Hiking Boot Recommendations

Yeah, I can't say enough good things about them... they are great on the hiking trail, comfortable around camp, and are pretty darn tough for being relatively light weight.
 
Red Wing makes a fine old school hiker, they're listed under work boots but I'd take them hiking.
 
I work outside on my feet all day in all weather. I swear by Danner boots. When the midsole wears out I send them back to Danner for rebuild. Great boots and made in the US if that matters to uou..
 
bt93 said:
Red Wing makes a fine old school hiker, they're listed under work boots but I'd take them hiking.
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I'll have to try some out, they have a store here in my hometown and they also do a boot drive every year where I work and give away about 100 pairs to those in need.. nice guys. I've had just 1 pair of their boots in the past and they were pretty rough on the feet to break in but durable.

wuluf said:
I work outside on my feet all day in all weather. I swear by Danner boots. When the midsole wears out I send them back to Danner for rebuild. Great boots and made in the US if that matters to uou..
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Yeah the good danner's that are made in the USA are a little more than I wanted to pay, plus they're more of a combat/hunting boot than hiking.
 
USA made Danner' s are resoleable. Save the coin. I have 4 pr n resolved em all at least once. All are 15+ yrs old. Check mtn light series.
 
Problem with heavy hikers/mountain boots is the added fatigue after your long days on the trail. Those heavy boots get lifted and plopped down thousands of times on a day on the trail. The new lightweight technology is hard to beat and is cheaper too.

I currently wear Keen. I have one pair a Targhee II and one pair of Koven.
 
Weight doesn't bother me much, I can quickly acclimate. As far as Keen goes I've read that they were really excellent boots 5 or so years ago however now they're falling apart on people and though they offer sole warranty their customer service is sub par.

They are making the durand in the US again and I was thinking of trying them out but all things considered I'll probably wind up passing on (not so) Keen.
 
My Redwing Roughneck boots have heavy vibram lug soles that will last me a long time. All other hiking boots have softer outsoles that are great for traction, but wore out fast. I gave up paying for sneaker type boots some years ago because I always wore down the heels fast. Resoling only make sense if the boots cost more than $200. Gore-tex or other waterproof membranes doesn't last long. They get teared or separated after a while. Think about what you value the most, then choose accordingly.
 
GotSteel said:
Weight doesn't bother me much, I can quickly acclimate. As far as Keen goes I've read that they were really excellent boots 5 or so years ago however now they're falling apart on people and though they offer sole warranty their customer service is sub par.

They are making the durand in the US again and I was thinking of trying them out but all things considered I'll probably wind up passing on (not so) Keen.
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That's the catch 22, while the new sneaker style hikers will save your knees from a world of hurt, they are going to be more disposable. It's the nature of the knee saving technology built into them.

These are a far cry from the red laced heavy Swiss mountain hikers back in the day. To me 5 years is a heck of a long time. For me the summer targhee's were one very comfortable boot but the goretex ones didn't fit me right. I have medium wide feet. Merrell's are solid all arounds but I would go with my other choices first. I would fathom that the sneaker eva hiker technology was built to last 500 to 1,000 miles and no more.

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GotSteel said:
Weight doesn't bother me much, I can quickly acclimate. As far as Keen goes I've read that they were really excellent boots 5 or so years ago however now they're falling apart on people and though they offer sole warranty their customer service is sub par.

They are making the durand in the US again and I was thinking of trying them out but all things considered I'll probably wind up passing on (not so) Keen.
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If you put in 20 miles on a trail like you say, you'll definitely notice a difference in the weight by the end of the day. The technology put into the design, materials, and manufacture of good modern hiking boots is incredible and saves your joints in the long run.

My pairs of Keen certainly aren't falling apart. Neither are my son's, and he puts his through hell on the trails and as an archeaologist/field tech, and he's been through some boots which lead him to Keen. I started with Keen based upon his use of them. I'm sticking with Keen until my boos give me a reason not to do so, and that doesn't look likely to happen.
 
