Imelda Marcos in the Himalayas - what shoes shall I pack?

From the Pyrenees to the Himalayas, my boots have
seen a lot of the world.

Planning travel footwear needs thought.

Clothes are soft, fold flat, roll up, squish down and you can wear a lot of layers if you run out of room in your luggage. 

Shoes, on the other hand, take up a lot of space in a bag and you can only wear one pair at a time.

Choosing a pared-back footwear list has been a challenge during my packing planning. For someone who prefers to walk around barefoot, I already have way too many pairs of shoes lurking in my closet: heeled courts for a woman who has poor balance and dodgy ankles; two pairs of tango shoes although I haven't danced Latin for 10 years, four pairs of streetwear boots even though I live in sweaty Brisbane.

The last trip for my Keens. Despite
the wear on the heel, they will
have a new life with a friend on
the Granite Belt.

In this Himalayan adventure, I plan to travel across deserts, over mountain passes and around mountains, up and down valleys and across streams, through markets and towns and villages. I don't plan to go clubbing, dancing or going to cocktail parties - but why rule out the possibility?

What shall I take to wear on my feet? How shall I choose which pairs to take and whether to buy new pairs?

When to buy new?

During the three years I've worn my Keen Newport sandals, I've walked to and from work in the CBD, cycled around Brisbane, the Otago Rail Trail and Reykjavik, even completed two-thirds of the Kepler Track in them when my hiking boot inner soles gave me blisters. But all that wear has worn down the heels (and I've had to replace the elastic laces).

My previous pair of Keen shoes wore down the same way so I know that a repairer won't look at them. Travel sandals are going to be what I wear most of the time so I have taken the expensive option and replaced them with a new pair.

When to make do?

I hoped my Scarpas would be the last pair of hiking boots I'd ever have to buy when I shelled out for them in 2012 (Simon boasts that his Scarpas lasted 35 years). Imagine my disappointment when the soles 'delaminated' (aka peeled off!) on the last day of the Rakiura Track in February and I hiked back into Oban with uppers tied to soles with gaffing tape and spare laces.

They are the most comfortable boots I've ever had but how can I trust them any more?

It's a difficult decision, but I've had the Scarpas mended (thanks for organising that repair K2) and I will trust them to take me on this trip. I'm also taking a fistful of cable ties in case the soles peel again and need emergency attachment.

The final list

I've whittled my shoe list down to four pairs: hiking boots; walking sandals, plastic Croc slides for showers and schlepping; and lightweight folding pumps for indoor slippers (and cocktail parties).

What pairs would you have packed if you were ... in my shoes?

My entire footwear repertoire. Note purple laces on hiking boots to distinguish
them from the 30 other pairs of brown leather boots outside any hiking hut.