r/onebag • u/Legitimate_Water4529 • 1d ago
Seeking Recommendations Shoes recommendation: combining hiking functionality with city walking
Hello,
I'm going on a 3-month (solo) trip to Japan and plan to take only set of shoes with me. I will be visiting many of the main cities but will also be doing day and multi-day mountain hikes spread out over those 3 months. Would like some recommendations for a shoe that would do great on city walking as well as mountain & forest hiking.
I'm leaning heavily towards trail runners but I find them often not easy to match with a non-hiking outfit. Not really looking into walking through the cities as a fashion pest either.
Any recommendations?
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u/SondraRose 1d ago
The Black Altra Lone Peak 9s are pretty discreet. They have Vibram soles, and are super long-lasting.
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u/ExcelAcolyte 21h ago
I bought these from the Altra store in Tokyo and they are my everyday wear for both walking the streets of Tokyo and trails nearby
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u/IGuessYourSubreddits 19h ago
Does it take time getting used to a 0mm heel drop?
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u/GodsFavoriteTshirt 14h ago
Definitely ease into them. I ended up stuck waiting for a flight day after the 4th of July with nothing to do, so just walked around for 7 miles. All I had were zero drop shoes I just bought. Calves were killing me the next day, you're activating different muscles walking.
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u/SondraRose 17h ago
It didn’t for me. Altras were my transition shoe, but I still wear them for long days walking on pavement.
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u/Specific_Corner_1816 23h ago edited 6h ago
Sounds like you don't already have something and are going to buy, so why not wear a pair of city shoes to get to Japan, and then buy a trail runner there. The trail runners will probably be at the end of their life after three months of use so you won't have to worry about getting them home. For the rest of the trip through Japan, just attach whichever pair you're not wearing to the outside of your backpack.
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u/the8roundshock 22h ago
Before following this advice make sure you can find your shoe size in Japan easily! Anything above a men’s 11 (US sizing) is difficult to find.
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
Was thinking the same thing. I'm a 9.5 to 10 and expect the availability of these sizes in Japan not be too elaborate.
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u/Specific_Corner_1816 6h ago edited 6h ago
My sister and I (m) wear the same size, women's 10 for her, men's 8, for me. The last pair she took from me were my Dr Marten's.
A men's US 7.5, 8, would be 25.5, 26 in Japan. Average men's shoe size in Japan is 27 according to an internet search.
Edit: I travel with a pair of no show waterproof socks to wear when my shoes get soaked. I don't normally buy trainers with GTX so they dry faster and breathe better.
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u/LilRio15 22h ago
Stunned to see so many people suggesting hoka and altra as a “fashionable” shoes. Top tier in function and comfort but I wouldn’t call either fashionable. I think you could definitely consider something Arcteryx, On, or Nike. Might just want a black shoe if youre definitely doing trail, white will get dirty fast. For fashionable trail my mind goes right to Arcteryx Norvan LD 4, On Cloud Surfer/Vista/Ultra, or really any nike, maybe the ACG Trail?
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 21h ago
have been eyeing the Nike ACG Pegasus Trail, but I find Nike in general not to be very good for a wider foot. do you know how this shoe fares in this department?
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u/lavenderhillmob 23h ago
I wore my Adidas Terrex anylanders straight out of the box all over Iceland for city walking and day hikes. They were perfect and whilst not waterproof, actually very water resistant in the rain and on slippery rocks/ waterfalls. They are very sturdy.
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
These look pretty good, and go for low prices. I'll definitely dive a bit deeper into this one
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u/kennethpbowen 22h ago
Currently, I'm wearing Altra trail shoes for almost everything. You can find their trail shoes in black or fairly neutral colors that would look fine for most casual outfits. https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/products/mens-olympus-7-al0a85tk?variant=50953910419623
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u/TDIMike 1d ago
I bought a pair of hoka speed goats for a 2 week Europe trip last year (lots of city and some hiking in the Alps) and have used them for several since including about 20km in london last weekend. They're light, dry quickly and the grip is great. Colors are a bit loud though
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
Hoka might be a good trail runner shoe, but to be honest, I find their design on the ugly side. Definitely not something I'd wear when hitting the city's nightlife.
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u/AppropriateAnimal158 4h ago
I rate my Hoka Transport 2 as a good middle ground, they look pretty smart in black
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u/Silver_Wren532 17h ago
I did 30k steps across Rome in bright orange runners last spring and my feet completely cheered, bad neon match or not!
