Hiking boots don't provide ankle support. At least not in the way that you think. For like all my life, I've thought that hiking boots inherently provide more ankle support because, you know, there's more fabric around your ankles, laces, and I mean, they just do, right? Wrong. The real support comes from the footbed, which every shoe has, whether it's got a booty part on it or not. Inside of the footbed, there's all sorts of technology depending on the shoe that helps it be more or less stiff, and contour with your body and the way that everything works for you. A general non-scientific rule of thumb that I follow is if I'm comfortable in a pair of shoes, I'm going to be a lot less likely to roll my ankle. But in a pair of shoes like say, my LA Sportiva Akyra 2's, those have a really raised up heel. Some folks really like that, but for me it just feels unstable and like every little thing my ankle's about to roll. Compare that with products from companies like Altra and you get a zero heel toe drop. So no rise, no change between your toes and your heels. The boots I've been wearing lately are the Keen Targhee IV's and those have a pretty minimal heel to toe drop which I find provides me with a lot of stability back in the ankle area. And if you're like me, arch support is seriously important. I put upgraded arch support in all of my shoes. And I find when I dial in arch support so that my foot isn't leaning too far left or right, that's a major contributor to how confident I feel in any shoe. I'm not a podiatrist and I ain't offering nobody, no medical advice. So, if you need that, go to a doctor. The second thing that I think no hiking shoe manufacturer will ever tell you is that it's really important to have a strong body. So, your ankles, the muscles and ligaments supporting them, all those have to work up to how much weight you're planning on carrying, how far you're planning on going, and all of the factors that come into play when you're hiking. Just going out and sending it. If you're not used to walking long distances, you're at high risk of all sorts of injuries, especially rolling your ankle. But if you're used to walking on uneven terrain, you can rely a lot more on almost falls or you know maybe not filming yourself and walking on uneven terrain um... is much more helpful than any kind of shoe or boot or ankle collar. But it is worth mentioning that the feedback of your ankle rolling around with the fabric of a boot around it is helpful to let you know when you might start to be rolling your ankle or whatever. Even though it's not providing structural support like a mountaineering boot would or even just an actual ankle brace. Hiking boots aren't pointless. I love wearing hiking boots, especially during the winter whenever I want a little bit of extra protection to keep the debris out. There's nothing like the combo of a mid-height boot and some good pants for gnarly conditions. But if the weather's warm or you're planning on getting your feet wet, it's just better to not have so much that you have to lug around all the time. More importantly than anything, you got to be comfortable in your gear. So, if having a hiking boot makes you feel like you have more ankle support or more protection or just more comfortable, then it's worth it to wear a boot 100% of the time. Honestly, just wear whatever you're comfortable in. But don't expect a hiking boot to prevent you from injuring your ankle. Thank you for watching. I'm stoked you're here, and I'll see you next time.