Our tips for choosing the best hiking boots – Guide

Backpack: check. Gourde: check. Comfortable clothing: check. You hike and want to be equipped to enjoy the experience thoroughly. Have you thought about the shoes? The great walkers already know, the quality of shoes is crucial to enjoy hiking.

By not giving enough care to the choice of hiking boots, you are exposed to the risk of blisters, aching back and knees or falls. This is also one of the main reasons why some people lose taste for hiking. It’s a pity when you get used to it is one of the most enjoyable sports and the most relaxing. And walking is the best way to ensure his body a flood of endorphins and manageable effort that you really will be good.

Well. That said, facing the radius of your favorite sporting goods store or on Amazon, hard to know what determines a good choice. Mountain ? Trekking? Simple walk? New technologies have emerged and advanced manufacturing techniques has given rise to novel products. Note that selecting your pair of hiking boots will be far more important than shoes. But today there are so many types of hiking shoes there are walker, and when it leans a little we notice that all provide an advantage depending on the situation. Others, however, are rather versatile and let you enjoy walking in all circumstances.

It is a product of this type that Best Comparison will look first. This is one of the products the most advanced and most affordable that one can find on the market. Then we will try to give you the keys to understanding what defines the best hiking boots.

Redmond Mid Columbia – The best walking shoes for men in terms of quality / price

Our Tips For Choosing The Best Hiking Boots - Guide

In terms of hiking gear, Columbia is no introduction. American brand sports clothing since the 1938 Columbia has always endeavored to offer a wide selection of products that can reach as hiking to the city and ensuring optimal comfort. It is not only in a vague reputation: the special care they give to innovation and new materials guarantee a product always at the top. The model that we present today is a pair of hiking shoes for men. The model for women are the same characteristics, the only change is the size range.

Comfortable in town and in the mountains

This is, from my point of view, an important criterion. Hiking boots should certainly help you feel good when you walk, but ideally they pass unnoticed in the city. If, like me, you will help the daily walk to go, these shoes touring allow you to be comfortable all year round, whatever the distance. This model is available in four colors: black / gray, dark green, brown and gray and as you can see, there is no more impressive or flashy as city sneakers.

High quality materials

They nevertheless have nothing in common with simple sneakers. The top cover is leather with a synthetic lining mesh. The advantage is twofold. The leather ensures durability and optimal rigidity, while the synthetic lining allows the foot to breathe. The sole is rubber adherent, flexible enough to provide good energy return.

The energy return is the rebound feeling you give all the best hiking shoes. This is often a guaranteed effect by a midsole in a particularly elastic material which, when placing the foot, will return a portion of the energy in the opposite direction. This is an innovation that is that trying a good pair of walking shoes, you feel like running or jumping.

Speaking of the sole – and this is probably the most important point – it is an optimized form to be perfectly loop without being too flat. The toe is raised, allowing a good place of the ankle.

Our Tips For Choosing The Best Hiking Boots - Guide

At the same time, it is held by semi-amount design that supports the joint in case of a false motion. Neither sprains or bulbs!

Especially least if one knows that inside, padded, offering optimal comfort. Thanks to the integrated liner Omni-Tech, the water can not seep into your shoes. At the same time, you get a continuous aeration which, in case of bivouac, eliminates completely the risk of fungal infections or irritation.

From the inside to the outside, hiking shoes Columbia Mid Redmond have been designed for comfort.

Background optimal use

We have already said, each shoe hiking is optimized for a type of terrain and walk.

In the case of Columbia shoes, we particularly enjoyed its versatile appearance, allowing you to use on virtually any terrain. With Omni-Tech technology, you can wear these shoes for hiking in all climates, even wet, without discomfort or discomfort.

Their gripping sole, whose quality has been recognized by all its users and that is a strong point of these shoes, you ensure optimal comfort in the mountains or on particularly uneven roads. Moreover – and this is something I really appreciate with Columbia, this brand of hiking shoes was tested as others through the American mountains.

The Redmond Mid, in particular, have been tested in real conditions in the northwest mountains, along the Pacific coast in winter. What make their appearance with a little mat, they can really take you far!

The criteria for choosing the best hiking boots

We will start by introducing the different materials must be watching to ensure comfort and quality of your shoes. Secondly, we will detail the various features and contexts of use that will guide you in estimating your budget and your choice. One of the elements to keep in mind is the length of your walk and frequency of your walks. If you will simply take walks a few hours from time to time, some of the criteria you will count for little. But if your dream is the GR of Corsica, the Pilgrim or more days of walking in Patagonia, we have the elements that you will travel without bulbs.

