Your Best Hiking Boots?

[HikerChick]

So what brand/style of hiking boots do you prefer? Timberlands are stylish where I live, but I find them more and more unreliable for actual hiking, haha. I'm usually not willing to spend too much money on a pair since I'm just going to tear them up anyway...but if you know of any truly hardy boots that can take a beating and make it worth the price, I'd be interested to know!

 

[Newanderthal]

Your feet are the most import part of your body when hiking. If your feet break down, your whole trip breaks down. Get some nice hiking boots. Spend the extra cash. You'd be surprised how difficult it is to tear them up. Don't go for style, go for function.

I used a pair of Merrell's for years. They were awesome, comfortable, offered great support and durable.

Now it's Canyon by Magellan (Academy's brand). I needed a cheap pair of waterproof boots for yard work and other activities so I grabbed a pair for $50. They look like traditional leather hiking boots. Plain and simple. After I broke them in, I found them to be extremely comfortable. I started hiking in them. Then backpacking. Soon I found myself reaching for them when getting dressed for work. Now, almost three years later, I'm still wearing the same pair. I wear them every day to work, when cleaning up the yard, when going to the coffee shop to write and they stay on my feet when I'm backpacking. They have a few hundred miles of trails on them and they're still waterproof and still holding up. A true diamond in the rough deal.

 

[HikerChick]

That's excellent! I need a pair like that, and as I said, I'd gladly spend the money if I could be sure they'd hold up. I need to get to a good store where I'd find those...Academy's, you said? Thank you for the suggestion; I'll be on the lookout!

 

[jeffsays]

hi there.i use The North Face Dhaulagiri GTX Boot.the North Face is an extremely well established name in outdoor adventure and offers an excellent line of footwear.They were awesome, comfortable, offered great support and durable.:tinysmile_twink_t2:

 

[HikerChick]

Thank you, Jeff! I'll look for those as well. Now if I could only find a decent store in my area, lol. I've just relocated and am having a hard time finding everything around here.

 

[Newanderthal]

yeah, any reputable brand is going to take the punishment.

Merrell, North Face, Columbia, Timberland, etc. A decent pair of hiking boots should last several years. They're not like tennis shoes that start to degrade once you get them wet.

find a sporting goods store in your area and check out some boots.

 

[HikerChick]

I've been looking around...I'm not sure how much I trust Timberland these days, with how much effort they've been putting into form over function to please their younger, non-hiking customers. I'm hearing a lot of Merrell, and it will probably get my vote.

 

[Newanderthal]

yeah, I think that Timberland is for sporting your shoes in urban settings and pretending to hike, but that's just what I've seen.

Merrell is a good brand. I had a pair and they rock. Inexpensive too.

 

[calanta]

I know that FiveTen makes a great deal of outdoorsmen shoes but I have never really gotten "that" into it myself. I do like the timberlands but sometimes I need something a little less, hmm, not sure? firm?

 

[Wild Ryan]

In a word. Vasque.

I've hike many a hard mile in my Wasatch style.

 

[scarynickname]

The best pair I ever had were BK's, but I don't think they make them anymore. I've been using Montrailsfor a while. Mostly because they last so long.

 

[JManning]

I've always been a brasher person myself! great durability and incredibly comfy, really good for walking through the Oxfordshire countryside!

 

[jason]

I have a pair of 5.11's I got from Gales that are the best I have ever had so far. They are called tactical boots, but they work great for hiking.

 

[JosephAbbott]

Very informative thread,

 

[Roybrew]

Hello JosephAbbott, Wow this is an old thread. Welcome and jump on in to the introductions. Glad to have ya.

 

[ppine]

Asolo, Raichle, Vasque, there lots of good ones.

 

[Grandpa]

Since this thread started, Merrill outsourced which cost them their quality. They then regrouped and make a good shoe again. Keen seems to be coming on strong these days. I hike with several people that have them and they are well liked. The most important things are good fit and good socks.

 

[Denni2]

I wear Keen boots or shoes in the summer. I have a pair of Danner winter hikeing boots I bought 25 years ago. I wear them hiking, walking the dog, running errands and shoveling snow. With the exception of a few scuffs they look like new and are still comfortable. I would love to have a pair of summer boots/shoes like them but I haven’t found them.

 

[Roybrew]

I have a pair of Columbia hiking shoes. I have problems finding shoes that fit because I wear a 13EW. When I go shoe shopping I just ask what they have in my size, and that eliminates more then half of the brands. I had some keen steel toed shoes at work, keens are very popular with my coworkers, but I had to quit wearing them cause they were hurting my knees. A different pair may fit differently, and steel toed shoes are a lot different then hikers.

 

[MacGyver]

I have feet that are traditionally hard to fit because of narrow feet coupled with one bad instep. Usually I need to break a pair of boots in by putting up with some discomfort in town before actually going out camping with 'em. I'm writing this in memory of the only pair of boots that somehow felt instantly perfect from the first time I tried 'em on. They were from Asolo. I think it was something in the pulleys they had for eyelets and the plastic "bioframe support" (I think that's what they called it) that made 'em fit so well. But, since the soles dry rotted to dust (a WTH moment), I've worn Vasque boots almost exclusively. Feel pretty good out of the box and break in quickly.