The Beefy Hiking Boots That Have Served Me in Desert, Snow, and Forest
These waterproof, lightweight boots can handle all kinds of terrain.
Photo Illustration by Scouted/The Daily Beast/Zappos
Over the last couple of years, I’ve really started dipping my toes into “outdoor enthusiast” territory. Once a person who refused to camp more than two nights in a row, I spent roughly half of my two-week September elopement/honeymoon in a tent and stomping all over some of the United States’ most beautiful landscapes. Within the last year, I’ve slowly acquired all the necessary outdoor equipment—a fancy tent, a cushy cot, a nice Camelbak, and clothing. Perhaps the most important accessory of all, though, are my Vasque Talus XT GTX hiking boots.
Vasque Talus XT GTX Women's Boot
I broke these bad boys in on the dusty, desert terrain, and then gave them a real test drive by boulder hopping through Soap Creek Canyon. About a month later I took them up to pine-laden Coconino National Forest, and after that to the beautiful red rocks of Sedona. They’ve also splashed through watery creeks in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone, and carried me through one of the most treacherous, challenging hikes I’ve ever done:Delta Lake, a glacier-filled lake nestled high in the Teton mountain range.
Basically, these beefy boots have served me in desert, snow, water, and forest—and our adventures together have only just begun.
The boots obviously look great, but that’s not the only reason why I love them. They were comfortable from the first moment I put them on (ZERO blisters), they’re super grippy thanks to Vasque’s Vibram Mega Nuasi with Megagrip compound (a must for my inevitable uncertainty when scaling high places), they’re warm but not going to make me swelter in the heat, and they’re waterproof while still being breathable. Finally, they address one of my chief complaints about beefy hiking boots: they’re lightweight. They’ve proven themselves to be a versatile pair of boots I know I’ll be wearing for years to come.
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