My first pair of "real" hiking boots were Sundowner hand-me-downs from the late 80's or early 90's. When they finally failed after 30+ years of use I made the switch to lightweight trail shoes and sandals. There just isn't anything like the old school sundowners on the market (at least not that I can afford). With newer ultralight hiking/backpacking gear I've found that I can get away with Teva sandals in most cases, or trail shoes if weather and trail conditions are particularly bad. I do miss those boots though.