Women's Hiking Boot Shoot Out

WOMEN'S HIKING BOOTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I'm an over-50 heavyweight "athlete" who enjoys alpine skiing, mountain biking, hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, nordic skiing, and disc golf (oh, and I also run and road bike). While hiking, I'm usually carrying a daypack of around 13 lbs or a full backpack of around 30 lbs.

My crazy weird feet:  Street shoe size 7 1/2-8, running shoe size 8-8 1/2, ski boot size 23.5 (men's 5).  I have a wide forefoot and super narrow heel with narrow but bony ankles and flat arches with pronation and a medium to high instep. I also have a history of bunion removal and neuroma surgery on the right foot with a second neuroma flaring on and off, and a stress fracture on the left. Actual foot measurements (unsupported): Right = 235 mm long, 98 mm at widest, 65 mm heel width. Left = 242 mm long, 95 mm at widest, 70 mm heel width.


MID WEIGHT/BREATHABLE MODELS

Merrell Reflex Mid (Size 7.5 or 8? tag illegible)

• Fit:  Wide through the toe box, medium through the mid foot and heel. Runs true to size.
• Feel:  Heavy weight and bomb proof. Mid height ankle wrap. Heavy weight padded tongue.
• On The Trail:  I bought the Reflex used, and found them to be a super heavy duty shoe well adapted to use as disc golf shoes on hilly courses. The toe box is one of the widest I've encountered, perfect for my weirdly wide forefoot and cranky neuroma. They are well padded everywhere with reasonable trail feel and a decent tread. The waterproofing works well in all but the wettest conditions, but their breathability suffers a bit from the mostly leather upper.
• Complaints:  The wider heel does result in a bit of heel slip for me (not as much an issue while playing disc golf as when hiking) and the tongue tends to float sideways. They are too hot and heavy for long distances on warm days.

Merrell Moab Mid GTX (Size 8)

• Fit:  Mid width fore and mid foot, narrow heel.  Runs true to size.
• Feel:  Light but sturdy with lower ankle wrap and good trail feel. Ankle wrap is supportive with just enough padding.
• On The Trail: The trail feel of the Moab is quite nice, with just the right amount of flex, support, and padding for long hikes with lighter packs. The waterproofing works as expected without being stiflingly hot. If your foot fits this shoe, it is a real winner!
• Complaints:  I really like the feel of the Moab, but the shape just isn't right for my foot. Even a short 2-3 miler flares my neuroma up until I'm limping like Quasimoto.

Keen Voyageur Mid (Size 24.5, remainder of tag illegible)

• Fit:  Wide through the toe box and mid foot, medium heel. Runs true to length but wide.
• Feel:  Light weight with a stiffer sole. High ankle wrap with minimal padding. Well padded tongue.
• On The Trail:  The Voyageur was my first pair of high-end hikers purchased new and my first pair of Keens. I love the wide toe box and the sturdy toe bumper! The stock insole is fairly stiff and supportive. Their breathability is great given the mostly leather upper and small ventilation areas. Despite the "Waterproof" tag on the outside of the boot, they are not waterproof at all. Stepping into a puddle will result in soaking wet feet! The sole material and tread is pretty good in soft and sandy terrain, but it gets really slippery when wet.
• Complaints:   The wider mid foot allows my feet to slide forward and smash my toes on inclines no matter how tight I tie them. The minimally padded ankle wrap and thickly padded tongue dig into my ankle bones and even give me bruises on longer hikes. The leather is holding up well, but the stitching is not. The laces are awful (they've stretched and twisted and refused to stay tied even when double bowed).

