27 Posts
Swiss innovation On Cloudtrax hiking boots are durable shoes for hiking and other outdoor excursions. Yes, they are beastly on the hiking trail but an added bonus is their urban style. These are a must-have.
Ecco is releasing the EXOSTRIKE, a Dyneema Leather Boot they’re billing as using the “World’s Toughest Leather.” We see brands make big claims like that all the time, so we’re always ready to do a bit of investigating and see how their claims stack up.
We don’t try to hide our love for Made in America products, whether it’s clothing, skis or footwear. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t call attention to some of the best products made in other countries, too – products every bit as good as their American-made counterparts. In particular, we’re thinking of Lowa boots.
Superfeet makes great shoes, including sneakers and sandals. But they also make great insoles and accessories –including custom 3D printed options, which are shape to fit the exact shape of your feet.
Every year, ISPO gives awards to the most innovative and creative products in the outdoor and sports industries. In the last few years, a number of those awards have gone to Salewa – a Dolomite-based outdoor gear maker that’s been creating some of the industry’s best backpacking gear since the 1930’s.
A lot of people seem to think that European stuff is always nicer than American. We definitely don’t think that’s is always the case, but sometimes the quality, craftsmanship and elegant design that a piece of European gear has just stands out. Meindl boots certainly fit that bill.
North Face just unveiled some new products for 2019, and the Safien GTX hiking boots are at the top of the line, thanks to the new proprietary shoe rubber they’ve come up with – the Exploration Trax System, or EXTS.
We all like a good pair of winter boots, but not everyone likes a pair that goes halfway to the knee. That’s where Merrell comes in. Merrell is known a lot more for their nimble, lightweight ankle boots than anything too bulky, and the Thermo Adventure Winter Boots follow in that vein.
Merrell has a very particular style of hiking shoes, and few are as recognizable as the Chameleons - a shoe made to be as versatile as the reptile its inspired by. But it looks their going in a little bit of a different direction with the Chameleon 7, the newest rendition of the popular shoe.
It seems as though our advances in technology has enter all markets--to include the hiking boot market. However, there is still the demand for the throw backs. The craze is going retro with that cool look but incorporating 21st Century technology into the product. Timberland has done just that with the release of the Timberland 1978 Hiker Limited Edition. It made it history when it was released in 1978 and it will be a hit today with its classic backcountry look.
What's this, more Under Armor hiking boots? It's still a little bit jarring to think of hiking boots and Under Armor in the same sentence, but they've already proven themselves to make some pretty comfortable, versatile pairs, and the Field Ops Gore-tex are no different. They actually market them as hunting boots, and they'll definitely serve whatever purpose you need them to.
It seems like more tennis shoe companies are entering the hiking boot market. Nike and hiking boots aren't usually in the same sentence. However, Nike has entered the trail shoe market with the introduction of the Nike Air Wild Mid Trail Shoe. You will find traction along with the typical Nike comfort in the Air Wild Mid Trail Shoe...the result is a "sneaker boot."
Finding comfortable footwear can be a challenge, especially for those of us with in-between sizes or widths. When it comes to hiking and outdoor shoes, that challenge can be even more so, which is why the Tecnica Forge line of boots is so great; thermo-formable footwear has been around for a while (especially in ski boots), but no one has really ventured into the world of lighweight hiking boots with them just yet.