Are hiking boots really better for camping?

Will tennis shoes do just fine? Help me I am only 12 and love to camp.

Are hiking boots really better for camping?
Are you going camping or backpacking? If only camping, then anything will be fine. If backpacking, you don%26#039;t need boots unless you%26#039;ll be on a rough trail. If the trail is smooth, without a lot of large rocks (canteloupe-sized or larger), tennis shoes are fine.
Reply:you need shoes that you have worn in as you do not want blisters to spoil your fun----carry some band aids just in case----they do help.
Reply:Tennis shoes are good camp shoes. However if you are doing any sort of hiking or outdoor activity besides from hanging around camp you should bring hiking shoes.
Reply:It depends on the terrain and the type of camping you are doing. If you are doing mostly car/camper/trailer (or even tent) camping and driving up to the campsite and don%26#039;t have to do a lot of hiking, then sneakers or tennis shoes will be okay. The same goes for hiking on terrain that is not very rocky or hilly. The advantage of hiking boots is that they do give you extra support in your feet as well as extra traction on slippery parts of the trail (such as wet rocks, etc) and are a must if you have to hike through mud or puddles and don%26#039;t want wet feet.
Reply:I wear tennis shoes all the time camping. I do keep a pair of hiking boots in the camper. If you have them take both then you can uses the one you need.
Reply:I have tennis shoes, couple pair of sandals, pair for the water and a pair for walking around camp. Those are for what we do. Haven%26#039;t done any major hiking yet. Hope so in the near future.
Reply:yes
Reply:Like first guy said, it depends on how much hiking/backpacking you will be doing. Also the weather. Boots will usually be mostly water proof and will keep your feet dry, while tennis shoes will not. If you are doing lots of hiking on a rough trail, it%26#039;s really nice to have boots. I also have soft soled %26#039;trail shoes%26#039; for lighter trips that are waterproof and great on easier trails or wet boardwalks (which we tend to have on some trails in the northwest).
Reply:When I go camping I take three types of shoes: tennis shoes, hiking boots, and sandals that I can wear in the water (like Tevas). I wear the tennis shoes for short hikes, the Tevas for inner tubing or around camp, and the boots for backpacking. So think about what you are going to be doing and bring the appropriate shoes. If just camping, you still might want to bring sandals or flip-flops to wear around camp so you don%26#039;t have wear the tennis shoes all the time.
Reply:Many, many people are still convinced that heavy leather hiking boots are a necessity in the outdoors, but in the last 15 years or so many other people have experimented and discovered that they can hike much better and even safer in running shoes, cross-training shoes, light hiking SHOES, or even hiking sandals.





Unless you have really weak ankles (have you broken them lately walking around?), have to carry 20% or more of your body weight backpacking, have to kick steps in the snow in the spring, or have to strap on crampons for a glacier hike, you do not need to wear even light hiking boots.





I%26#039;ve been wearing light hiking shoes or Teva sandals in the Sierra for the last 10 years, with a single thin pair of polyester socks, and I%26#039;ve never had a blister or any other foot problem. I%26#039;ve hiked a 21 mile day, hiked down talus covered slopes, and climbed two Sierra peaks in Teva sandals without any discomfort. And done just as much in New Balance hiking shoes.





In hiking shoes you don%26#039;t get any blisters, you don%26#039;t have to take your shoes off to cross streams because they dry right away, they%26#039;re dry in the morning, %26quot;a pound on the foot is equivalent to five pounds on the back%26quot;, and along with ultralight backpacking gear you%26#039;re nearly skipping along the trail... all day.





This fellow explains further:


http://www.the-ultralight-site.com/hikin...
Reply:everyone is right either will do gut it depends on were you are @ campgrounds to nee seen safer with animals likw poison shakes and stuff but im a big beleaver in ankle suport so try a hightop tennis shoe think about it
Reply:You have good answers to your question.





Always take a spare pair though. Either tennis or hiking ones. Never know when the ones you are wearing will get wet.



familiar faces