My Favorite Hiking Boot

The Hiking Boot Dillema

I have been hiking in Colorado for three years now and I’m always re-assesing how my gear is performing. I used to wear Merrell Moab 2’s, but recently noticed a lot of pain in my toes and a sense of tight restriction in my upper foot. I would be on a hike and within one hour be limping. I tried cutting my toe nails and wearing thinner socks, yet the problem kept occurring. I knew something had to be done, so back to REI I went.

The Search

REI is the place to go for boots because you can test any boot for up to one year and get a refund or exchange. I was lucky enough to be in this time bracket and began trying on different boots. The salesperson recommended the Topo Athletic Men’s Trailventure shoe, which looked like a cross between a trail runner and hiking boot. When I tried the shoe on it felt like walking on air. I thought this was too good to be true, so I used the fake rock podium to test how they felt going downhill. Now it was time to put these boots to the real test.

The Test

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of this boot on mountainous terrain. I could grip large rocks with ease and move with a freedom over debris that I never felt before. The shoe has a lot of cushion on the souls and my toes never felt constrained or in pain during the hike. However, as soon as I stepped into a large pile of snow I realized my mistake…they were not waterproof. This ruined everything as my feet were soaking wet for the rest of the hike. I decided to look for a waterproof version online. Luckily they made a waterproof version and I decided to exchange the pair.

Topo Athletic Trailventure 2 (Waterproof)

The waterproof version is in the picture above. You can tell this version of the Trailventure looks more like a boot rather than a trail runner. It has a higher ankle support and a nice vibram base that is excellent for gripping all sorts of rocky terrain. The waterproof version weighs slightly more than the non-waterproof boot because of the Gore-tex lining in the bottom half of the boot.

This version of the Trailventure performed very well in water. No water seemed into my boot after stepping in numerous creeks and snow packs. This was a big deal because I finally found a boot that was comfortable and performed well. My only complaint thus far is that dirt and debris did find it’s way into my boot. I will test out some gaiters in the future to see if I can remedy this problem, but for the time being I love this boot.

Conclusion

Trial and error is how you will find that awesome fitting hiking boot. However, some boots are worth promoting if they really make a big different in terms of comfort and performance. The Topo Athletic Trailventure 2 might just be the boot for you. The sizing is pretty accurate and should leave plenty of room for your toes to move freely. Feel free to drop me a comment if you have tested these boots or have recommendations of your own, thanks for reading.