Discover a good pair of hiking boots

You viewfinder a pair of shoes that you like. How to make sure it is suitable and of good quality?

First of all, if you plan to buy your pair of hiking shoes online, we strongly recommend you to the store to try them before. To choose shoes that are perfect for your foot, it is best to put the feet in the afternoon. Indeed, our feet tend to swell at the end of the day – and especially after several hours of walking. This is when you will see if the shoes fit the shape of your feet at all times.

In the case of the most rigid models, always take a size larger than your foot hard. To ensure that even with thick socks they will not be too small, check that there are many 1 cm margin at the toes without the heel rises.

Most touring models can well adjust the laces, which many maintain the shoe in place. If you have time, buy the socks you plan to use before the pair of shoes. Their thickness and flexibility can change your choice of size. In addition, certain pairs of socks do have their benefits if they are not too tight in the shoe. This is the case for example of the models that provide ventilation and comfort padding.

Four criteria will determine the right model for you.

At first, a rigid shoe can you seem uncomfortable. In reality it is vital that they are not too soft, especially if you plan to walk in mountainous terrain. It will allow you to carry larger loads and less tired. A rigid shoe relieves your joints, especially the knees!

There, you should see based on your needs. Low shoes are ideal for walking with a maximum day and planning to travel light. They are often less severe. Beware though, they are more sensitive to water and would not agree to work harder. The average shoes are sustainable and adapted if you’re not too busy. A fairly clear path do not pose a problem, attention to the most difficult and rocky terrain. For the latter,, prefer high shoes, also called high-hike. They go up to the ankles and relieve your joints in case of heavy load.

Look for a model with a hard and resistant gum. The soft tires have more grip but wear them is also much faster. Again, evaluate what is best for you, depending on your use of the shoe.

Scottish Highlands? Normandy cliffs? Find out about the climate of your destination. Please note that the majority of models called “waterproof” will protect you in case of rain, but if you walk into a big puddle there is always the risk of infiltration.

What are the different materials and their advantages?

You feel lost reading the datasheet hiking shoes of your dreams? We’ll see you for the different materials used in the manufacture of your hiking boots and benefits they offer. Some of them are from the latest technologies and offer comfort or a walk feeling quite new!

Full-grain leather – This type of leather is known for its durability. It will not scrape during walking and offers good resistance to water. This is the preferred material of hiking shoes, thanks to their adaptability to difficult terrain and heavy loads. Matter itself, tends to weigh its weight, with pairs of sometimes 300 grams. Allow some time to loosen the shoe – and well worth taking to do so before the hike!

Split grain leather – This hybrid material is a mixture of leather and synthetic material, often nylon. The result is a lighter shoe that breathes more. If the shoe is often cheaper on arrival, it is often less durable and does not offer the same benefits for water resistance.

Nubuck – This is a very durable and waterproof material. Although flexible, it takes a long use to loosen the shoe. If you are in the viewfinder a pair of shoes made in this matter, do not buy it at the last moment!

Synthetic – All synthetic shoes ranges offer undeniable advantages. Polyester, faux leather or nylon: they are certainly light, they dry quickly and are less expensive, but the need to provide them with a lot of seams tend to drastically reduce their lifespan.

In the same technique list, two options are sometimes present near descriptive materials. The first is the impermeable membrane. They prevent water entry and leave the shoe breathe. Note however that a point the air flows, of course, but less than in the absence of a membrane. If you will walk in a hot, dry climate, its waterproofing function will be virtually useless and excessive sweating can become disabling. The second point is the presence of a thermal insulator. It is present in most shoe hike designed for winter or mountain. Do not neglect this point: below 0 degrees, made the walk longer enough to fully warm up your end of term!

A midsole, or intermediate, will be slid between the outsole and the foot. Let’s say for simplicity it will ease your walk and absorb shocks. This is one of the first factors to the rigidity of your shoe – and we pointed to what extent the stiffness could be an important factor, especially in inhospitable terrain. Two materials are often used:

Eva – This is a synthetic material that is inexpensive and that weighs only a few grams.

Polyurethane – one is better thanks to its strength and rigidity. This is the one found in most shoes high-end hiking for professionals or enthusiasts of extreme conditions!

All soles classic hiking boots are made of rubber. This is its quality and flexibility that will determine which model suits you best. To test the flexibility of the shoe, just try to fold. If it is hard, you should not do this at all.

With that, we hope that you will not be helpless when you purchase good hiking shoes, and your new pair will accompany you in all your adventures!