Hiking Boots Reviews

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Hiking Boots Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Hiking Boots Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Backpacker Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	2008 Gear Guide Editors of Backpacker Magazine Mar. and Apr. 2008		This backpacking magazine tests more hiking boots than any other publication we've found, putting dozens of models through rigorous field testing (for a total of 5,000 miles in all). The March 2008 Gear Guide recommends budget choices as well as the best hiking boots, and the Apr. issue announces the 2008 Editors' Choice award for the Scarpa Kailash GTX. (Earlier comparison tests in June and August 2007 rate and rank four low-cut hiking shoes and nine lightweight hiking boots, respectively.)

Hiking Boots Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Hiking Boots Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. REI.com	Top-Rated Gear: Footwear: Backpacking and Hiking Boots Contributors to REI.com As of May 2008		This retail site makes it easy to find the top-rated hiking boots by showing the number of owner-written reviews right on the list of boots, under icons showing the average rating. When you click to see the actual reviews of a model, you can see a summary of the main pros and cons owners mention, then read the detailed reviews.
3. Outside Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	2007 Buyer's Guide Marcus Woolf and Berne Broudy Apr. 2007		Outside Magazine tests nine lightweight low-cut hiking shoes, picking the La Sportiva Sandstone GTX-XCR for its 2007 Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Award. The brief reviews include both pros and cons for each hiking shoe and are based on actual field testing in rugged conditions. It's not clear whether or not other hiking shoes were also tested. A later article in the August 2007 issue reviews eight shoes but doesn't rate or rank them.

Hiking Boots Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Hiking Boots Ratings Comments on Reviews

4. Cabelas.com	Footwear for every adventure Contributors to Cabelas.com As of May 2008		This retail site makes it easy to filter and sort the list of hiking boots sold here. You have to click on a model to find out how many customer reviews go into the average rating shown on the list, but quite a few hiking boots have accumulated a significant number of reviews.
5. Zappo's	Hiking Footwear Editors and Contributors to Zappos.com As of May 2008		This huge retail site publishes owner-written reviews and ratings of hiking boots, though not all major brands are carried. It's especially useful since there are separate ratings for comfort and look, as well as an overall rating. However, the site is more tedious to browse than some, since the only way to see the ratings is to click on each model.
6. Moosejaw.com	Hiking Boots Contributors to Moosejaw.com As of May 2008		This retail site shows the average owner rating of hiking boots sold here, but you have to click on the model to see the number of reviews on which the average is based. Quite a few hiking boots have accumulated enough reviews here for the ratings to be significant.
7. Fixing Your Feet -- Prevention and Treatment for Athletes >> Details/Subscribe	Part Two: Footwear Basics John Vonhof June 2004 (Fourth Edition)		This reference book has two chapters on footwear, including a section on footwear for various climates and terrains. The author recommends buying the lightest-weight trail shoes or hiking boots that your feet and ankles can handle. He recommends dry runs before overnight trips in new shoes. Regular running shoes and trail-running shoes are least apt to cause blisters. In regular hiking boots, the author notes that Vasque and Merrell have developed lasts with roomier toe boxes but snug heels.
8. Backpack Gear Test	Reviews: Footwear Contributors to BackpackGearTest.org As of May 2008		Reviews here tend to confirm that few "waterproof" hiking boots and shoes are waterproof under all conditions. These owner-written reviews of hiking boots, shoes and sandals are much more detailed and comprehensive than at most user-review sites. In order to enroll as reviewers, people have to be active hikers or campers, meet certain qualifications and state their experience as part of their reviews. The reviews are organized by type and model but not consolidated in any way, so the site doesn't make it easy to compare or rank hiking boots.

