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The trail is littered with tales of hikers who made the wrong turn when selecting footgear. Slips, falls and twisted ankles — even an unsure gait — can ruin an otherwise perfect hike. With a low-impact trip to Tofino, B.C., planned for last spring, I vowed not to be one of them. At my local outdoor-equipment store, I was led through a daunting selection of trail shoes and left with a pair guaranteed to keep me happy as I walked the soggy and occasionally rock-strewn West Coast terrain. My feet and my new shoes were made for each other.

Trail-shoe sampler

Merrell Phaser Inferno

Salomon Dispatch Low

Merrell Chameleon GTX XCR

Columbia Sport

Asolo Tierra XCR

Turned out that what I didn't know then about trail shoes — also known as light hikers — would fill a shoebox. The fellow who said light hikers were like "SUVs for feet" had it only half right. With these underfoot, you're far more likely to get off-road than your typical SUV owner, and you'll tread more lightly while you're there. Perhaps more important, light hikers carry a more affordable price tag than an SUV. You can expect to spend between $125 and $150 for a good pair.

A host of late-20th-century technologies and materials have been tweaked and teased to produce state-of-the-art athletic shoes suited for every human endeavour. One manufacturer claims to have used "a database of a whopping 800,000 digitally scanned feet" to design the inside of its shoes, and that level of wide-scale corporate research is typical. It might not actually be rocket science, but it's pretty close.

With their low profile and lightweight format, light hikers were developed for people who want to spend the day out on a trail that ranges from easy to moderately challenging. You're not climbing mountains, which is why you won't need the deluxe ankle support and all-round toughness that a higher-cut leather hiking boot provides. You'll be travelling with a light pack rather than food and gear for the weekend. (And light is the day tripper's best friend — a pair typically weighs well under 1.5 kilograms.)

So what do these state-of-the art trail shoes offer? For starters, comfort right out of the box. It's one of their claims to fame. I walked a few kilometres to break mine in before my trip west, but I don't even think it was necessary. From the outset, they felt right.

Light hikers do their job thanks to three key components: the midsole (what's on the inside), the outsole (what's on the bottom) and the top side (otherwise known as the uppers). It's how these features are designed and engineered to interact that gives your shoes the comfort, fit, stability and traction you need.

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My Merrell Reflex light hikers boast an Air Cushion® midsole, a compression-moulded expanded ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foot frame and an anatomic footbed. While these features are invisible to the naked eye, they contribute to the cushiony feel so welcome in a shoe. The materials are light and flexible, both good things in a trail-hiking shoe.

A critical part of your support system, the midsole also absorbs external shock from stones, rocks and uneven terrain, especially under the arch. At the same time, it helps to create a climate of comfort for your feet.

Compression-moulded EVA midsoles, EVA footbeds and nylon shanks for arch support are standard in most light hikers. Salomon's Dispatch Low and Exclaim and Merrell's Chameleon Vent Low and Chameleon Velocity are just a couple of examples. Some models, like Asolo's Tierra XCR, deploy dual-density EVA midsoles for additional comfort and lateral stability.

Light hikers differ from traditional hiking boots not only in their low-profile design but in the exteriors, or uppers. Leather nubuck and/or pigskin uppers, often in combination with mesh panels, are typical. Together, they make your trail shoes unbeatably durable yet light and breathable. Polyester mesh lining, a padded tongue and cushioned scree collar, which hugs the back of your ankle, help the shoes feel secure and snug on your feet. The Montrail Excelerace XCR features an extra-long front tongue as well as a rear tongue that helps keep out trail debris, and its adjustable ankle strap has received high praise for providing additional stability.

Cool, dry feet are happy feet on the open trail. All quality light hikers are treated with a durable water repellent, making them water-resistant if not waterproof. The paradigm-shifting technology in footwear, however, can be summed up in one name: Gore-Tex® XCR ("extra comfort range"). Like its forebear, this material is moisture-resistant yet lighter and more breathable. You'll pay a little extra to buy a light hiker with a GTX-XCR membrane built in, but on a nasty wet day, your hard-working feet will thank you.

When you're talking footwear for a trail's uneven ground, the words sure-footedness and flexibility can't be mentioned too often. A hiker needs to be agile on the trail and his or her shoes responsive.

The outsole is the critical factor in the formula. Think snow tires — same principle. The more aggressive the tread, the more traction you'll get. The tread's lug pattern is made up of chocks and seams. The lug pattern on my light hikers is called a Flying V, which perfectly describes the design. Some outsoles, like those on Chameleon Gore-Tex XCR Low and Chameleon Ventilator Low, sport a system called Octogrip, so named because it imitates the suction-action of octopus tentacles.

Rubber is sticky, durable and flexible, which is why it's a good thing to have underfoot when you're negotiating a wet, slippery trail. Veteran rubber-sole producer Vibram® has as many as 50 different blends of rubber in its repertoire, and a host of light hikers feature them. As fine as they are, however, feel free to branch out and explore some of the revolutionary rubber compounds also available. Columbia boasts a non-marking Omni-Grip sole in several of its models and has introduced a super-sticky carbon rubber lug outsole to the Sawtooth.

When tackling a rugged trail, a thicker and more rigid sole, such as Merrell's Phaser Inferno, offers additional stability and protection from the rough stuff underfoot.

You've sorted out what you want to do and where you want to go with your light hikers. You've tried on selections from several manufacturers. The fit is right. The feel is right. They'll do the job. On what do consumers base a final decision? The sales associate helping me smiles wryly as she answers the question. "Looks," she says. Worked for me.

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