Footwear

As great as fresh comfy shoes feel after an exhausting hike, the extra weight is hard to justify on a backpacking trip. Zpacks' collapsible camp shoes weigh less than 1 oz/shoe so you can afford to have a cozy place to retire those aching feet.

Hoka completely redefines urban-to-mountain footwear with the Speed Loafer – business up top, wilderness expedition down below. The new business casual slip-on marries classic leather with one of the company's most aggressive, trail-biting outsoles.

If you're a mountain biker, chances are you don't like being whacked in the shins by pedal pins, nor are you fond of slipping when walking on wet ground. That's where iNVRS Pedals system comes in, as it moves the pins from the pedals to the shoes.

Merrell has one of the deepest hiking shoe lines out there, so when it says it's developed something disruptive, it's worth having a look. The new SpeedArc Surge Boa packs nitrogen-injected impact absorption and rebound with a dual-Boa fit system.

Kahtoola is preparing to launch its most portable MICROspikes traction aid to date, one so light it calls it the Ghost. It replaces stiff chains with a collapsible TPU web that disappears away in your pack until it's needed for a slick traverse.

People may joke about tight jeans being "spray-on pants," but On's new Cloudboom Strike LS is a spray-on running shoe. Its LightSpray production process is much faster than traditional methods, resulting in an ultra-lightweight finished product.

Shoes with motorized wheels could revolutionize the manner in which gamers walk through VR worlds. Currently being developed by UK/US startup Freeaim, the clever kicks are essentially little wearable treadmills.

Clipless bike shoes are great for cycling but not much else. ClipClap lets everyday cyclists remove those clipless cleats ASAP. Its wearable adapters strap around everyday shoes, clip in during the ride, and immediately stow away after.

In recent years, we've heard about navigational systems which guide pedestrians via vibrating actuators in their shoes. The FeetThrough system takes a different and reportedly better approach, by actually shocking the soles of the feet.

People suffering from dementia not only get confused, they can also become highly anxious and even aggressive. In order to catch such behaviors before they escalate out of control, a British scientist has developed a pair of sensor-packin' socks.

Whether you're an athlete or someone experiencing foot pain, it's important to eliminate high-pressure areas in the soles of your shoes. An experimental insole could help, by showing where such areas are located during a variety of activities.

Heated insoles generally rely on batteries to warm icy toes. Solecooler has a different idea, getting its power straight from the source: the feet. Its insoles harness basic stepping motions to generate heating and cooling.