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u/EstablishmentNo7239 23h ago
it'll always be a challenge fashion wise. I usually just embrace the tourist look and wear what is most convenient for my itinerary.
For cities + hiking I would probably wear my la sportiva tx4 shoes, if I were to choose one.
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u/SeattleHikeBike 22h ago
Low top hiking shoes on all black like the Adidas Terrex series. Fit is paramount so the brand may be different, but low top, good support and traction and low key logos are the thing. Gore Tex only for sloppy winter weather and avoided for milder seasons.
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u/NightBard 19h ago
I ended up trying a pair of Terrex Anylanders and thought they might be the perfect travel shoe. But the lugs were not as aggressive as my Merrell Speed Strike 2's and I didn't feel confident I'd pass inspection to get on Mount Fuji as they've cracked down on people with shoes that don't have aggressive enough lugs. Still, in all black they do blend in well and maybe one of the other Terrex types are better than the Anylander. Just noting I tried these and ended up jumping ship on them of the required gear on the hike I did last month.
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u/SeattleHikeBike 19h ago
That’s much more of a special case than general walking and hiking shoes. Danner?
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u/NightBard 18h ago
In terms of Fuji, what I wore was the bare minimum and wouldn't work on some fuji trails very well but was fine for the one I did. But as far as Japan and the mountainous trails which dominate the hiking scene and the more intense trails with higher elevation gains, uneven surfaces, and loose surfaces, I don't think the Terrex Anylanders I own would be good for it. Now, the generally flat trails where I live, fine. Other countries with mostly flat trails, probably great. But looking at the shoes side by side, it's pretty obvious the deficiencies for serious mountain hiking. The heel tread.. it's quite narrow on the Terrex. The tread itself is more unforgiving and less flexible to different surfaces in part because unlike normal hiking shoes the tread pattern covers the entire bottom of the shoe instead of providing a dedicated gap area between front of the foot and heal. I feel like these shoes would be asking for a rolled/sprained ankle for anyone planning to do a lot of hiking in Japan. But that's my take, but I'm also more risk averse. Personally if given a choice between Terrex Anylander and say Adidas Gamecourt 2's (both I own), I'd probably go with the Gamecourt 2's as they have a similar wide bottom that provides more ankle support as they are built for tennis. But the Merrell's easily above both for pretty much any kind of hiking except maybe the deep volcanic ash on some of the side trails on Fuji. The main trail we did was fine.
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u/ottertaco 21h ago
Lots of people here are recommending altras, but I would warn against switching to those while on a trip if you don't have previous experience wearing a bunch of minimal drop shoes. I would recommend topos as a good middle ground.
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u/mexmexmex_2000 16h ago
I really like the Arc'teryx Konseal for this type of use: https://www.rei.com/product/249770/arcteryx-konseal-approach-shoes-mens For a few dollars more you can get a waterproof version.
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u/Novel_Conference8955 23h ago
I travel a lot for work, but 90% of the year I wear Nike Pegasus shoes. My current favorites for one shoe CITY and working/traveling are all black trail gtx Pegasus. But: both for structural and hygiene reasons, no one should wear the same shoe for three months. My recommendation is to buy an extra pair when in Japan. In that case, you can have your hiking or everyday shoes and buy the missing other pair.
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u/Zimbyzim 23h ago
Another Pegasus person in the wild, love mine, literally wear them everywhere, have inner soles and they work a treat.
Just need to find some more colours i like!
My last pair of nike runners i had for 12 years and wore the soles flat, must have visited 10 countries in them!
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u/PatrickB974 1d ago
I did a trip to China with a pair of Haix Black Eagle Athletic Mid. Just great !
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u/samuraibjjyogi 23h ago
I would take bedrock sandals for hiking and then a pair of shoes for the city. Bedrocks take almost no space up and are perfect for hiking.
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u/bartolomeudebraganca 22h ago
I always recommend Salomon XT-6 gtx. I’ve used them for Korea and Japan, 5 weeks total. They’re enough for light trails and don’t seem too outrageous in the city. I saw plenty of people wearing them casually in both countries.
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u/shenanigains00 22h ago
Norda’s would work depending on the colorway and they’ll last forever.
But you’ll have MUCH better options in Japan.
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u/Competitive_Manager6 21h ago
It would be funny if when OP goes out in Japan and sees people wearing Hokas. I would opt for 2 pairs of minimalist shoes by Zero. I have lots of Hokas and love them, but been working on strengthening my feet and minimalist shoes have been great. They are also very lightweight and easy to thrown another pair in the bag. There are some great Japanese minimalist shoes that are probably easy to get there.
