Sometimes the best cost more - Hanwag Tatra II GTX Hiking Boots - Men's

After three resolings, it was time to retire my Asolo 520 GTX boots. I wanted to go lightweight, so I tried some lightweight Asolo boots, which worked fine for day hiking but didn't really protect my feet (note: it seems one of the first places light shoes lose weight, is in the outsole) even if they did a good job stabilizing my ankles. I then tried lightweight low-top hiking shoes, and the steep trails jammed my toes into the toe box, because my narrow heels wouldn't lock into place. Five years of trying different boots and I finally, after a trip with some pretty good Salewa boots--3 nights in Grand Canyon, including the Clear Creek Trail--my feet said: pack + rocky trails + super light outsoles = sore feet.

If you have a narrow heel and wide instep and it's hard to lock your feet into shoes and boots, you might consider this boot. The last set eyelets lock--pull the laces straight outward to tension them, and when you fold them to catch the lower eye hooks they lock the laces in place--and that allows me to tension the lower laces a little less snug than the uppers. I played with lacing trying to find the right tension, and by the time I was able to get into some mountains with the now-broken in boots--hikes around the house and some state park trails--I had heels locked comfortably in place, toes that didn't bang the toe box even though my laces were merely snug, not ratcheted down like in previous boots. And even Hermit's Trail may have almost hammered my poor quads by the time we got to Tonto Plateau Trail, but my feet were the best they've ever been (last time I came down this killer trail I was wearing Danner Mt. Adams boots, and they did well, but nothing like these).

I wish I could have found the non-GoreTex version of this boot; unless you spend a lot of time in wet areas, which I don't, then well maintained boots will shed the moisture I encounter with the added weight and certainly with greater breathability than GoreTex provides.

The weight would seem a penalty, but once on I don't notice the weight. I don't notice them at all, they so expertly do their job. Heavy in the hand but light on the feet.

I'm more pleased with these boots than any boot I've ever had before. I know I only have about 300-400 miles on them, but they're just exceptionally comfortable and well made boots.