I have two pairs of Teva sandals:
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• One very lightweight pair (395 grams) that would function well for off bike use or for short distance on-bike use. I have carried them on backpacking trips in case I needed to ford a stream and to wear after I took off my hiking boots after a long day on the trail. But the lightweight pair would be too soft to wear on bike pedals for a long distance.
• One heavier pair (780 grams), photo above in my previous post. With the platform side of the Shimano A530 (discontinued model) pedals, the sole is stiff enough to wear all day on a bike. My last tour was in weather too hot for rain pants and waterproof shoe covers, so I wanted footwear I could wear on the bike in rain while I kept my normal bike footwear (Keen Commuter 4 SPD sandals, discontinued model) dry. The heavier pair of Tevas worked great for rainy day use and also for wear in the campsite.

That said, I prefer normal hiking shoes or trail runners for off bike use trips in cooler weather where they might get occasional use on a bike too.

I brought the lighter pair of Tevas for off-bike use on my Florida trip years ago, they worked well for campsite use but I did not ride more than a couple miles at a time with them on that trip. I expected minimal rain on that trip, so the lighter sandals with a soft sole were not intended to be used on the bike for more than a restaurant run from the campsite.

Rapha lace gravel shoe for riding.
Lightwieght AllBird running shoe
Sanuk canvas slip-on (luxury add-on)

Never open toed shoes or sandals. When travelling in developing countries it's too easy to stub a toe or step into something and get infection. Even in developed locations foot protection is important.

Ditch the SPD for touring. No benefit has been demonstrated.

These Adidas shoes provide a good fit and excellent grip on decent pedals. Good in wet weather too.

https://www.adidas.fr/chaussure-de-v...ex/JI0859.html

What do you mean by this? How has no benefit not been demonstrated?

That is your opinion.

A friend of mine rode into a short underpass that was very dark, he did not see the ground that he was rolling over, and hit a bump. For reasons that I do not know, he was using the platform side of his pedals, not cleated in to the pedals, even though his pedals were designed for SPD cleats on the other side. And his foot slipped off the pedal when his wheel went into the hole. When he woke up, the ambulance medics were taking care of him.

I think being cleated in would have prevented his shoe(s) from slipping off of the pedal(s) which caused his crash. He had no memory of it, but someone else saw him crash and called for help.

There have been a few times when I intentionally rode on the platform side of my pedals in case I might need to get my feet on the ground really fast. Such as on a steep uphill where i might lose traction and spin out in loose sand, suddenly coming to a sudden stop. Or on slippery ice. Or in loose sand/gravel where my wheel might dig into the soft ground. But in those cases I am going so slow that such a crash is unlikely.

I have ridden with spds since 92 I think, and realize I've only ever toured with spds except for a few trips at the beginning, 89,90, 91.
Over the last bunch of years i have been riding flats commuting , winter commuting and fat biking in winter so have gotten used to them, and they work fine.
I do really like on rough stuff how being clipped in has it's advantages being bounced all over the place, but could see using flats bikepacking where one has to very frequently take a foot off a pedal on sketchy trails, single track.
But hey, I figure it's all good and can see the pluses of both.

I've actually found that it's faster to get a foot off a clipless pedal than from a spiked flat pedal. I went fatbiking today and again had multiple instances where my front tire washed out or dropped off the hard pack into softer snow and every time my foot just shot off from the pedal saving my proverbial (and literal) backside.

The ride before that I had a defective left pedal so occasionally my foot would stick for a fraction of a second or so. My left side is blue and black from that ride. It's weird how little powder snow does to cushion roots and rocks. First time ever I needed my back armour too.

This is a pretty old thread, but I love my Dromarti Sportivo Touring shoes. Back when I bought them they considerably cheaper and weren't subject to insane tariffs. Nearly all of my bikes have Shimano pedals with SPD cleats - either dedicated or flip-flops.

Comfortable to walk in and beautifully crafted - these shoes will pretty much last me until I'm too old to ride. I have Sidi racing shoes and Shimano MTB shoes, but my Dromartis are my go-to cycling shoe for most rides.

I recommend bringing a pair of sandals. I used Teva sport sandals on my tours for a long time, but the durability and longevity seemed to decrease about 15 years ago, and I switched to KEEN. I love the pair of KEEN Targhee open toe sandals I have now which I have had for about 5 years.

That said, I am planning a tour along the north shore of Lake Superior this summer and plan to do some day hiking. It's very rocky and I know sandals won't be enough, so I am probably going to bring my KEEN hiking shoes (I forget what model they are) instead of my sandals.

FYI - It is not widely known, but the Grand Marais municipal campground has a row of tent sites for hiker/bikers. Can't be reserved, they are available first come, first serve to those that show up. $25.75 plus tax, listed as Drop-In at this link:
https://www.grandmaraisrecreationarea.com/rates

If you got there and they were all full, most likely by SHT backpackers, you probably could ask one of the campers if you could share and get a spot for a tent that way. I am not aware of any other hiker biker sites like that along the north shore.

Thanks so much for the info! I have already done some preliminary searches for camping along my intended route (essentially US Bicycle Route 41), but Grand Marais did not return anything. It may turn out to be an emergency overnight, but it is good to know that it is there.

I have been going up to the BWCA almost every year since the 1980s. Section hiked part of the SHT for five trips. And after I had made reservations to stay at a higher cost for tent sites at Grand Marais, I was really surprised to learn of those hiker biker sites, as not many people are aware of them. So, even though you are from Minnesota, I assumed you were not aware of them.

