanks for the advice Bideshi