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My legs are really conditioned and strong, not saying I wouldn't notice, I'm saying it wouldn't affect me negatively.

I went to try a few different pairs on the other day and decided to try them keens on, the store I went to had the durand but not in my size so I tried on the targhee (sp) since a few people recommend them, there was a weird volume in the forefoot (not in the toe box (which to my surprise wasn't as roomy as anticipated from all the chatter about that, not that that's a negative for me since I don't require it) behind the toe box on the top of the foot, the rest of the fit was fine, just a strange feel like roomy in the wrong places.

Maybe I'll try a pair of durand, but I'm probably steering towards something more leather one piece, there have been couple like that mentioned here, I thank you all for your replies.
 
GotSteel said:
I went to try a few different pairs on the other day and decided to try them keens on, the store I went to had the durand but not in my size so I tried on the targhee (sp) since a few people recommend them, there was a weird volume in the forefoot (not in the toe box (which to my surprise wasn't as roomy as anticipated from all the chatter about that, not that that's a negative for me since I don't require it) behind the toe box on the top of the foot, the rest of the fit was fine, just a strange feel like roomy in the wrong places.
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The true test of a hiking boot's fit is on a downhill slog (especially after your feet have swelled). If trying them on at a store ensure they have a ramp. If it's short, which it likely is, slam your foot into the down ramp by swinging your foot forward into the ramp when walking down it. Since fit is so critical, also ensure the vendor you buy from has a good return policy.

While they often don't have the best prices, REI has an excellent return policy on nearly everything, boots included. Don't even need a receipt if you are a member. I returned a pair of Vasque to REI ten months after I bought them and after having worn them many many many times including on the trail. The fit was just a bit too narrow. They took them back without batting an eye lid. I even returned a day pack back after using it in Afghanistan and exchanged it for another pack and credit back to my debit card simply because the pack's features did not quite meet my needs.
 
I went shoe shopping today for something a little better the my Merrel Proterra GTX in the snow. Found a couple good deals that I thought I would share. 6pm.com has Merrell Telluride Mid Waterproof for $65.00 and Amazon has Merrel Capra Mid Waterproof at 85.00. Might not be as fancy as some others mentioned but at these prices are more that 50% off MSRP and a lot cheaper than other retailers currently have them available for. I went ahead and got the Tellurides so we'll see how I like them. I may be a bit of a Merrel fan boy, starting with thet original Chameleon Stretch Goretex (best shoe ever I don't know why they got rid of it) moving to a later model Chameleon, then to the Proterra. Also have some Merrel Cypher Gloves in blue/black for the summer that I absolutely love. I'm not sure if they can be resoled or not though I should look into it because I still have the GTX Chameleons, I just don't wear them in the winter because there is about 0 grip left on them.
 
I had a pair of the Moab's and the chams gtx's. It's unexplainable as the Moab's appeared to have more cushioning. But I liked the cham's so much better. They felt like hiking slippers vs a heavy sneaker.

For winter boots I went for the Columbia bugaboot which I really like. Ive only had them for a season so far though.

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I got 5 years out of a pair of Asolo Fugitives. At this point I've glued the toes back together and to be honest they aren't waterproof like they used to be, but damned if I don't love them for all they've been through. I'm looking at Limmers now, but I might save the coin and get another pair of Fugitives. IMHO Asolo makes a great boot for the money.
 
cchu518 said:
I had a pair of the Moab's and the chams gtx's. It's unexplainable as the Moab's appeared to have more cushioning. But I liked the cham's so much better. They felt like hiking slippers vs a heavy sneaker.

For winter boots I went for the Columbia bugaboot which I really like. Ive only had them for a season so far though.

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I used to wear Merrell Moabs. Would buy two pair the week before Christmas when they were on sale. By the next Christmas they'd be worn out and need replacing. They are a good hiker if you can get them at a good price.

Merrell Moabs at Bear Church Rock.

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