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There are two things you need to bring along with you on a hike, no matter if it’s a three-hour day trip, a weeklong trek, or a weekend climb: water and a good pair of hiking boots.
Finding the perfect pair that will keep you supported, blister-free, and comfortable can get a bit tricky for several reasons. First, the perfect boots for one hike may be a poor choice for another, as terrain, season, gear weight, and distance all must be factored in as you choose your boots. For ice, loose rocks, steep scrambles, and the like, you need deep, aggressive treading that will let you kick in and hold on, e.g, whereas for a more casual trail hike, less pronounced lugs (the little stick-out things on the soles) and treading will help keep you moving faster and freer. So too do rougher terrain and longer technical hikes call for a higher collar that offers better ankle support while the casual hike may merit a lower cut boot that again allows for easier, faster motion, and that will likely weigh less, too.
Second—beyond the tech specs of a boot, like materials, tread pattern, weight, rise, and so on—you’ll need to consider your budget. And third, there are simply so many brands and styles of hiking boot out there, it’s hard to know which are worth considering.
That’s why we checked in with the experts and narrowed it down to just five boots here today. Are there other great hiking boots out there? Sure, lots. But will one of these work for you given your activities and budget and fitness level and such? Yes.
To get some well-informed input, we spoke first to Les Stroud, known far and wide as Survivorman thanks to his long-running hit show of the same name and a noted outdoorsman and survival expert. “I believe very much in matching your boot with the activity—otherwise you really run the risk of blisters and snapped ankles. Generally, I want strong ankle support, waterproofness up to my ankles, and a tough soul for rocks,” Stroud said.
Next, we talked to Veronica Dzul-Garcia, one of the Gearheads from the trusted outdoor outfit Backcountry. “You just have to ask yourself a few questions, like what type of hike am I doing?” Dzul-Garcia said. “Am I headed for easy trails, or to the backcountry, off trail, where the terrain gets crazy? And how long will my hike be, how much gear will I be carrying?”
These pointers and questions have helped inform our choices, as have, of course, direct recommendations from those deeply in the know.
Best for Multi-Day Hiking
Best for Cold Weather Hiking
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