When it comes to hiking shoes, there is a bewildering array of choices.

High-tops, low-tops. Day-hikers vs. backpacking boots. Leather or man-made. How much shoe do you need, really? And what’s a hiker who doesn’t want to fill her closet full of shoes — but who does want the correct shoes — to do?

“It just depends on how someone’s foot is shaped. That’s going to be the right shoe for them,” says Chris Gerston, owner of Backcountry Essentials in Bellingham. Here are some things to keep in mind during your search:

“Comfort is king, without a doubt. And, quite often, putting in the proper footbed,” Gerston says. “Most companies don’t spend a whole lot on the footbed that they put in the shoe because they know that it’s really a footbed that’s not going to fit the majority of people.”

Shoemakers know that many consumers will buy overthe- counter insoles, such as those made by Superfeet, that will fit their feet better, he explains.

High-tops vs. low-tops. Your preference depends on your ankles, with Gerston saying that high-tops provide greater ankle support. “They will help prevent you rolling your foot over.”

Gerston doesn’t like wearing high-tops because they take away his ankles’ ability to flex, and that ultimately hurts his knees.

“I like to have all that mobility in my ankle because that allows my legs to work as they’re supposed to.”

But high-top boots are valuable for those times when you’re walking through snow, water, damp grass or dirty stuff.

“They’re going to keep that much more dirt or grit from entering your shoe, water too, because they’re higher up,” Gerston says.

And if you’re not sold on the idea of high-tops, strap on a pair of gaiters to cover your lower legs.

Leather or man-made materials? Leather is more durable but takes longer to break in, which is when they’re most comfortable. But synthetics make a boot lighter.

Leather boots can be resoled while most synthetics can’t. But some higher-end — read, more expensive — synthetic boots can be resoled, Gerston says.

“My leather mountaineering boots are ready for a resole, but they’re eight years old,” he says. “So I wouldn’t have to go through that whole expense and that whole break-in period for a new boot.”

But, ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and the outdoor activity you’re doing.

One shoe fits all. So can you get by with just one pair of shoes if you don’t feel like spending a ton of green to play in the outdoors?

“You can definitely get away with one shoe for everything,” Gerston says. “For some people they want that same shoe to be able to look good in the bars after they come back from a hike, or to kick around town. Other people are going to want that same shoe to be a running shoe,” he says.

Approach shoes, for example, are essentially hiking/running shoes with some climbing features to them, like stickier soles that will take users from the trail to bouldering at Clayton Beach.

“You can hedge your bets and make one shoe fit just about everything that you want do,” Gerston says.

One thing to keep in mind, he adds, is that camping gear has gotten lighter over time and that could affect your shoe choice.

“People kind of tend to over buy, over structure their footwear,” he says. “You don’t need the big massive boots that you used to need.”