I know I've been posting a lot of small detail touring questions, but I'm starting to get serious about doing my first one-nighter. I've got the old classic steel touring bike in a rebuild mode without pedals and eventually I'll get around to advice on panniers and such, but my present question is about the pedals and of course shoes. I have a hard tail MTB and a road bike that I use Shimano SPDs on with MTB shoes. But, I started imagining riding all day on them and wondered if a wider more stable platform, such as a road pedal and stiff shoe, won't be more comfortable. Or, would a standard pedal with a cage be more practical?

Don't worry. I've done plenty of centuries on Time Attaks and cheap mountain bike shoes. There have been times that I have noticed hotspots, but not nearly to the point that they have bothered me. The increased walkability far outweighs any hotspot problems.
I've done a few trips where I've brought only my bike shoes hiked a couple of miles while pushing my bike. No problem.

^^What he said.^^ I've done back-to-back metric centuries many times on SPDs. The ability to walk on a tile floor without imitating "Toto the Dancing Bear" is worth it.

So do I as much as possible. Problem is I get 'hot foot' easily, so often revert to the platform side of the pedals. If not for the hot foot, I'd stick to the SPDs. Just more efficient, especially for spinning above 60 rpm.

+1 on spd and mountain shoes.

I just bought a pair of Keen Commuter sandals to replace my old MTB shoes, and I'm hoping that I can use them off bike as well. I'm hoping they'll help me cut one pair of footwear from the mountain of stuff I inevitably carry on tour.

Which mountain bike shoes? El Cheapo's or something decent? Some mountain shoes are garbage for anything longer than a 10 mile ride. I know I've owned a few.

Something like a Sidi Dominator 5 or higher quality with make a big difference. If you are using quality shoes then maybe it's cleat location?

Just my rambling thoughts.

Ps.. if I couldn't wear moutain shoes/spd's i'd be wearing road/spd sl. Never going back to platforms.

I think you can even go a bit lower in the Sidi line and be fine. I like my Bullet 2's just fine in this regard. Bullet 2's have been discontinued, but I bet the new Giau or Tork are probably similar.

FWIW, it wouldn't be a huge hardship to me if I had to use my Look road pedals and Sidi road shoes, as long as I had Kool Kovers for walking in stores or what ever and something else to change into for longer hikes. I would definitely go that route before I would go back to platforms. MTB shoes are a better compromise though.

I just switched to toe clips on my road bikes after more than ten years on SPDs. I'm tired of twisting out of the SPDs at traffic lights. I'd rather wear ordinary running shoes or sandals with clips. I no longer see the advantage of clipless. I'm not a racer. Clips keep my feet in contact with the pedals, and that's enough for me.

+2 I also use SPD pedals (Shimano M520) and mountain bike shoes (Specialized BG Comp). As long as the shoes have a stiff sole, I can ride them all day long. My Shimano MT31 shoes are much better for walking around, but the sole flexes enough that they become annoying to pedal after about 60 miles.

That's what I imagined. I use Shimano M122 MTB shoes. They are kinda narrow and fit really tightly which I like when riding hard. But, I can't imagine riding in them all day. Is there such a thing as a comfortable and stiff riding shoe?

Shimano shoes and Time ATACs here. Mostly just because the bloody pedals are 13 years old and just won't die. I'm pretty well accustomed to them by now (!) and just move them from bike to bike. Works great, though I am very seriously considering just going with some platforms in the future, soon as I find some shoes that fit me okay and are comfy on the bike.

Sure! As with anything, though, you have to find something that's going to work for your particular anatomy. Specialized BG Comp shoes work really well for my feet. Shimano shoes are OK to good, depending on the model. None of the Sidi models I've tried seem to fit well, for some reason. And while my BG Comps are great for riding, they're not terribly comfortable for long-distance walking.

If you don't like your current shoes, the best thing is to keep trying different brands and models until you find something that works well. I like a very stiff sole and just a bit of extra room in the toe box. I like ratcheting straps, but you have to be careful not to make them too tight or your foot will really suffer. I also found that using aftermarket footbeds (Superfeet, Specialized, SOLE) and Specialized shims helped to perfect a fit that was pretty good to begin with...

Dominators. Very comfortable for me. I like double-sided SPDs for casual riding, hating the fuss of a single sided pedal. Dominators are worth it if they fit. Didn't even need custom footbeds. I've had mine for about 10 years and tens of thousands of miles and they show no internal wear. Outsides are a little beat-up and sooner or later I'll need new Velcro straps, but that's OK. Be sure to change your socks. Sometimes fresh/different socks in the middle of the day make all the difference.

I am old and fat, and it shows... I use Shimano SPD pedals and Nashbar Ragster cycling sandals. I go nowhere fast, but however long it takes, my feet are nice and cool