Hiking Boots - The Highest Rated Hiking Footwear

Hiking can be a high adventure with the potential to inspire the soul as well as invigorate the body. One key element to the ultimate hiking experience is the type of footwear or hiking boots a person chooses for the nature walk. Poor footwear can translate into sore feet which five miles into a trail can spell less than optimal even down right miserable conditions. This hub highlights the top-rated hiking boot footwear as researched and presented by four different ranking organizations.

REI is to outdoors like Home Depot or Lowes are to home improvement - a veritable smorgasborg of outdoor equipment including hiking gear and boots. The hiking boots featured by REI as presented here are consumer ranked. Consumer ranked means the feedback is not by a panel of experts per se but by customers who have bought the footwear and then given feedback to REI. All items presented here must have had a minimum of 20 reviews with most over 50. Prices are REI retail and ratings are 0 to 5, 5 being best.

Hiking Boots $150 and under

1. Keen Targhee II Mid Hiking - $130 rated 4.5 out of 5.
2. Merrell Trail Glove Cross-Training Shoes - $110; rated 4.5 out of 5
3. Oboz Yellowstone II Hiking Boots - $145; rated 4.5.
4. Merrell Phaser Peak Hiking Boots - $145; rated 4.0
5. Vasque Breeze Gore-Tex XCR Hikin Boots - $150; rated 4.0

$151 to $250

1. Asolo TPS 535 Hiking Boots - $215; rated 4.5
2. Lowa Zephyr GTX Mid Hiking Boots - $175; 4.5
3. Salomon Quest 4D GTX Hiking Boots - $220; 4.5
4. Vasque Wasatch GTX - $175; 4.5
5. Lowa Renegade II GTX Mid Hiking - $210; 4.5
6. Asolo Stynger GTX Mid Hiking - $220

Over $250

1. Asolo Power Matic 200 GV Gore-Tex - $290; 4.5
2. Zamberlan Vioz GT Hiking - $265; 4.5
3. Asolo TPS 520 GV - $275; 4.5

Consumer Research is an independent rating service. Their top-rated hiking footwear ncluded the following:

Keen Voyageur Low- est $100

This pair of hiking shoes were found to be lightweight (less than 2 pounds) with excellent ventilation. The fact that they have good ventilation can be a draw back as it means they are not waterproof. Also, some reviewers found the Voyageur had poor traction on wet rocks.

Lowa Renegade II GTX Lo - est $185

According to consumer research, this pair of Lowa hiking shooes earned top ranks for traction, sizing options, and comfort. They have a breathable Gore-Tex layering that provides extra protection from wet conditions and makes them suitable for all weather conditions.

L.L. Bean Trail Model Hikers II Mid-Cut- $60

These low cost hiking shoes give good ankle support and have been found to be comfortable out of the box. Owners have also reported good traction and ventilation.

Vasque Breeze GTX XCR - $120

The Vasque Breeze has been reported as being both waterproof and well-ventilated. They come in three-width and gender specific sizes. They have also been found to be comfortable right out of the box and provide plenty of ankle support even for backpacking.

Asolo TPS 520 GV - est $225

Asolo Stynger GTX - est. $210





This list of best hiking boots was provided by a former Green Beret (Amy Browne) who had much expereince traversing all types of terrain. She based her list of best footwear on performance.

1. Hi-Tec V-Lite Mt. Nevis WPI - $130
2. The North Face Dhaulagiri GTX - $170
3. Black Hawk Warrior Wear - $170
4. Oakley Men's Tactical Six Hiking Boot -
5. Men's Converse Desert Tactical Boots - $115