Hiking Boots Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Hiking Boots Ratings Comments on Reviews

9. Trailspace.com	Footwear Contributors to Trailspace.com As of May 2008		Owners post reviews and ratings of various kinds of hiking footwear here, and you can filter the reviews by brand, or into any of nine categories. What's nicest about this site is that you can sort the lists by average rating, and the list shows the number of reviews on which the rating is based. Though most hiking boots and shoes have only one or two reviews, a few get more coverage.
10. Outdoors with Dave	Hiking Boot Ratings David Erickson As of May 2008		These reviews of men's hiking boots are by an outdoor enthusiast and his sons. The detailed ratings are very clear and all 14 hiking boots are ranked in order of value, but the list isn't updated often. For hiking, light hiking boots get higher recommendations than heavier all-leather boots, but there's a separate ranking of boots for backpacking.
11. Camping Life Magazine	Gear Test: Columbia Frontier Peak GTX hiking boot Bruce W. Smith As of May 2008		We found two single-product reviews here based on field tests: one (Nov. 2006) of a men's lightweight hiking boot, the Columbia Frontier Peak GTX; the other (Feb. 2008) based on a woman's experience with a mid-cut hiking shoe, the Lowa Renegade GTX Mid. Although these reviews describe several days of using the boots, most Camping Life recommendations for hiking boots – Editors' Choice Awards and the annual Gear Guide – seem to be based on features, showing no evidence of testing or usage.
12. Amazon.com	Hiking Boots Contributors to Amazon.com As of May 2008		Most hiking boots have accumulated only a few owner-written reviews and ratings. However, once you've narrowed your choice down to a few models it's worth checking here to see what owners have to say.
13. GearReview.com	Footwear Reviews Rhett Olson Not Dated		In addition to many single-product reviews of hiking boots and shoes, this site offers three comparative reviews reporting the results of months of field use by several testers. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find the comparison reviews, and none seem to be very recent. Many of the older reviews here are still relevant, but the newest hiking boots and hiking shoes don't seem to be covered.
14. Long-Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail >> Details/Subscribe	Footwear (Chapter 7) Roland Mueser 1998		The recommendations in this book are based on interviews with 136 long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail. Mueser recommends fabric boots or shoes that dry out fast rather than trying to keep water out -- at least on a trip of more than one or two days. The only backpackers who had no problems with blisters wore regular running shoes instead of hiking boots.
15. Big Sky Fishing	Recommended Hiking Boots Editors of BigSkyFishing.com Not Dated		This site recommends sturdy hiking boots with plenty of ankle protection, saying that trail shoes just don't cut it in wilderness areas where there's more risk from sprained ankles than from bears. The author, a wilderness guide, favors Vasque boots but also recommends The North Face and Salomon hiking boots for durability. He says Lowa boots tend to be lighter, while Columbia lightweight hiking boots are the least expensive, yet reasonably well made. The review includes links to a buyer's guide and an article on fitting boots.
16. Trailpeak.com	Dunham Waffle Stompers Editors of Trailpeak.com Sept. 7, 2005		This in-depth review reports on field tests of older versions of Dunham Waffle Stompers (one all-leather, one with partial-mesh uppers) by two staff hikers.
17. Are we there yet?	Kayland Vertigo High Review Gerrit Padgham Mar. 16, 2008		Gerrit Padgham posts a detailed first impression of the Kayland Vertigo High boot in his personal blog. After several hikes, he enjoys the stiffness of the shoe's sole, and has not had any blisters or hot spots.
18. Backcountry.com	Shoes Editors and Contributors to Backcountry.com As of May 2008		This retail site shows the average rating for each hiking boot that's accumulated at least one owner-written review. You can sort the list of hiking boots to put the top-rated models first, but you have to click on each model to see how many reviews go into that average rating.
19. TheBackpacker.com	Reviews -- Boots Contributors to TheBackpacker.com As of May 2008		This long list of hiking boots shows the average rating, but it's organized alphabetically with no way to show the top-rated boots first. It's a good site to check, however, once you've narrowed your choice to two or three models. It's interesting to see that some well-known hiking boots get less than stellar ratings here.
20. Maine Today	Need Hiking Boots? Consider the demands before buying Carey Kish May 15, 2005		This older article is useful for general buying advice, relying on information from Todd Forsyth, co-owner of Maine Mountain Works in Portland. Forsyth recommends plain leather rather than a Gore-Tex lining, because the Gore-Tex keeps moisture from sweat in the boot. No specific hiking-boot brands or models are recommended.