Researching Waterproof Hiking Shoes
My hunt begins to find a workable pair of waterproof hiking shoes (or boots) for a future trip. The main criteria are waterproofness and comfort for shorter walks and hikes. I don’t imagine walking for miles while hauling gear, mainly a camera and water in a backpack. Of course, like my other shoes, these will have to have some visual appeal to them, but that’s not the primary focus.
Not knowing any better and after reading a few reviews along with doing a little bit of research, here’s my starting list to test:
- Salomon X Ultra 4
- New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v8 Gore-Tex
- New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro v7 Gore-Tex
- New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid Gore-Tex
- Hoka Transport Chukka GTX
- Hoka Elite Terrain System Tor Ultra Lo
- Hoka Anacapa 2 Low GTX
The Salomon X Ultra 4 has received many positive reviews across the Internet as the best all around waterproof hiking shoe, but I’ve never owned a Salomon so would like to try out the fit foremost. Another consideration for the shoes are possible wearability in the Hawaii weather. While these are hiking shoes, I don’t need them to necessarily look like hiking shoes while wearing them out and about.
New Balance has been my recent go to brand of late because of its comfort and looks, especially unique collaborations. Currently, NB’s outdoor offerings consist mainly of the Hierro line, in low, mid, and high top form factors. The high top version seems to make the most sense to keep water out but then again, the high top looks more like a hiking shoe.
And then we have Hokas… I’ve had a single pair of Hokas in the past, and I still pause when seeing the massive cushioned outsoles of most Hokas. But despite my poor experience looking for waterproof Hokas at the new-ish Ala Moana location, they do have Gore-Tex protected shoes that could fit my needs.
I’ll continue to research other options and find reviews of (and ideally try on) the above mentioned shoes.