In reading reviews and getting advice about shoes the problem is that the reviews don’t cover enough. A normal review tells you if the shoe is “zero drop” and maybe how wide it is. For backpacking, shoes have the following characteristics that you need to know vis a vis your individual feet:
What type and how much arch—are the shoes flat or arched, and if they have an arch, is it a slow arch or real arch.
What width—wide or narrow, and wide in the toe box or not; wide in the heel or not? Does the shoe come in wide, regular or narrow versions? Most runners have narrow feet. Most backpackers end up with wide feet.
How much drop does the shoe have from the heel to the toes. That runs from zero drop to virtual high heels. Get to off brands and some even have negative drop. The amount of drop is often a matter of fads or trends.
Are the shoes high top or low top? That usually doesn’t make much of a difference but can in a number of situations.
Are the shoes waterproof or not waterproof (and if waterproof are they really waterproof or just water resistant). This can make a difference if there is a lot of rain or shallow water crossings. Some people’s feet sweat too much in waterproof shoes. Others adjust easily.
Are the shoes dust/sand resistant (non-waterproof shoes often ventilate very well and sometimes that means sand slides right in). If you are hiking through a lot of ash zones that makes a difference in how much “poofs” off your socks at night.
How is the “stack”—stack is the distance from the bottom of the sole to the top, and are the shoes stable or “active.” A high stack is often very cushioning and often thick enough you don’t need a rock plate. Some high stacks aren’t very stable, others are great.
Active shoes are more nimble for runners but also more likely to lead to a twisted ankle.
Does the shoe have rocker or flat bottoms—rocker bottoms showed up in basketball shoes and everysooften someone tries to introduce them to hiking shoes. Basically with a rocker the shoe bottom is curved and kind of rolls through every step.
Another feature is the other elements in the last (the pattern the sole of the shoe is built on) which make for different fits. There are also miscellaneous special features some shoes have such as alternative lacing systems, gaiter connectors or traps and other features.
Also, you need to know if there been a change in the shoe between models numbers and are different colors manufactured at different factories or out of different materials?
Cascadias are a shoe that went from wide to very narrow. New Balance is known for making different shoes at different factories. Hoka has some colorways that use different materials.
Many shoes feel very different when you have the weight of a backpack on than when you do not. Some shoes have protective plates in them (rock plates) and some do not.
Finally, some soles are tougher than others (lasting much longer and standing up to tough trail surfaces) and some grip wet rock much better than others. Vibram is a standard but some proprietary blends are competitive.
I wear shoes with a real arch, double e width when I can find it, prefer waterproof and low top. I ended up with shin splints for the first time in my life with shoes that fit my feet well while getting torn up by trails a couple hundred miles sooner than I expected.
Moab 2 worked ok for me. The low tops were too loose in the heel and gave me blisters. The mid top I laced so they work like a low top but kept dirt and rocks out better. They’ve been discontinued and I don’t know how their replacement will work.
Altra’s throw my knees out. (They are zero drop shoes). In my experience rocker soled shoes hurt my knees too with what they do to my gait. Others rehab their knees with Altras.
I don’t accumulate sweat in my shoes so waterproof shoes worked for me even in Dallas at over 100 decrees. Other hikers sweat up a storm and waterproof shoes are a disaster for them.
Some trails have a lot more sand and ash from fires than others. My socks stayed a lot cleaner on the Appalachian Trail than they did on the PCT.
I discovered that some shoes feel worlds different when I have a full backpack on.
REI is great since they carry a lot of shoes to compare and they keep a store of backpacks and sand bags so you can load them up and walk around the store in them.
But you really need to see how a pair of shoes works with your specific feet while carrying a backpack. As a result trying shoes on and walking around a store with a backpack on is an important step.