The right shoes is very important to successfully walk the Camino de Santiago. Walking in the wrong shoes can result in terrible blisters, tired feet, and other injuries that can even end your Camino. We have tried and tested multiple different kinds of hiking shoes, boots and trail runners while walking 10 different routes of the Camino de Santiago. There are so many opinions, everybody is different, and every route is different so unfortunately there is no one straightforward answer to which shoes are the best for the Camino. In this post I will give you my opinion on the best shoes based on our walking experience on the Camino de Santiago
Don´t underestimate the importance of wearing proper socks, it can make a huge difference to the comfort of your feet. To prevent blisters good hiking shocks must prevent chafing, keep your feet dry, and provide some cushioning. See our in-depth guide to the Best Socks for Walking the Camino de Santiago.
Stingy Nomads participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. If you click on the link and purchase the item or make a booking, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost. Thank You for supporting us and assisting us to produce quality, free content.
Boots or shoes for walking the Camino de Santiago
Trail runners on the Camino
Nowadays many pilgrims walk the Camino de Santiago with trail running shoes. They look a lot like road running shoes, but trail runners are built more rugged to protect the shoes and your feet from objects like rocks, and sticks, so they are light and tough. Many pilgrims mention trail runners as their favorite shoes for the Camino in discussions on forums and in social media. These shoes do sound like the best choice for hiking the Camino they are light, get dry quickly, and provide enough support for the kind of terrain that you will experience on the Camino. You will mostly encounter forest trails, some rocky sections, paved roads, and depending on the Camino route cobbled stone sidewalks.
Our experience with trail runners on the Camino was not great. We have walked with trail runners on tow shorter Camino de Santiago routes, the Camino de San Salvador (120 km/74 mi) and the Camino de Santiago de Gran Canaria (67 km/41,6 mi). We hiked in well-worn trail shoes that we use for trail running. The shoes were comfortable on the trail, but we both had problems with blisters walking in trail shoes.
In the Defense of Trail Runners
You do get many different brands and models of trail running shoes, maybe a different trail runner would be a good idea. We have however not had any problems running with our Adidas or Asics trail runners while running. Since we bought these shoes for running they were a comfortable fit, but not large enough to wear with our thick merino wool socks that was a problem walking long distances. We swear by Merino wool socks, they are fantastic!
Choosing the Right Trail Running Shoe for the Camino
With trail runners, the tread, fit, durability, and heel drop are important factors to consider when choosing new shoes.
- The durability of shoes is very important on long hikes. You do not want to walk in a pair of shoes and have them reach the end of their lifetime during your Camino. The best option is to buy one pair for training, and a second pair of the same shoe to break in a couple of weeks before you go.
- For proper fit of trail shoes check that there is no slipping, lifting, or rubbing in the heel, the toes have enough space, and there are no pressure points when walking
The Toe Box of the shoe is the front part of the shoe where your toes fit. A wider toe box means more room for your toes to move and a smaller chance of blisters due to friction. Check that you can wiggle your toes inside, but not so much room that your foot slides forward or back.
Heel drop – The drop of a shoe is the height difference between the heel and forefoot. The greater the drop, the steeper the angle from the toes to the heel. When standing barefoot and the heel and forefoot both touch the ground the drop is zero. When wearing high heels the drop will be very large. The drop has nothing to do with cushioning. Drop is important to match your foot strike, which part of your foot hits the ground first: the heel, midfoot, or forefoot. The more you run/walk on your forefoot the lower drop you’ll want. A zero-drop shoe has a 0 mm drop, a low-drop shoe has 1-4 mm, and the average heel-to-toe drop trail running shoe is between 7 – 10 mm.
Popular Trail runners for walking
Popular Trail runners for walking
- Hoka Speedgoat 5 (Speed Goat 5 Ladies) – “walking on clouds” is how many pilgrims describe their experience walking the Camino with their Hoka Speedgoats. You see the fat sole, bright colors of Hokas everywhere on the Camino these days. These super cushioned, trail runners have become extremely popular on the trail. Most pilgrims walk in the Hoka Speedgoat, with lots of cushioning; grippy outsole, and a quality upper. This is a low-drop shoe (4mm). The toe box on the Speed Goats got a bit more roomy with every new addition released but is still relatively narrow. The Hoka Speedgoat 5 is a very popular shoe, the Speedgoat 6 has also recently been, try to get some first hand feedback before buying the new version.
- Altra Lone Peak 6 (Lone Peak 6 Ladies) – a running shoe that has since become a thru-hiker favorite. These shoes are well known for their zero-drop design and large toe box. Very popular on the Camino with extreme comfort and thick padding. Unique design. The zero drop is similar to walking barefoot. If you have never walked in no-drop shoes before this can be time to get used to this type of shoe, so make sure you walk them in beforehand.
- Brooks Cascadia 16 (Cascadia 16 Ladies)- very popular with through hikers, feels like a comfortable road shoe, with good underfoot protection. Light quality built trail runners. These shoes have an 8mm drop
Walking the Camino in hiking shoes
Hiking shoes are designed specifically for hiking. With a lower cut, they are more agile and lightweight than hiking boots. Many boots are also available as lower-cut hiking shoes. For Alya and myself, we found hiking shoes to work the best and have worn several different brands and models of shoes in 1000s of kilometers we have walked on 10 different Camino de Santiago routes. We found shoes to be fairly lightweight, comfortable, stay relatively dry, and do not take too long to dry when getting wet. Hiking shoes have a stiffer sole which we found to be great on Camino where you spend a lot of time walking on cobblestones such as the Camino Portuguese.
Popular hiking shoes for walking
Wearing hiking boots on the Camino de Santiago
The two biggest problems many people have walking the Camino de Santiago in boots are weight and breathability. The higher the cut of the shoe the heavier it will be. Leather boots tend to be heavier and less flexible. With boots there are many different choices, the height of the boot and the material used for construction make a massive difference. Old-style, heavy, leather boots do not work well for us.
We both love our Salomon X Ultra 3 Mid GTX (LADIES) mid-length, Gortex boots. Modern, light, and super comfortable we have done some distance in conditions varying from snow to hot dusty trails and have only had a great experience! Light and athletic with a mid-length design. I find them very comfortable and do not have a problem with breathability. I wear them with thick Merino wool socks.
Sandals for walking the Camino de Santiago
Most people pack sandals to wear around the Albergues after a long day on the road. I love my Havaianas flip-flops. They are not the lightest flip flops you can pack, but I find them good quality, very comfortable and have walked long stretches in these sandals on hot days on the Camino. They are not the lightest flip-flops, but they are super comfortable and I find them a good choice to carry in my backpack for wearing in the albergues and walking on the route. I have met people walking the whole Camino in hiking sandals and saying after switching from shoes to sandals they will never go back! Packing sandals to alternate with your shoes is not a bad idea to keep your feet dry and blister-free. Walking your Camino in sandals is mainly an option if you walk in the dry season. Some popular sandals we have seen are made by KEEN and Teva; Keen Ladies Whisper Sandals, Keen Men’s Clearwater CNX 2 Lightweight, Teva Hurricane Xlt2, and Teva Hurricane Xlt2 women.
Walking the Camino Wearing Waterproof Shoes/Boots (Gortex)
Walking the Camino in Waterproof shoes is usually not recommended. Waterproof material does not only keep water out but also keeps water in. If your feet sweat a lot, leather or Gortex is less breathable and your feet can be wet in any conditions. If it…
