View source for Engineering:Approach shoe

{{Short description|Combination of hiking boot and a rock-climbing shoe}}
'''Approach shoes''' are hybrid footwear that have some characteristics in common with hiking boots, and others with rock-climbing shoes. Like a shoe or boot designed for hiking, a properly-fitting approach shoe can be worn comfortably while walking for long distances. Like a climbing shoe, it generally has a specialized sticky rubber sole that maintains traction on steeper grades of rock.<ref name="isbn0-07-139303-X">{{cite book |author=Johnson, Mark |title=The Ultimate Desert Handbook : A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers |publisher=International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press |year=2003 |pages=74 |isbn=0-07-139303-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kOw2Tqtrn4AC&pg=PA74 }}</ref> On more extreme terrain, or when carrying heavier loads, it supports neither task as well as more specialised footwear would. 

Approach shoes typically also lack effective [[Physics:Thermal insulation|insulation]] in the soles,<ref name="isbn0-07-139303-X" /> limiting their effectiveness for hiking over hot surfaces or in cold conditions.
[[File:Mountainandclimbingbootsandshoes.jpg|thumb|L-R: Two rock climbing shoes, an approach shoe, a leather boot and a plastic [[Engineering:Mountaineering boot|mountaineering boot]], last two with automatic crampons]]

==See also==
*Comparison of orthotics

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{Climbing-nav}}


[[Category:Hiking equipment]]

{{Sourceattribution|Approach shoe}}