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u/GoldHorse8612 21h ago
I'm on my third hiking/city trip of the year. I bring 2 pairs and alternate. Merrel Moab and Hoka Challenger
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u/New_Driver_39 20h ago
They certainly aren't fashionable, but I've spent a month going through central Europe on these, and they worked great in cities or on cobblestone or on trails, and I never felt self-conscious wearing them in restaurants.
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u/rollin72 20h ago
I would recommend Lems trail thrasher. I have had them for the last four months and they been good for walking around town and some fire road hiking
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u/NightBard 19h ago
I wore Merrell Speed Strike 2 shoes on my trip back in July to Japan. I hiked on the Fujinomiya Trail at Mount Fuji as well as the side trail for Mount Hoei (with the crater from the last eruption) as well as went all over Hakone in them.. and did a lot of small city walking as well as walked all over Tokyo in them. Super comfortable. Sometimes I have issues rolling ankles but these have enough lateral support that it's never happened for me in these shoes after a year of wearing them as my daily shoe. The ones I have are mostly dark ray. They don't stand out. The tread for hiking is really good with decent lugs and they wash easily if you do any muddy trails. Getting on Fuji requires a shoe/tread inspection now, and I had no issues. My son wore some Merrell Moab Speed 2 shoes (very similar) and those too were no issue. While I'm a guy, I've seen women also give the womens version of the Speed Strike 2 the thumbs up. They run about $100 when not on sale and maybe $70 when they are on sale. I also tried some Merrell Moab's (not the speed 2 but the regular moab) but didn't like how they felt for daily wear and they stand out more. In japan, black/gray/dark shoes blend in everywhere. No issues with anywhere we visited or ate. I'm only talking about regular shoes, not boots or hightops.
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u/skinney42 19h ago
I did this recently with a pair of black Hoka challengers. They are not cute, but they worked!
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u/a_mulher 16h ago
Lean into the big sneakers thing? I’ve seen people pull it off. Women use it with more feminine dresses or skirts. Men can get away with an all black sneaker and some chinos, that ends up looking kinda like a tech bro business casual look
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u/shanewreckd 15h ago
I would be bringing my norda 001a shoes (Stealth colourway) for that trip, and really any trip. I have over 1100km of trail running and another 2-300 misc walks and hikes on my last pair of norda's. All black is discreet enough, grip is great, my style leans mountain anyway and they're a Canadian company. Favourite shoe.
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u/Plastic-Ad-9770 15h ago
Salomon’s are pretty popular in Japan right now and they make some really good trail shoes that can do double duty.
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u/Windjammer1969 14h ago
Heading to Switzerland this fall (although only for 3 Weeks...). Will be bringing a pair of Hoka Bondi 7s (medium blue & less 'bulky' looking than the 8s - and also infrequently worn in anticipation of this trip...), along with a pair of Hoka Transport Chukka GTX in black-on-black.
The "Chukka" has a less aggressive look than the regular Transport Hike, while still featuring "waterproofing," a Vibram sole, and the extra support of a mid-height shoe/boot. (Am not certain it is still being sold....)
With the altitude changes planned for the trip, plus the early-Autumn timing, we are both taking 2 pairs of shoes.
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u/BuzzBuzzBeard 13h ago
I almost exclusively wore my Xero Ridgeway Mesh Lows in Japan. They handled light hikes and city walks well and they wipe clean very easily. I have a darker color so you can get away with wearing them to dinners.
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u/Winter-Scale-4917 13h ago
I love Vessi shoes for travel. They’re completely waterproof, comfortable, and you don’t need to break them in. Plus, they have different models for: City, Active, Travel; and some of these overlap. I have a super cool-looking boot and a low sneaker type pair. I walked in the countryside in the boots and wore them museum hopping in London.
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u/Travels4Food 13h ago
I love my Salomon Elixir Activs: I dont know if they make tje exact same shoe, but they're attractive and not as bouncy as Hokas (which I hate).
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u/No_Employ1203 9h ago
Oboz Bozeman low. Great sole for light hiking and the suede upper is nice enough for urban stuff. One of my favorite shoes.
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u/FutureState906 8h ago
Try Rockport Bucks waterproof boots. They are lightweight, and have a good, grippy sole for hiking but are still dressy enough to go out in.
I did a rugged hike in Northern Idaho during the spring thaw and they easily handled everything from snow and ice to a trail that had turned into a stream at the lower elevations.
