What is the best brand of hiking boots?

[solid 7]

Looking to get further into backcountry backpacking / hiking and need a good pair of hiking boots. What are the best brands to look for?

[US_Ranger]

Originally Posted by solid 7

Looking to get further into backcountry backpacking / hiking and need a good pair of hiking boots. What are the best brands to look for?

To give a dumb but honest answer....whatever fits your feet best.

I personally like Montrail as they seem to fit well. However, I also like New Balance trail/hiking shoes as they are a bit wider and I have semi-flat feet. I just did Half Dome in them last month and my feet felt good the whole way.

Go to a local outdoor shop and try on all sorts of different pairs. Make sure to do this in the afternoon after your feet are a little swollen from walking during the day as opposed to the morning when they aren't. You can have them measure your foot length and width to get an accurate measure of your foot size. This helps on many websites of good hiking boots as they have more exact measurements as opposed to "size 11" or a typical running shoe size. Try on everything and see what fits best, go home and then look online for the cheapest price. If you feel guilty about wasting the salespersons time at the store, buy a nice pair of hiking socks or something so can contribute a little.

[solid 7]

thanks, great advice.

[heidt410]

Originally Posted by US_Ranger

To give a dumb but honest answer....whatever fits your feet best.

I personally like Montrail as they seem to fit well. However, I also like New Balance trail/hiking shoes as they are a bit wider and I have semi-flat feet. I just did Half Dome in them last month and my feet felt good the whole way.

Go to a local outdoor shop and try on all sorts of different pairs. Make sure to do this in the afternoon after your feet are a little swollen from walking during the day as opposed to the morning when they aren't. You can have them measure your foot length and width to get an accurate measure of your foot size. This helps on many websites of good hiking boots as they have more exact measurements as opposed to "size 11" or a typical running shoe size. Try on everything and see what fits best, go home and then look online for the cheapest price. If you feel guilty about wasting the salespersons time at the store, buy a nice pair of hiking socks or something so can contribute a little.

Yeah, good advice. It all depends on your feet... but there are manufacturers you should target.

I like Asolo the best. Other good brands are Merrell, Vasque, Lowa, Scarpa, Montrail, Keen... I love Keen boots for light hikers.

Figure out what you want, a light hiker or backpacking boot, or maybe even a running shoe for your needs. Either way, go waterproof/breathable.

[SebNoker]

I read up about this a while back, and found, lowa, Matterhorn and Merrel are extremely good brands, otherwise, best is to search around the net, type hiking boot reviews and youll get answers quick as well. Best advice is from USranger, whatever feels amd fits best...

[solid 7]

Speaking of Asolo, I was looking around on Sierra Trading Post and found these, not a bad price and are highly reviewed. Anyone own a pair of these?

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Rev...x-For-Men.html

Haven't gotten a chance to go to local outdoor store, but hopefully will this afternoon. Thanks again to everyone for the advice.

[solid 7]

and speaking of good websites for deals on outdoor gear, what are the best ones?

[Frenchie_G]

bump.
I'm curious too.. was going to start a thread on this but, whatcha know..

[solid 7]

bump!!!

[o0o0Ooo0o0Oo]

I have a pair of Keen, Ecco, and LL Bean hiking boots. The Bean's are by far the best value, but the Keen and Ecco are a little lighter, and a LOT more expensive.

Any of the better brands have great warranties and back up their stuff.

I have needed warranty work on 2 items I got from LL Bean, I was blown away by their service. I had a 10 year old Goretex jacket that the zipper broke. It was my fault, and I would have gladly paid to have them fix it. They sent me a brand new Goretex jacket no questions asked.

[kingkole02]

I got these for my outdoor woods activity.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...005000_500-5-0

Love them, 5 inches of water dry, side zipper and they are really comfortable compared to other 15 pairs I tried on.

[US_Ranger]

Originally Posted by solid 7

and speaking of good websites for deals on outdoor gear, what are the best ones?

You looked at REI yet?
http://www.rei.com/

Cabela's is good too.
http://www.cabelas.com/home.jsp;jses...equestid=41349

[xc_mtb]

Originally Posted by solid 7

Looking to get further into backcountry backpacking / hiking and need a good pair of hiking boots. What are the best brands to look for?

i got some vasque boots for my rim to rim grand canyon run/hike. despite being so big, they were great during the running part (the downhill, the first ~7 miles) and they were just as good for hiking the other 16 miles. It was a great hike, definitely recomend it. awesome views from begining to end. we finished in a little over 7 hours, and even then i still had no blisters or any discomfort. i dont know that much about boots, but 5 out of the 7 people in my group also had vasque boots, so id say there a pretty good choice.

