Overtime, hiking has become more than just an outdoor activity people engage in during summer or winter for fun. These days, people sometimes go the extra mile to ensure they look fashionable when going on a hiking trip.
And this “extra mile” fashionable dressing includes tossing the basic clothes in their closet and picking something stylish for the occasion. Based on our observation, we discovered that it has extended to hiking boots as well because, you know, “plain boots can be boring.”
This brings up the question of “what color hiking boots should I get” by many hikers on a trip. While some people wear colorful hiking boots to be fashionable, others wear the same footwear for different reasons.
In the course of reading this post, we will help you decide which hiking boots color you should wear for your next trip. Furthermore, we’ll examine the pros and cons of selecting some colors and what hiking occasions best suit them.
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What Color Hiking Boots Should I Get?
For some people, style comes in second place, while the boot’s functionality comes first. And you would agree that this is how it’s meant to be because your safety and comfort should come first.
Now that we’ve established that, let’s examine what kind of colors you should wear for hiking.
When it comes to hiking boot’s color, they are usually either bright or earth tone. You know how bright colors stand out and are very glaring to the eyes, while earth tone colors are cool and may almost blend with the environment.
Some hiking experts advise that you wear bright clothing for your hiking expenditures. Why? To allow other hikers or hunters to spot your presence quickly when you are lost or for other reasons.
1. Bright Color Hiking Boots
Bright colors are pretty fashionable, depending on how you rock them and what pieces of clothing you pair them to. If you want your hiking boots to be noticeable, you may want to go for bright colors, like orange, yellow, red, magenta, etc.
Bright colors make you stand out from nature, and can make your pictures look amazing. If you’re hoping to take a few picture clicks to share on Instagram, Facebook, or with friends and family, you want to look good to the littlest detail about what you wear.
Pros
- They are fashionable
That you’re going hiking doesn’t mean you have to wear dull clothes. You don’t always have to wear black or brown hiking boots because you’re going into the woods or mountain climbing.
You can throw a little fashion in there. For example, bright-colored hiking boots are fashionable, and they go with most hiking occasions.
Whether going on a multiple-day hiking trip or a short hiking trip, you can wear bright-colored hiking boots. They make you look good and your pictures even better.
Plus, when you’ve got your bright-colored hiking boots, what you have to worry about is combining them with the right and fashionable hiking clothes.
As a bit of advice, always keep in mind that they have to be comfortable, protective, and functional because you can’t afford to bleed while you drip.
- Easy to spot
Bright colors stand out wherever they are, and the same applies to hiking boots – you could spot them from afar. If you are not all about your hiking boots blending with nature, you can go for colorful hiking boots.
Just as bright clothes can make hikers or hunters see you, colorful hiking boots can help others find you. If you drift away from your hiking group or get lost on the trails, your boot’s color can quickly give away your location during a search.
Plus, there are increased chances that you are not the only hiker in the area, and others might be out there hunting. So you don’t want to get shot or mistaken as prey. The color you wear signals to others that you are human and not their prey.
Cons
- They are obvious
If you want to blend in with nature, it may be best if you don’t wear colorful hiking boots at all, especially if you are on a hunting expedition.
Colorful clothing makes you noticeable, and you don’t want to scare your prey away. If you’re also out bird-watching as you hike, you don’t want them to run away from you after spotting your movement in the area.
- Selective to weather and environment
Sometimes, there’s nothing like bad weather but only a poor choice of clothing. Generally, it isn’t the best choice to wear colorful hiking boots if you are going on long hiking trails, especially if you are likely to go through muddy waters.
Why? Colorful hiking boots tend to quickly get dirty and messy. The same goes for desert hiking because bright-colored hiking boots collect a lot of dust on them, and they would be obvious.
If you are hiking in the rain or it suddenly starts pouring while you hike, you can guess the kind of mess your “colorful” footwear would be.
- Cleaning can be tough
When colorful hiking boots get dirty, they are as obvious as their colors. You cannot “manage” to wear and re-wear bright hiking boots without cleaning them up. You have to ensure that you get all the stains out of them if you want them to look as fashionable as when you first got them.
This easily translates to consistent cleaning. However, scrubbing and washing also mean that while you’re trying to get the stains out, they may lose their colors and start fading.
In fact, in some cases, you may have to refrain from wearing them too often. The best ways to overcome this would be by having multiple colorful hiking boots to swap on different occasions or getting earth-toned colors whose stains are hardly noticeable.
Hard to match
Generally, colorful hiking boots can be color selective. How? You have to pair it with the right clothing colors so as not to look dressed up as a clown on your hiking trip.
2. Earth Tone Colors
Earth tone colors are natural, neutral colors that blend with the environment and are hardly noticeable. Some hikers trying to be more in tune with nature wear earth tone colors, like brown, black, gray, or anything dark.
However, some experts advise that it’s safe to wear bright colors when hiking for different safety reasons. In this case, you may want to ensure that at least one of your clothing is bright-colored, maybe your jacket.
If you would rather stick with neutral colors all through, ensure you’re not hiking during hunting seasons. Furthermore, you might want to avoid areas where hunting is allowed, desolate hiking places, or places having little visibility.
Pros
- Suitable for any clothing
Earth tone color hiking boots are not selective. For this reason, you don’t have to worry much about what color of cloth to combine with your hiking boots for you to get that stylish look.
Quite contrary to stereotypes, they are not dull and unstylish either. In fact, you would still find fashionable earth tone-colored hiking boots that you can wear with your clothes as you hike.
- Suitable for different hiking trails
You can wear your earth tone-colored hiking boots for any hiking occasion and trail. As they would allow you to perform activities like mountain climbing, hunting, hiking in the woods or desert, birdwatching, etc.
In addition, you can wear them on multiple days of hiking trips without worrying about cleaning or washing them. As earth tone hiking boots don’t show dirty obviously.
- Cleaning is easy
Since they are not bright-colored, stains or dirt wouldn’t be as glaring as they would be on bright-colored hiking boots. You don’t have to scrub and wash so hard for them to look clean or their original color. Earth tone hiking boots also retain their colors for as long as possible.
Cons
- Hard to spot
Earth tone-colored hiking boots are pretty unnoticeable and hard to spot. Why? This color tends to blend with nature, which could be dangerous if you don’t pair it with bright hiking clothes.
Conclusion
There shouldn’t be any debate or confusion about what color of hiking boots you should wear for your hiking expenditures; however, unless it involves safety.
Remember, there are no wrong colors to wear for hiking, but you also have to consider some factors. As earlier stated, you have to consider the weather, the season, your safety, and other factors when deciding which color of hiking boots to buy.