Hi-Tec Penrith Mid WP (Size 8.5)

• Fit:  Wide through the toe box and mid foot, mid-to-narrow heel. Runs 1/2 size small.
• Feel:  Light weight with a softer sole and great trail feel.  Lower ankle wrap with nice padding. Low and well padded tongue.
• On The Trail:  The Penrith is wide enough in the toe box and forefoot to not irritate my neuroma, even at my longest distances. I love the trail feel of these; you absolutely know exactly what you're stepping on, but that delicate feel doesn't translate into any instability at all. In addition, the flex area under the ball of the foot is functional and well placed. While the ankle wrap is lower, it's very well padded with 2 rows of speed laces, so it's easy to get that area very tight resulting in super support and stability despite the low height. In addition, the tongue is well padded but not super wide, so this is one of the few mid height shoes I've owned that don't dig into my ankle bones when tightly laced.  The waterproofing is exceptional - I've been on hikes in mist and rain where the rest of my body was soaked while my feet remained bone-dry, yet my feet have never felt hot and sweaty in these on even the warmest days. The tread is neither wonderful, nor awful, it just works well in most conditions.
• Complaints:  The Penrith's wide mid foot tends to give me rub spots under the right big toe sesamoids and on both the inside and outside of the arch area on both feet unless I wear really thick and well padded socks. Update on this - I've discovered the arch rub was actually a function of using both my orthotics and the stock insoles. Once I tried wearing them without my orthotics, that issue totally disappeared. Yay!

Oboz Sawtooth Mid B-Dry (Size 8.5)

• Fit:  Wide toe box, mid to narrow mid foot and heel. Runs 1/2 size small but true to width.
• Feel:  Sturdy but not super heavy with stiff soles. Higher ankle wrap and tongue with lots of padding. Very little trail feel.
• On The Trail:  The Sawtooth is a bombproof shoe that feels like having bulldozers on your feet. They have handled my weight plus a 30 lb pack, remaining perfectly supportive under the load. The tread is exceptional and sticky, even in damp and muddy conditions. The stiff shank in the sole means you feel almost nothing on the trail. The thick, wide out sole and higher, well padded ankle wrap gives tremendous support for weak ankles on rough terrain. The stock insoles are thick, stiff, and very supportive with small cushioned areas front and rear. The proprietary B-Dry waterproofing works as expected, although it doesn't breathe very well, making for hot feet on warm days. The narrow mid foot and heel keep the foot firmly planted in the shoe on inclines. The laces are oversized and round, and very stiff at first.
• Complaints:  Only a minor gripe regarding the ankle wrap and tongue and my super skinny and bony ankles so far. The fit runs a bit deep, so I needed to add very thin gel padding under the stock foot beds to bring my "short" feet up into the upper boot. The Sawtooth definitely requires a break-in period. All the materials are sturdy and stiff, so this one takes a while to soften up and fit really well. My first 5 hikes resulted in massive heel blisters, so I've taken to using the duct-tape trick on both heels and wearing a super-thin polypro liner sock under my hiking socks when wearing these, and it's totally possible that I bought these 1/2 to a full size too large.
• Update:  I'm now almost sure I bought them at least a full size too large. 

 Mountain Warehouse Retrieve Waterproof Soft Shell (Size 8)

• Fit:  Mid to wide toe box, mid to narrow mid foot and heel. Runs true to size.
• Feel:  Supple and light weight. Very supportive with great trail feel.
• On The Trail:  So happy with this boot!! I had never even heard of Mountain Warehouse when we stumbled over them at an outlet mall 2 weeks ago. I love the raspberry color (also offered in teal) and soft, but not flimsy nature of the material, as well as the higher and well padded collar with 3 sets of speed hooks. I would consider the Retrieve a true high-top rather than a mid boot, resulting in exceptional ankle protection and support. I was skeptical about the waterproofing of the soft shell material, but a hike in the rain and a pond crossing on a "floating" bridge that actually sank the full depth of my boot tops quickly set my mind at ease on that issue. The tread pattern has been grippy and secure in all the conditions I've encountered so far, and my usual gripe about boot laces was also quickly quashed as they have stayed tied and snug even without double knotting. The interior padding did require a very short break-in period (about 4 miles) for best fit. I've had no issues with with the ankle wrap, and the odd blistering I get under my right first sesamoid/metatarsal head hasn't happened in these yet, even after two 5 mile hikes and two 7 mile hikes.
• Complaints:  Absolutely none, so far. Even the price was exceptional. These have become my go-to hikers now.

