Kids Hiking Shoes – Why are they essential for your child?
You and your family are getting ready to embark on an incredible journey, but you are unsure whether or not your children require hiking shoes or whether their ordinary athletic shoes would be sufficient.
The cost of kids hiking shoes can be high, and children’s feet seem to sprout overnight. It is conceivable that kids will outgrow their hiking shoes before they wear them out.
Children often get by just fine with a typical pair of athletic shoes; nevertheless, there are some scenarios in which you might want to purchase a pair of high-quality kids hiking shoes.
Why Is It Necessary for Children to Have Hiking shoes?
Stability
Kids hiking shoes provide the ankles with a significant amount of support. It leads to a reduction in the number of falls and sprains. Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of a lovely trek and falling, rolling your ankle as a result.
Traction
The terrain on hiking paths is rarely paved, resulting in many loose soil and stones. The terrain on many paths is uneven, and there are a seemingly endless number of climbs and descents. Maintaining a sufficient traction level is essential to avoid slipping and falling. When youngsters stand on solid ground, they feel safer and more in control of their surroundings.
Waterproofing
This is one of the children’s most important characteristics of a pair of hiking shoes. You will not have to worry about your children being irritable because they have to go about in socks that are always becoming wet. Children who play with their feet in wet environments are far more likely to become unwell, which is a terrible experience for both the parent and the child.
Protection
Hiking paths and the underbrush of forest floors may be dangerous since you never know what might be hiding there. Your youngster will have far more protection when wearing kids hiking shoes instead of conventional sneakers. Sticks, nails, or animals with sharp claws will have a tough time penetrating hiking footwear.
Who Among the Parents Needs to Buy Their Children a Pair of Kids Hiking shoes?
Regular Hikers
If you and your family love hiking throughout the year, investing in some kids’ hiking shoes would be smart.
Your children’s footwear will be put to good use if they take up hiking as a passion, which will justify the expense of purchasing new footwear. Nobody enjoys the experience of purchasing an expensive item, using it once or twice, then put it away in the closet for years, only to ultimately give it to Goodwill after transporting it about in the trunk of their car for half a year.
Kids with a genuine interest in hiking will grow into far more capable hikers who can tackle routes and terrain that are progressively more challenging. This primary motivation would lead me to get hiking footwear for children. When the terrain gets more challenging, it is essential to have a firm foothold and good traction to avoid falling. The performance capabilities of your typical athletic footwear are likely to be grossly inadequate in this regard.
Kids hiking shoes offer the stability that can prevent injuries such as rolled ankles and other injuries that might result from sliding and falling.
Kids who have been hiking for a while will have a greater capacity for endurance and can walk for long periods. They walked considerably more comfortable over longer distances thanks to the kids hiking shoes they wore.
Families that have more than one child
I know you may find this absurd, but please bear with me. Hiking shoes are designed to withstand repeated use. When your eldest child outgrows their clothes, it will be simple for you to hand them down to the next child in line because you will have started with the oldest.
I recommend that you get kids unisex hiking shoes for your children so that either gender may use them and pass them down through the family.
As a mother of four children, hand-me-downs are an important part of our lives; thus, I find this feature of hiking shoes to be one of the things I enjoy most about them.
Hikes Involving Water
One of the things that make kids hiking shoes so popular and one of their finest characteristics is the fact that they are waterproof. Trekking boots are an absolute need for your children if there is even a remote possibility that you will be hiking in the snow or through any water.
No child will be pleased to be forced to go about their day with feet drenched in water. Your day will be ruined due to this, and I mean that in the most literal sense.
In addition to being waterproof, the stability of kids hiking shoes is a vital feature for wet and slippery terrain. Regular athletic shoes do not offer the level of grip required to keep you safe. They have the opposite effect and become exceedingly slippery; thus, it is best to hike barefoot if possible.
Difficult Topography
If you stay on properly maintained and paved trails, you can get away with wearing your regular athletic shoes. Purchasing a good pair of kids hiking shoes is a smart idea if you plan on doing something somewhat or much more challenging.
The tough terrain will put their young legs and feet through much more of a test than normal. If you can provide your youngster greater stability and traction, they will do much better on the path than if they tried it while wearing sports shoes.
