Hiking Boots and Trail Shoe Reviews

The guys at Hillsound really wanted me to review their Trail Crampons because they’re one of the first direct competitors of Kahtoola Microspikes. First off, I wish Hillsound had named this product differently because it’s so easy to confuse them with the Hillsound Trail Crampon Pros. The Pro model is a …

Montbell’s Stretch Semi-Long Spats are highly breathable soft shell gaiters that keep sticks, stones, and other trail duff from getting inside your shoes or boots during a hike. I never really liked wearing gaiters for three season hiking before I tried these gaiters, but now I am a convert. I use …

I’ve switched to La Sportiva Ultra Raptor Trail Runners for three season hiking. These are fantastic shoes for hiking and backpacking in mountainous terrain where you need excellent traction and protection for your feet but don’t want to lug around the weight of a heavy leather boot. I switched from Inov-8 …

Sock liners are thin wicking socks worn underneath a heavier hiking or snowsport sock. The biggest benefit they provide is blister prevention, particularly when you are wearing a stiff leather hiking, mountaineering boot or skiing boot that has very little give to it. They’re often not needed for softer synthetic …

Forty Below makes synthetic camp booties ($69) that are great for winter camping and mountaineering or for just wearing around the house. Cold feet no more! Picture this. It’s winter, and you’ve been snowshoeing or backcountry skiing all day. Your socks and boot liners are wet with sweat and you …

Mostly Asolo Boots I switched to Trail Runners this year for all of my 3 season hiking. It was transformative and while I'm cautiously on the fence about using them for winter backpacking and mountaineering, I'm willing to do some experimenting there. My feet however, may never be the same. …

Trail Runners for Winter Hiking I got a pair of La Sportiva Crossover GTX trail running shoes to see whether they’d be good for winter hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire this winter. Earlier this year, I successfully made the transition to from leather boots to trail runners …

Trail Shoe Epiphany I love my new Inov-8 Roclite 320 trail running shoes. Having endured hiking in wet leather Gore-Tex lined boots for years, I can’t convey to you the freedom that I feel being able to splash through any puddle or stream with so little consequence. On hindsight, I …

I don't think I'm going to be able to wear these trail shoes to the office, ever again. We had very dirty weather this weekend in Boston, with 3 inches of driving rain and high winds. I stayed in town instead of heading up to New Hampshire in order to …

If you want to go winter hiking but don’t own a pair of specialized mountaineering boots and you want more traction than  microspikes, you should consider getting a pair of strap-on crampons. I own Black Diamond Contact Strap Crampons that fit onto heavy hiking boots that have a rigid last. …

Yaktrax are a traction device that you can attach to your shoes to prevent slipping on ice and snow. They are made using an elastic mesh that wraps around the sole of hiking boots, trail runners, or even dress shoes. Wire is coiled around the elastic and provides traction that …

It never ceases to amaze me just how popular Asolo Boots are in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I’d say that 75% of the 3 season boots that people wear up here are Asolos, evenly split between the leather TPS 520 and the Fugitive GTX, shown above. That from …

  I got a pair of Keen Targhee II Mid Hiking Boots a few weeks ago and have been testing them out ever since. I have been looking for a lighter weight hiking boot that dries faster than my leather Asolo boots but provides a comparable level of support. I’m paranoid …

Step-in Crampons After much consideration, I decided to buy a pair of Black Diamond Sabertooth Pro step-in crampons last week that require front and toe boot welts, rather than strap-on ones that can be used with a wider variety of boots. The fact is, I really only intend to use …