[Baba_ghanoush]

vasque ftw

[TrueNorth]

As far as the 'best' boots, I heard of a company that I think is located in Germany, they take a mold of your foot / calf, and custom make your boots to your mold....of course that comes with a custom price.

All the types of boots already listed are all great brands. My buddies all have different brands of boots, its all personal preference. I have a pair of Danners, a pair of Montrails, and a pair of Merrels. The Danners aren't broken in yet. I love the Montrails, but they wore down within 2 years, I was a bit surprised at that, I thought they'd last longer, however, my next pair will again be Montrails. I hate my Merrels, absolutely hate them. They were great in the store, but they suck on the trail, they feel like they have no support in them. However, I have a buddy that loves his Merrels. My other buddy swears by Vasque, and my other buddy swears by Columbia. You have to try them all on, and see how you like the fit. Also check the soles, you want a tough sole on them, like Vibram, and you want a goretex liner for waterproofing. Expect to pay around $120.00 for a good boot. Its expensive, but consider this, if you go hiking and you're several miles from your car or the nearest road, your shoes are the only thing you got to get back to civilization, so they better be dependable, you won't make it in bare feet.

If you want the boots for fitness or you are new to backpaking, go for a soft boot style. If you want to seriously get into hiking, you may want to check out the leather boots. If you check out a leather boot, you want a lightweight boot, and a good way to break them in, is to wear them in water, get them completely wet and walk around in them for awhile.

Cheap hiking and camping stuff:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/...07=Search&008=

http://www.ems.com/index.jsp?emssrcid=adwords_ems

Have fun shopping.

[RHockey84]

I used to do a lot of hiking when I was younger in boyscouts. I just recently got back into it about a year and a half ago. I bought a pair of Merrels and love them! Wore them about two weeks to break them in and then did a 30 mile backpacking trip with a class. No blisters or swelling at all.

The only problem that I had was the insole. One of them kept sliding back. I replaced them with some good ones from REI that supports my arch. And now when I put them on I can only smile because the fit perfect and comfy.

[GreenWave1]

I love my Merrells. They were expensive ($140) but they have been great.

As others have said, the key is fit. Pick a reputable brand (many listed here) and find a pair that fits you well.

[solid 7]

thanks for advice everyone. all great.

[plumher]

danners are my fav.

[DemetriaF]

I've tried literally every brand out there, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm going to say Prada. I go through hordes of hiking boots here (the lava rock just shreds them up). But I had a pair of Prada hiking boots when I lived in NYC, brought then here to Hawaii and they far surpassed anything other hiking boots I've encountered. Even military issue, which were the first to wear out (lasted only 20 working days), whereas the Prada hiking boots lasted a full year on the rock.

[mkpat]

Fayetteville, Arkansas here too man.

On topic, I bought a pair of Wolverines as a workboot and been using them as my hiking boots lately also. Very comfortable, will continue to use them until they fall apart, which wont be for a long time.

[solid 7]

Originally Posted by mkpat

Fayetteville, Arkansas here too man.

On topic, I bought a pair of Wolverines as a workboot and been using them as my hiking boots lately also. Very comfortable, will continue to use them until they fall apart, which wont be for a long time.

you do alot of hiking around the devils den and buffalo river areas? i love it.

[kitebean]

http://www.meindl.de/english/


probably as many favourites as people responding to this post

try em!

[solid 7]

Thanks again for all the advice in this thread.

I think I've settled on a pair I've found on Sierra. I tried them on at my local outdoor store.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Pro...&cdf=TopSeller

Anybody have any opinions or experience with Asolo boots or these in particular? Let me know if you know anything about them!

[heidt410]

Originally Posted by DemetriaF

I've tried literally every brand out there, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm going to say Prada. I go through hordes of hiking boots here (the lava rock just shreds them up). But I had a pair of Prada hiking boots when I lived in NYC, brought then here to Hawaii and they far surpassed anything other hiking boots I've encountered. Even military issue, which were the first to wear out (lasted only 20 working days), whereas the Prada hiking boots lasted a full year on the rock.

OMFG!!! Wow... just wow. Im not sure if I should laugh or be pissed at this post?

Originally Posted by solid 7

Thanks again for all the advice in this thread.

I think I've settled on a pair I've found on Sierra. I tried them on at my local outdoor store.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Pro...&cdf=TopSeller

Anybody have any opinions or experience with Asolo boots or these in particular? Let me know if you know anything about them!

Nice choice. I already expressed my love for Asolo, they are my favorite brand. Im sure you were sold once you slipped your feet into a pair. You wont regret this purchase. Ive been wearing Asolos for 8 yrs, they are the most functional, reliable, and comfortable boot brand.