Now I’ve heard of almost everything. GTX Corp was recently awarded three patents that cover GPS location devices embedded in footwear. Although it appears most of the applications are in running shoes for now, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine hiking boots with integrated GPS chips in the near future…

The GTX technology transmits location data for tracking purposes and in a hiking context this could be used much like a Spot satellite messenger. Personally I think I’d prefer to have a device that can transmit location data AND be used for navigation on the ground and a shoe-based platform isn’t really suited for that.

We’re still scratching our heads about why you’d want a GPS in your shoe anyway. There are plenty of other places a GPS can be attached to a person (in a watch, for example) that are more accessible and less prone to water/dust intrusion. Nike has had success with their foot pod but that’s just a pedometer and not location aware. Now if we’re tracking mental patients or prisoners instead of hikers, maybe there’s a use for a (covert) shoe based tracking device!

Here’s a video from the GTX CEO hyping the concept:

This is a pretty cool item that didn’t get a lot of press (which actually makes it even cooler): last month Hi-Tec donated 900 pairs of hiking boots to Haitian earthquake victims. The company gave the boots to Souls4Souls.org which will distribute them to men, women, and children in Haiti. Not ones to toot their own horns, Hi-Tec makes no mention of the donation on their website - all I was able to find was this short press release on another site:

Hi-Tec has donated 900 pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s boots and shoes to soles4souls.org for distribution to victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“Our hearts go out to our Haitian neighbors as we struggle to comprehend the magnitude of this disaster, and we cannot forget how important basic necessities – such as shoes – will be in the ongoing rescue and rebuilding efforts,” said Bill Berta, CEO of Hi—Tec USA. “We deeply appreciate the work of Soles 4 Souls and encourage everyone to look into their own closets in support of this tragedy.”

And as you can see from the image at the top of this post, Hi-Tec also supports our National Parks and other great causes. Kinda makes us feel good to see outdoor companies stepping up and helping out…

The Bugathermo heated hiking boot from Columbia is certainly an, errr, interesting idea. Plug your boots in the night before an epic slog through snow and cold temps and you’ll have up to 8 hours of heat keeping your tootsies warm. The Bugathermo has three heat levels, dual heating elements, and an LED display, all powered by an integrated lithium ion battery. The boots also feature Omni-Tech, Columbia’s version of Gore-Tex plus Thinsulate Insulation rated down to -25° F. These boots are certainly rugged looking but they aren’t cheap: $250 for the men’s version.

If you’re like me you can probably see there might be some problems with these boots. First, it seems like adding a lithium ion battery to footwear might make it a tad heavy. There’s no info on where the batteries are located (sole? uppers?) but wherever they are, they can’t be comfortable. Then there’s the whole issue of replacing the batteries when they stop holding a charge.

Columbia says these boots are perfect for mountain trekking or Arctic exploration but I’d add a caveat to that and say you need to have access to electrical power to make these boots effective. For other users like ski lift operators, these boots seem like they may be well suited.

I always hated buying those chemical heaters for outdoor winter sports and the heated hiking boot is certainly an interesting alternative. For now I think I’ll keep heating my feet the old fashioned way: extra socks and vigorous physical activity.