Slip on Fab Footwear for Outdoor Adventures

	Ready, Set, Hike

Now that the dog days of August are upon us, it's the perfect time for a little end-of-summer break. For me, that means continuing my Action August -- a bona fide out-of-the-city, away-from-the-office adventure.

This year, there's real news in the gear I'll bring along: unprecedented comfort and style. Thanks to new fabrics, improved construction and better design, looking good and staying comfortable in the outback are no longer mutually exclusive.

Last week we broke down the must-haves in high-tech clothing -- you know, the fancy shells, layers and base clothing that keep you warm and dry. This week, we look to the other end, the bottom of the outdoor equation: your feet.

What's new in outdoor footwear is choice, and lots of it. Innovative shoemakers have been falling all over themselves riffing on new forms of microseam construction and tougher versions of waterproof fabrics like Gore-Tex and laser tooling.

Honestly, there are so many great footwear options at better retailers such as REI, Paragon Sports and Cabela's that there is simply no excuse for heading out of town without back-country dogs that look fabulous and fit perfectly.

The trick is to make sure you don't overbuy. With the limited exposure to the wild inherent in modern, luxury outdoorsing, unless you're protecting your ankles from snakes in the desert or you plan to drag a ton of stuff -- like at least 50 pounds -- for days on end, you don't need two-pound high-top hiking shoes. So-called trail runners, approach shoes or light hikers work just fine.

And once you go this light, there is a big surprise waiting for you: you can bring two kinds, such as some ultralight hikers or trail runners and a pair of sports sandals. I use low-rise hikers since they are much lighter and cooler in the heat, and then I break out my sandals when the going gets wet and muddy -- or I'm chilling at a cool mountain lake -- so I can keep my hikers clean and dry. Then I pack a whole mess of high-tech socks to layer up, cool off and generally spoil my feet.

Here are my recommendations for hikers, sandals and socks. Your feet are going to love you.

Lighten Up: the Best Way to Hike

In better light mountain shoes, I like what the folks at Lowa are doing with their new AL-X 22 LO ($110), also suitable for high-arched feet (like mine).