Hiking Shoes/Boots

Bill SAS 513

Bill SAS 513

Just another old guy in a T-shirt
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
3,563
Location
Manchester, Maryland
Why not...there's one in here for Bikes...:p:p:p

I am a big fan of outdoor hiking...mostly mountainous areas. Smokies (whenever possible), West Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania (Michauex???), anything Appalachia, etc...and I have a Wide-Fat foot...
kinda like the old CE-22 necks I adore.

I currently wear my Keens the most, but Merrells are a close second. Columbias...not bad either for the money...
What's your preference, and why???
 
Recently bought my first pair of Merrells, and like them so far. Might be a bit warm for middle of summer in Texas hiking, so I need to find some lighter ones for that. Watching comments here for ideas. Looks like I need to check out Keens too.
 
Long time hiker/mountaineer here so this topic is up my alley.

My insulated winter boots are Merrells and my 3 season boots are Vasque. Both are good brands if you have an odd sized foot (14 here). The Vasques have served me very well over many miles of mountain trail. I've had multiple pairs of those now.

If you are new to boots, make sure you get ones with Vibram soles. Just about anything else is waste of money.
 
Big user of Merrell here, and also currently on my first pair of Vasque and loving them.

I have wide feet with absolutely no arch, the bottom of my foot literally looks like the bottom of a brick, so I’m with you Bill. My choices for shoes are very limited right out of the gate.

Merrell’s parent company (Wolverine) is right in my hometown, so I can get those all day long. Unfortunately Wolverine doesn’t make wide sizes a big priority, so the only thing that you can really count on Merrell for wide sizes are the ubiquitous Moab model, I always have a pair of high and low tops around. I like the roominess for daily wear, they’re maybe a tad sloppy for all day hikes but I’ll definitely take it over too narrow or a high arch - ouch!!! And they’re heavy on exterior padding/insulation, so if it’s hot, they can be stuffy. Wish they would make some wide sizes in their other models.

The Vasque shoes have been awesome, really glad I found them. I have the Breeze LT’s (if memory serves) and they’re good for my odd feet, and more conservative on outer fluff, that model is really more of a hybrid hiking/athletic shoe. And they’ve held up very well, too, which I notice more and more “premium” shoe brands crapping out after not much use.

I wore the Merrells to Joshua Tree and Mojave a few springs ago, and they were pretty good doing 8-12 mile days, but I wore the Vasques on a 10 mile day in Glacier this summer with a fair amount of elevation change, and I think they were better for the terrain because they’re more snug, in a good way. I’ll probably probably use them for my future trips, when I find shoes that fit well I’m all-in, because they’re so hard to come by.
 
As usual I'm the oddball....shocking I know.

I'm a Vasque Boots guy. I used to backpack and hike a lot. They NEVER let me down! I still have a pair of Super Hikers from like '93 in storage. Just killer boots in general.
 
andy474x said:
Big user of Merrell here, and also currently on my first pair of Vasque and loving them.

I have wide feet with absolutely no arch, the bottom of my foot literally looks like the bottom of a brick, so I’m with you Bill. My choices for shoes are very limited right out of the gate.

Merrell’s parent company (Wolverine) is right in my hometown, so I can get those all day long. Unfortunately Wolverine doesn’t make wide sizes a big priority, so the only thing that you can really count on Merrell for wide sizes are the ubiquitous Moab model, I always have a pair of high and low tops around. I like the roominess for daily wear, they’re maybe a tad sloppy for all day hikes but I’ll definitely take it over too narrow or a high arch - ouch!!! And they’re heavy on exterior padding/insulation, so if it’s hot, they can be stuffy. Wish they would make some wide sizes in their other models.

The Vasque shoes have been awesome, really glad I found them. I have the Breeze LT’s (if memory serves) and they’re good for my odd feet, and more conservative on outer fluff, that model is really more of a hybrid hiking/athletic shoe. And they’ve held up very well, too, which I notice more and more “premium” shoe brands crapping out after not much use.

I wore the Merrells to Joshua Tree and Mojave a few springs ago, and they were pretty good doing 8-12 mile days, but I wore the Vasques on a 10 mile day in Glacier this summer with a fair amount of elevation change, and I think they were better for the terrain because they’re more snug, in a good way. I’ll probably probably use them for my future trips, when I find shoes that fit well I’m all-in, because they’re so hard to come by.
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My people!!!
 
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