I've put thousands of miles on dozens of pairs of hiking shoes, and there seems to be some division on how long a pair of hiking shoes should last. In this video, I go over what parts of the shoes wear out first, how long yours should last, and when to know it's time to snag a new pair. The outsole seems like the most obvious indicator of wear, and it's the first place I look. But more often than not, my shoes wear out before the tread even fully wears down. That's because the midsole on most modern hiking footwear is made out of something called EVA foam. It's pretty resilient stuff and it provides impact absorption and extra protection from jagged things you might step on on the trail. But the midsole has been the first thing to go on every pair of my hiking shoes and boots. There's little air bubbles inside the foam that provide all that support and over time they pop and eventually that foam just flattens out and quits providing the support that you need. The upper part of modern shoes almost never wears out first. But I found that waterproofness never lasts. It usually takes only a 100 miles of walking or so before the bendy parts near the toe start to fail and then the shoe gets leaky. This is the shoe that's lasted the longest that I've owned in recent years. It clocked in at over 1350 miles and that's a little bit longer than what "industry experts" would suggest. You should expect to get about 800 to 1,200 miles out of a hiking shoe. So, the La Sportiva did pretty well. This is my trusty Merrell Moab 3 and it got about 1,000 miles last summer. I didn't treat it nicely at all and I even used it for pickle ball and quite a bit of walks on pavement and I think the tread held up great. Although, once again, it was the midsole that blew out first. My Moab Speed 2 lasted only 850 miles, which is kind of a bummer. But the midsole provided great support, and I was impressed with how much traction I got out of this outsole. Between my ankles, knees, and lower back, my body has a really good way of telling me when my shoes are worn out. If I walk for even a few miles and my knees hurt afterward, it's time to get a new pair of shoes. And I put upgraded insoles in all of my shoes because the stuff that every shoe company provides from the factory just isn't good enough. It's worth mentioning that old school boots or barefoot style shoes typically last like twice as long as modern footwear, but boots take a much longer time to break in. And barefoot style shoes take like 3 to 6 months for your whole body to acclimate to. So, to put it simply, the reason why modern hiking shoes last between 800 and 1,200 miles is because it's really nice to buy a brand new pair of shoes and have it be instantly comfortable. No break-in period. And extra grip and traction are a bonus, too. I suppose we trade convenience and comfort for long-term durability, even if it means we throw more stuff away. If you're into outdoor gear, that's rad because I make videos like this every week. So, check out my channel. But I'm stoked you're here and I'll see you next time.