(The most recent thread I found on this topic was from 2013 which is outdated in the fast moving (ha!) hiking field.)
Here’s my situation. I wear out the soles in my shoes very fast. For general wear, it doesn’t matter if I buy $30 tennis shoes or $150 tennis shoes: neither will last more than 6 months.
Due to a life change, I’m now hiking about 2 hours every morning on rocky trails. I bought a pair of $90 North Face hiking shoes and only wore them for my hike.
I wore out the soles in 70 days. 70 DAYS! That includes about 10 days that I didn’t hike. I’m about 160 pounds fully tricked out for my walks, so it’s not I’m like putting excess weight stress on them.
I’m looking for recommendations for hiking boots / shoes that will last – a year would be nice, but I’d settle for over 6 months.
It would also be nice (but not required) if the boot / shoe came with some sort of wear guarantee. Most of the warranties I’ve seen cover materials and labor and specifically don’t cover “normal wear and tear”.
So what recommendations do you have for a good hiking boot / shoe that will last?
I’ve got a pair of Salomon boots. I can’t remember the exact model, but they’re “three seasons” boots - although I’ve worn them in the snow as well, and they were fine. I think they cost somewhere in the region of £120, but they’ve lasted for years - getting on for eight years or so now, I think, and nowhere near needing replacement yet. I’m a much lighter user than you, but I weigh a lot more, and I tend to be heavy on shoes.
They’re the best boots I’ve ever owned, by a mile.
I’ll second Salomon. I was a bit skeptical at first, as prior to buying a pair I’d only been familiar with them as a skiing brand. Have now had a pair for about five years and they’ve stood up very well in all aspects including soles, inners, uppers, lacings, seams etc.
i was going to recommend the Meindl Burma Pros, but they might be a bit heavy for you, although they’re fabulous for slogging through the British mud.
FYI, I hike 10-20 miles per weekend, Alpine hike in the summer, and regularly hill-walk in the Peak District, Lake District, Snowdonia, Cairngorms etc. I’m 6’ 4" and weigh… about what you’d expect a great 6’ 4" lump to weigh!
Exactly 10 years ago, I was preparing for a 6-week hiking trip through the National Parks of the southwest. I bought a pair of Merrell hiking boots. Not only were they the most comfortable footwear I ever owned (no blisters!), but I’m still wearing them, 10 years later!
I am really hard on footwear (most shoes last 3 months max), and I have a pair of LL Bean Maine Hunting Boots that are now 10 years old and are working quite well. Totally waterproof, very comfortable, and worn almost daily over some rough terrain. They are also guaranteed for life, so presumably if they ever wear out I can just get another pair free or something, not sure how that works. They were not cheap to buy.
Not Keen. At least not for the OP. They’re my preferred brand because they are comfortable for a wide-footed guy like me. But I’ll be the first to admit they are the opposite of durable. Soles and even stitching wear out super-fast IME.
You do need to realize that there’s a tradeoff. It’s not completely zero-sum, but in general a grippy compound that’s good on slickrock will wear faster; and a lug pattern that provides traction on loose or muddy surfaces will simply have less surface area in contact with smoother surfaces, so it too will wear faster.
What you should definitely avoid is using a compound & lug pattern that’s design for trail running or hiking on pavement - that will cause it to wear extremely fast.
I frequently hike on really rough stuff. The worst is cross country in the Grand Canyon, where I expect trail runners to last about 150 miles, mid-weight boots about 250 miles. That’s the cost of doing business - I’m not going to use something that will last longer but provide inferior grip and traction.
Purchase a pair of shoes that can be re-soled. Back when I was working in the shoe-repair trade replacing a pair of boot soles typically ran $45-55. There are a wide variety of soles for various purposes, meaning you can get new soles designed for the activity you’re engaged in.
I have a pair of hiking boots that are over 35 years old. I keep the leather uppers oiled and just keep replacing the soles when they wear out.
Now, the initial purchase of such a pair of boots will be expensive. I paid $114 for mine - nearly 40 years ago. These days you’d have to sink $200+ into such a pair of boots but you’ll be able to keep them for a long, long time with reasonable care. On the other hand, if you are doing serious hiking then protecting and caring for your feet is important. What you save in purchasing cheaper shoes/boots you might wind up spending at the foot doctor.
A few people I hike with wear Keens and have been happy with them. The only Keens I own are sandals, which don’t see rough terrain but have been very long lasting.
Hiking that much you’re going to need to make a compromise between traction and lifetime. Hard soled boots (such as the hard Vibram versions) will last longer at the expense of poor wet traction. Softer soled boots will offer better grip at the expense of wearing out faster. This tradeoff is pretty much universal.
I usually get 2-3 years from a pair of soft hikers, less from a pair of trail runners, more from hard soled boots. However, I can’t stand wearing stiffer hard soled boots these days, so they barely get used. IMO brands are pretty irrelevant in this discussion, since all major brands will make models that meet your needs once you understand the tradeoffs.
Reading through the articles and reviews on hiking boots, shoes, trail runners, and sandals on http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Hiking-Shoes-Reviews will help you decide what should work best for your specific needs.
Personally, these days I hike mostly on the very rocky Pennsylvania parts of the Appalachian Trail. Depending on the weather and whether I’m out for a short day hike or carrying a full multiday pack, I wear Merrill Moab Ventilators, La Sportiva Wildcat trail runners, Keen Newport H2 sandals, or Teva Terra Fi Lite sandals.
I’ll give a second for the military boots like Bates for durability. They are available at most Army/Navy type stores. Pricey, but long lasting and comfortable … they tend to be heavy.
This (though not for quite as long) has been my experience with Merrrell as well. Right out of the box, first thing on a cold morning, or after hours on the trail, they’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I’ve had mine for only 3 years, but they’re showing no real signs of wear (and sneakers last me about 6 months before they become practically useless), and the only reason that I’m considering replacing them is that my feet have shrunk.
I got so lucky, I went to our local outdoor store when they were having a sale last fall and asked if they had any waterproof high women’s boots in my size. They had exactly one pair, Merrell, ugly as homemade sin, but they just happened to fit me and I swear those things required zero break in. They were comfortable from day one, never given me the first blister, I just wore them yesterday on a hike that I didn’t expect to be kind of scrambly up and down muddy banks while wearing a 35 pound toddler and they blew my expectations away. (I’ve worn them a lot but on fairly straightforward trails.) They make me feel a lot safer with the kid on my back, and I’ve worn them on swampy seaside hikes too and emerged bone dry. They’re also not so stiff that I feel weird about driving in them.
I can’t speak to durability because I do not understand what on earth you are doing to kill your shoes like that, but I can tell you that I love these boots. (They’re still hella ugly though. They’re, like, puce and orange.)
In the old days, when boots were made of full leather and were much stiffer, they required break in. Modern “soft” boots no longer require break in periods, they should be ready to go right out of the box. You may need to figure out the right sock combination that works for you, but the boots aren’t breaking in. Any “soft” boot will do that.