HEAVY WEIGHT/FULL LEATHER

Merrell Summit (Size 7.5):

• Fit:  Medium throughout, a touch snug through the metatarsal area. Runs true to size.
• Feel:  Snug and solid, with well padded tongue, and slightly more padded ankle wrap.
• On The Trail: I haven't really used these on the trail yet as I have other lighter boots for the trail and knee high winter boots for snow filled trekking. I do, however, use these as my daily around town boot in the winter and they're great for that unless I'm out in the cold for long periods of time. Like all smooth leather, non-GTX boots, they require some care and feeding to keep the looking and performing their best. I heat them over our heater vent until they're nice and warm, then apply a thin coat of Sno Seal, rubbing it in well. I then reheat them to let it soak in, then buff with a cloth once they cool off. This yearly maintenance has kept them fully waterproof and looking like new for the 4 or 5 years I've had them, which is surprising since I got them at a resale shop! The 3 sets of speed hooks make them a breeze to get on and off (a real win for winter use around town!).
• Complaints:  The tread compound is not particularly sticky,  and the partial gusset on the tongue and lack of a lace loop allows the tongue to slide to the side. The full, heavy weight leather nature of these boots means they require a pretty substantial break-in period, but they only seem to get better after that.

Hi-Tec Altitude IV WP (Size 7.5):

• Fit:  Medium throughout. Runs true to size.
• Feel:  Snug and solid, with minimally padded tongue, and slightly more padded ankle wrap.
• On The Trail:  The Altitude was the second boot I bought brand new, and it was the start of my love affair with the fit of the Hi-Tec products. The waterproofing works as expected, and it's not as hot and sweaty as you'd expect with a full leather (nubuck) boot. The sole material strikes a nice balance between stiff and soft giving it reasonable trail feel, while the 2 sets of speed lace hooks allow for quick and secure lacing. This is one of the few boots I've seen lately that comes with flat laces that stay tied without having to double bow them. Given the 5 or 6 years I've had them, they are holding up really well.
• Complaints:  The tread compound is not particularly sticky, so the Altitude tends to be a bit slippery in wet conditions, and the insole is total junk. In addition, the partial gusset on the tongue and lack of a lace loop allows the tongue to slide to the side. This is another boot where the combination of the tongue and cuff padding digs into my ankle bones when laced tightly.

Treksta Alta GTX (Size 8):

• Fit:  Wide toe box, medium mid foot and heel. Runs true-to-size to 1/2 size small.
• Feel:  Higher ankle wrap with plenty of padding. Nicely, but not overly padded tongue. Sturdy without feeling massive.
• On The Trail:  Yes, the toe bumper looks odd, and the insole is particularly weird looking, but all this weirdness translates into the best out-of-the-box feel I've ever had. The last is nicely foot shaped, and the tilted toe box keeps from having too much room over the toes, keeping those irritating across the toes sock seam blisters from occurring. Treksta's proprietary "Nest Fit" works as advertised, cradling and supporting the foot throughout the stride. The Alta's tongue lacks a lace loop, but the almost full length tongue gusset effectively keeps the tongue from sliding into the boot or off to the side. For a solid leather boot, they're surprisingly light and flexible feeling while retaining plenty of ankle support for scrambling. I expect that the Alta will be prohibitively hot and sweaty during warm spells, despite the supposed "breathability" of the Gore-Tex liner.
• Complaints:  There are only 4 dealers remaining in the US, so getting a pair that fits the first time is a bit of a craps shoot. I got lucky in that a local shoe store used to be a dealer and still had other models in a 7 1/2 and an 8 1/2 left to try on. Beyond that, hikes of over 3 miles started to rub the skin right off the top of my right fourth toe. A quick email to the company explaining the problem was met with a return email and RMA the next day. I'm now waiting on a replacement pair to appear.

Update 10/6/17:  The Oboz and Merrell Moabs have both found happy homes with hiking friends, and I still haven't worn anything other than the MW Retrieves for hiking since I got them. I've now put well over 50 miles on them and my only complaint is that I'd have expected them to be somewhat more breathable than they seem to be. Otherwise, they remain comfortable, completely sure footed, wonderfully supportive, and amazingly waterproof and I couldn't be happier.