I buy kids hiking shoes, how long should I expect them to last?
There is a huge variation; it entirely depends on the terrain you are trekking on and how well you take care of your hiking shoes. According to the majority opinion, they should last you somewhere between 500 and 1000 kilometers. That seems like an impossible distance for a youngster to walk. It would help if you assumed that kids are hiking shoes to be on the more comfortable end of that spectrum because it is unlikely that youngsters will be traversing many challenging treks.
Because of this, I indicated earlier that purchasing a pair of kids hiking shoes is truly an investment that numerous children can use. You could probably store them for your grandkids to use in the future.
A strong resale value may be expected from kids hiking shoes if you ever decide to part ways with them, outgrow them, or conclude that hiking is not an activity in which your family will participate.
Best Kids Hiking Shoes
The selection of a good pair of hiking shoes is quite a significant decision to make. When it comes to your children, you should seek the traits that are most important to you. This includes the following: traction, stability, and waterproofing.
You should also seek a firm with a good market reputation. Although there is no shortage of inexpensive kids hiking shoes on the market, it is in your best interest to shell out a little bit more cash to acquire excellent shoes that a recognized firm supports. You will be able to have full confidence that they will be of good quality and that they will be able to handle the strenuous job that you will put them through.
My 3 best children’s hiking shoes brands
Keen
Keen is a brand that I feel comfortable recommending as one that can be relied upon. They provide various products for children of all ages, from the youngest babies to older children and adults.
These Keen sneakers are fantastic, and my little one truly enjoy wearing them. They do not have laces, but an easy-to-use bungy lace design is my selling point when purchasing these shoes. This fills me with utter joy. I do not remember exactly how many times we needed to pause so I may fasten someone’s shoelaces. Now students can do the task on their own! These folks, let me tell you, are absolute geniuses!
Merrell
Merrell is also a great company to purchase from. They have a similarly high standard as Keen, the only difference I have seen is the aesthetics of their design, so it is just a matter of personal preference as to which kind of design you like best. Merrell is a great company to purchase from. Their prices are often a couple of dollars less than Keen’s, but the difference is not that significant, so it is not worth mentioning.
Salomon
The Salomon company, founded in 1947 in Annecy in Haute-Savoie-France, is a brand specializing in sports and leisure items. It is distributed in more than 160 countries. Historically, it develops in the field of skiing and more particularly bindings, but, from the 2000s, has diversified towards trail running. It’s one of the best multi-sport brand in the market.
My 3 best children’s hiking shoes
Salomon XA Pro 3D Trail Runners: Fantastic traction and durability
My little one used to wear a previous generation version of these shoes several years back, and my sons now own the same shoe. The flexibility of the shoe and the ease of the lacing system are impressive. It’s nice that Salomon’ shoes use a dense, high-tensile material instead of an elastic one. Because my little one have stretched out their elastic laces too much, I no longer use them.
These shoes are fantastic because they have a lug pattern and a good grip. Children’s hiking shoes that don’ t have good traction frustrate me. When hiking up a granite ledge, I don’t want my child to begin sliding off just because their shoe isn’t well built. They’re definitely the right choice for most trail conditions.
These shoes are durable and will last through multiple wearings.
Buy here this Salomon Hiking Shoes
Merrell Altralight Low: One of the best hiking shoes for kids
These shoes are great for hiking because they have excellent traction, breath very well, and come in wide width sizes too. They’re great at running up rocks and they are really comfortable.
Cons: They are not waterproof. They’re fantastic for dry conditions.
Buy here this Merrell kids hiking shoes
KEEN Targhee Waterproof Shoe –My favourite!
Every year, the waterproof Targhees remain our favorite hiking shoes for both big kids and little kids. It comes in a variety of models including a shoe, a boot and a sport vent. They’re easy to put on and take off, and they really protect children’s feet. I can depend on them lasting through multiple kids.
Buy here your next Keen hiking shoes
Conclusion
Hiking is one of the best outdoor activity you can practice with your children. But to have fun, they must wear comfortable shoes. I hope this guide helped you find the perfect pair of kids hiking shoes. If you need any help or if you have any questions about buying hiking shoes, please feel free to ask me in the comments section below.