You have to pay the full tent site price at the Burlington Campground in Two Harbors. They have one overflow campsite next to the HQ building that I have camped in a couple times when I did not make a reservation, I think it was called Site B.

There is a campground in Grand Portage, I stayed there one night a year and a half ago, I think I had to go to the Casino to pay for the site. I think it was $25, but my memory could be wrong on that.

There are a few places on Highway 61 that do not have much shoulder and do not have a good alternative route. When I rode those narrow shoulder sections, I still felt reasonably safe. I have not bike toured on the North Shore, but I have biked about 60 miles of it. There are a lot of places where there is paved bike trail or older less used highway that parallels it.

Have a great trip.

Geez, another old guy who just won't give it up.

Not really my experience, I've had the odd "almost disaster" mountain biking situations in very technical trails where I've stalled or gotten the front wheel stuck in stuff and the way my weight was, it was pretty sketchy getting my foot unclipped.
The times I've had the exact same fatbiking bailing situations, my flat pedal winter boots just go flying off the pedals as fast as I have gone flying into the snow off trail.
Glad your back armour did it's job, I probably go slower than you , or just dumb luck the times I've flown into the snow scenery (touch wood)

I'm an old fart so most likely take less risks than you do, but falls can be weird can't they? Sometimes a simple slow fall could hurt a lot, depends on how we fall and what we hit (touch wood, touch wood)

For leisure tourers (as opposed to Audax 200+ km per day cycling robots), I'd say it is far better to have footwear that is as optimised for cycling as possible, but yet remains quite suitable for walking outside on various terrains or inside (shops, restaurants, hotels, etc.), and does not impede the ability to quickly mount/dismount the bicycle.

I like the Giro Berm spd shoes. Good room in the toe area, very comfortable for walking. I have a pair of Sidi insulated boots for cold weather. I like them, but a bit more toe area would be better.
No matter what riding shoes are being used, I would have a separate pair of comfortable athletic or street shoes. Your feet will appreciate that. I use spd shoes for most riding, I often stop at home mid ride, and always take my shoes off while there, my feet appreciate that.

What the video discussed was efficiency, and it's been known for a while that clipless pedals do not increase pedaling efficiency. But it's a bit reductive to claim that no benefit has been demonstrated just because there's no difference in efficiency.

There are other benefits to clipless pedals.

1) Foot pressure mitigation. Most longer distance tourists become fairly strong riders at some point or another. That means they'll be able to put out a fair deal of watts and thus pressure against the pedal, which, with shoes that are too soft, can cause discomfort or pain over hours of riding per day. The only shoes that remove the pedal shape feeling with my typical pedaling forces are heavy duty hiking boots, which are frankly pretty bad for riding. All of my cycling shoes however are stiff enough that I don't feel the SPD-cleat or pedal even when doing max efforts.

2) foot placement. For me it gets really old really fast when my foot is in a different spot on the pedal all the time, especially on multi hour rides. With clipless I simply don't think about my foot placement. My foot is where it's supposed to be and won't shift, except for float rotation. Having less bike fit related things to think about is a benefit in my book.

2.1) Leg health. Assuming the cleats have been adjusted properly and the bike has been fit correctly, clipless pedals likely prevent overuse injuries over flat pedals. A hot take I know but clipless pedals with sufficient float reduce variables and let the foot/leg stay more relaxed when riding.

3) Foot retention. I've found myself in situation where I've gotten in too steep too fast with too large a gear and have to tear myself up the hill whilst pushing and pulling the pedals and wrestling the bike. That wouldn't happen without clipless and I'd have to walk-a-bike. Also when riding over rough bumpy terrain or simply riding really fast it's nice to know your feet won't come off the pedals and cause you to crash.

I'm sure there are other benefits as well but these were the ones off the top of my head.

As for walkability, all the SPD shoes I've tried have been plenty walkable. Would I want to do multi hour hikes in them? Well, not in all of them. In some maybe I would... But all of them have been more than good enough for the walking one typically does on a bike tour. Then again it's not something I really have to think about. I just walk in them. My current touring shoes (Lake LXSDL) are pretty great allrounders.

As has been discussed, mounting/dismounting seems to be a matter of preference. For me the quickest way to get a foot off a pedal is with SPD's as opposed to flat pedals or other pedal systems, since with a quick twist the foot just sorta flies off the pedal and to the side. At this point if's reflex since I've been mountain biking with SPD's for a long time now. Mounting and setting off could potentially be quicker/easier with flat pedals but that's one of the reasons why my touring bike has dual sided pedals. When I set off I either push at the flat side and clip in when I'm moving with enough speed or I clip in immediately. Luck of the draw really.

Like Tourist in MSN, I use pedals with SPD one side and flat on the other. I may be slightly duck footed as whenever I use the flat side my heels sometime wander and hit the crank. Clipping into the SPD side prevents this.

elcruxio , You make a most reasonable case for clipless.

When I'm on my touring bike I use freestyle shoes, but because my feet have been going weird ever since I've gotten older, I was having pain in one of my feet, not being able to find a pair of cycling shoes that worked good I started using New Balance Pickleball shoes, very stiff, and so far so good. I don't take extra shoes when I go bike camping or touring so I just use whatever shoes I ride my bike with to walk around camp, so freestyle shoes or pickleball shoes are excellent for that.

Shimano GE500. Very happy with the wide toe box, they have been durable, and love having laces too.