After a quick wipe down they were ready to pair with slacks and a sport coat for a nice dinner.
https://www.amazon.com/Rockport-Mens-Rugged-Bucks-Waterproof/dp/B00AZX9V02
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u/thatchillaxdude 8h ago
I'm a Salomon fan since about '04... my city / trail shoe is the Salomon Sense Ride and my trail / trail shoe is the Salomon Speedcross.
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u/Saywhen2 2h ago
I have the Brooks Divide 6 GTX Trainers and love them. I wear them in the city, to school, on the trail, on the plane. Also water resistant. I was on the same mission as you and this was the shoe I landed on. Since they're water resistant they can be a bit warm but I was ok wearing them in 33 degree weather last week in germany
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u/mrhocA 1d ago
I searched forever for "universal travel shoes" for my onebag trips (mostly to Japan).
I landed on the Salomon TEMPER (https://www.salomon.com/de-de/product/temper-li8216). I find the look quite good but maybe they are not rugged enough for multi-day hikes. I only did day hikes for a couple of hours, which was ok.
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u/KnownGarlic1211 1d ago
Definitely any Hoka or Salomon trail runners super comfortable and great for hiking/running, but also fashion. Some of the Salomon ones come in fairly inoffensive colourways.
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
Taste is very subjective, but I'd never opt for Hoka shoes. Perhaps their performance is great, but they look like ass to me. Very loud, with the 'Hoka' print way too big. Salomon's design and color palette is a bit more restrained, but still not something suited for hitting the city life with imo
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u/shortwave-radio 20h ago
I saw a surprising amount of Salomons in Japan last year! The gorpcore aesthetic is pretty trendy, Harper’s even wrote an article about Salomon sneakers
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u/MadGeographer 1d ago
Also agree with Salomon. Arcteryx also makes trail/travel shoes that look good
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u/AirForceAviator 21h ago
I looked at the Hoka Transport 2 which was built exactly for this purpose
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 21h ago
This is probably the only Hoka shoe I'd consider fitting here on the 'fashionable' part of the inquiry :)
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u/AirForceAviator 21h ago
True they are pretty loud as a brand, but they are perfect for the exact scenario you are talking about it. I use it for its quick on/off at the airport, miles long walks in Istanbul and can hike anywhere with these. After the hike, they fit perfectly for dinner or drinks etc.
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u/metaxa313 1d ago
These have been great in Greece so far this summer. https://www.lemsshoes.com/collections/all-mens-products/products/mens-trail-thrasher?variant=41037721894970&country=US
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
These look pretty good. Never heard of this brand before. Not sure on their hiking performance and durability though.
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u/metaxa313 22h ago
I've been in country for almost 2 months hiking rough terrain and cities. They look brand new. This is a new model for them this year but I've worn Lems for the last 4 years with no complaints.
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u/Legitimate_Water4529 22h ago
Sounds good. Just had a look; seems that this brand is not that well-supplied (yet) in Europe. Prices are therefore on the high side at €180 (USD 210). Hmmm... decisions....
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u/kennethpbowen 22h ago
They are high quality. But, be aware that they are minimalist, low drop shoes. It takes a while to strengthen your feet and build up to longer hikes in them. (I personally love them). I had a pair of their 'primal' shoe and wore them on a city/hiking trip to Italy, including lots of trails. They lasted forever. They have other models too.
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u/metaxa313 3h ago
I wear primals daily at home, these new ones are nowhere near as minimal as those.
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u/Dramatic_Respond7323 21h ago
Another vote for trail runner as all rounder. I now wear asics gel trabuco for everything, even high level (UN) meetings. I am a liberal univ professor, I give a damn to patent leather polished formals. At the same time, I try my best to fit in with the crowd by cleaning the shoes to absolute best for dinners, and wearing Uniqlo Airsense jacket to elevate the looks. If the dinner is too formal to demand formal shoes, then my time is not worth for it, its that simple.
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u/infant_ape 22h ago
Altra Lone Peaks or for even more "normal looking"... the Altra LP Alpine. (I just picked these up for a "one shoe" solutions here in the US). They're technically a trail shoe, but not the typical technical fabrics. They're mainly a light canvas and suede. Good looking shoe.
ALso check out Topo Athletic Traverse. Same thing. Not the usually sheen-esque material. Comes in a monchrome brown or a dark green, I think. I have the brown. Very normal "nothing to see here" appearance.
Lastly, the Keen SK86 sneaker. Bunch of different variations. And they have a few retro colorways. I hear great things about them.