Backpacking Boots

Recent Backpacking Boot Reviews

Alico Summit

Old-school, old QUALITY. Your sole will not fall off mid-hike like so many modern shoe-boots. My husband is on his second pair and wants to buy a third because he's so afraid they will stop making boots like this! You just can't find boots like this anywhere. His first pair was resoled once and it lasted as long as the original sole. I can only wear low hikers because of a vascular condition and I soooo wish they'd make these in a low rise boot. Full review

Alico Summit

Awesome old school type boots. I wore them for 6 months in an automotive dealership parts department. Now they are my hiking boots. It took a month of wear at work to break them in but it was worth it. I've only hiked about 150 miles of trail in them, but I've had no blisters. I hiked out from a waterfall walking in the stream on shale for a mile. I never slipped or had a leak. They remind me of my Vasque Venturer boots back in the '70s . Not a lightweight or midweight option like my Hi-Tec or Lytos… Full review

Asolo TPS 520 GV

Got these boots new in 2013 for hiking/hunting/tactical (SWAT) use. As of today they went in the trash, soles and side supports have completely come off. Don’t waste your hard/earned money on these crappy boots, even their website says they are prone to dry-rotting and overall degradation. Wish I had seen that years ago. Our tactical (SWAT) operators will no longer buy them and REI has been notified. Full review

Crispi Nevada GTX

I bought these two years ago, and I wore them for two seasons of hunting, which is about 5 months total, and only for hunting. They have fallen apart. I contacted Crispi and was told to get them fixed at my expense, and on my time. They wanted me to mail them to Utah to some expensive boot repair place. I even left a negative review on CRISPI PAGE WHICH WAS QUICKLY DELETED BY CRISPI. I'm leaving these reviews on every site I can since Crispi refuses to allow me to post my true review on their page. Full review

Bates Hot Weather Combat Hiker

Hot weather version of military issued mountain combat boot series (with variants). As the other reviewer stated, these run LARGE (width is normal). I had to go down a full size (unlined hot weather version of military boots tend to run larger due to reduced lining, etc. I suspect). There are several different variations of these boots by BATES, with the designation of E03612, from "A"-"C" versions. Each version up to "C" added some additional venting holes. These boots are HOT WEATHER wear, and… Full review

Lowa Ticam II GTX

Initial impressions only ahead of any serious backpacking!   Initial impressions only so will update later in the year following some backcountry hiking. Buying this boot online was risky for me. I needed to know I would have the 10-15mm at the front of the boot for trekking. I am a tight US 13 in all shoes in my right foot. Left foot is fine. The sizing chart at Lowa.com indicated I would be pushing my luck (5mm to spare). Interestingly, Altitude Sports(online) had a 5mm increased difference on… Full review

Hanwag Alaska GTX

Overall fit (depending on foot type) and features. Firm enough for rough mountain walking and winter frolics and not as stiff as Alpine boots. Check for fitting first! Finally, a pair of robust boots, that are sufficiently stiff, but which fit my heels enough to prevent heel lift and the blistering that have seemed to folllow me across the many pairs of boots that I've owned. I've turned to Hanwag following 6 years of pain-free mountaineering with Salewa boots—the replacement of my trusty old… Full review

Alico Summit

Today, three months after I first wrote it, I am amending my review with one crucial piece of information that has just come to my attention: these Alico boots are not Tahoes but Summits. They came brand-new, in a factory sealed box marked Tahoe, and the invoice from Sierra Trading Post listed them as Tahoes, but they are not: they are Summits. Read on, and you'll see why I'm not complaining in the least about this apparent mix-up by the factory or by Sierra. They are great boots. Old school...in… Full review

Limmer Standard

Excellent boots, like any long-term relationship, they take a lot of work. When Peter fit these for me he grabbed my forefoot and lightly squeezed. This is how the boots should fit, "like a firm handshake". His remark turned me from the larger size that I thought would be the right fit, to the next smaller, against my better judgement. For two years at least I was convinced he was wrong. But umpteen miles and several rounds with a shoe stretcher I bought, has probably proved him right. In his opinion… Full review