The shoe most people on a teahouse trek should actually be wearing
Merrell Moab 3 (low)
Wide enough for feet that swell over a fortnight and comfortable from day one — the sole is soft, so it is the wrong shoe the moment you carry your own heavy pack.
Skip it ifYou are carrying 15 kg yourself, or you have rolled an ankle before. Take the boot.
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The rest of the shelf
Best for long daysCushioning for people who walk further than they planned
Hoka Speedgoat 6
The stack height saves your knees on the endless stone staircases; it also puts you further from the ground, which some people never stop disliking.
Skip it ifSnow, or any trek where your feet will be wet for hours. There is no membrane here at all.
Best on rockFor routes with real scrambling in them
La Sportiva TX4 Evo
Sticks to rock in a way no hiking shoe does — the price is a stiff, unforgiving shoe that is miserable on a long flat valley walk.
Skip it ifA standard teahouse trek. You will be carrying a specialist shoe through 80 km of walking that never needed it.