Recommend me a pair of hiking boots, budget $400

[CEE88]

Originally Posted by pdxpm

I personally like the Danner boots myself. I also picked up a pair of Danner Japan boots a few weeks back that were factory seconds. The ones I bought had a very tiny nick in the leather on the inside of the toe. The Danner Japan boots are all made on their EE or wide lasts because the asian foot market tends to demand wider fits. This works fine for me because their normal last tends to run narrow per my experience. I was abel to size down from a 10.5 to a 10. I find they are very comfortable for a full day without a problem especially now that the are starting to get broken in. Attached is a photo of the ones I bought.
I believe they had that exact pair at the Factory Store as well. But I was too focused on all the different versions of the Mountain Lights to give it a try. The Danner Japan boots I picked up are indeed the wider "EE." But they fit more like an average width boot.

 

[dshin]

I've worn these for a couple weeks now and I can say they are great boots. Pediwear was back ordered...but I managed to get the pair above from Oki-ni (not my pic).

I also just received the J Crew Danners today. Took advantage of the 30% off sales items last week...and the danners were on sale from $299 to $268 I believe. So with the 30% off, i managed to get them ofr under $200.

I havent worn them out yet...just tried them on. they are definitely substantial shoes...much more so than the paraboots.

 

[eddiehmd]

I remember seeing a great pair of high utility hiking boots by Dsquared, stlylish as well as strong and durable, try to do a search on google you'll probably be able to locate them.

 

[xcontext]

I love my Merell Wilderness. $300. They have been making them for decades. Check out the reviews. I also love Danner Ft Lewis (older black military boots). They are softer and more comfortable than hiking boots yet many have hiked in them for many a mile.

 

[NormanF]

I placed an order for a unique Japan only edition of Birkenstock Footprints Midland hiking boot. Its not available outside of Japan:





Thus I had to have it! And Birkenstock comfort is unrivaled!

 

[GBR]

Hiking boots in an urban area? Nonsense.

 

[mr bunbury]

I'm not a fan of this hiking boot thing either (although I live in Boston, not Michigan). It depends on what you do / where you work / how you dress. Unfortunately my winter clothes have trended away from an Americana / workwear / trad aesthetic, and towards something a little sleeker -- so hiking boots don't look good. I would have been able to do it as a university student, but not now.

So.... my strategy for the last decade or so has been to buy mid-tier boots, sometimes used, on eBay, get them resoled with Gumlite or Commando soles, and then wear them out over 2-4 winters. So far my go-to source for these sorts of shoes has been Paul Smith and RM Williams. I wore out a pair of RM Williams Chelseas over three winters; a pair of Paul Smith x Triumph motorcycle boots made it through four; now I'm on my last season of Paul Smith Dickens brogued boots. The leather is thick and substantial, you can Sno-Seal and Obenauf it into oblivion, you can get any sort of sole you like, and the boot will still be appropriate- (even great-) looking for an office. Since these types of boots usually run between $100 and $200 on eBay, plus $60 for the resoling, you can get it done for $200 or less.

There are downsides. The boots are not as über-waterproof as GoreTex lined boots would be. On the other hand, they give you more freedom in how you dress for the winter. Leather boots are far more resilient than you'd think, especially with proper treatment and care. If you're backpacking, you can't come home every other night to brush, treat, and polish your boots. If you're going to and from home, you can keep leather boots going for several years or even longer. And I've been unnecessarily careless with these boots -- I think I could've kept the RM Williams and Triumph boots going even longer, but I didn't properly care for them during the spring and summer and they dried out. I'm hoping not to do that with the Dickens boots.

Lately I've been looking into buying a proper pair of winter boots -- like shell cordovan boots on a Commando sole from Alden. But that's prohibitively expensive, at least for me, and I like my current system because I never have to worry about wrecking the boots -- I bought them specifically for that purpose. It's the closest I've come to figuring out how to wear decent-looking shoes through slushy, salty winters.

 

[NormanF]

There is another Japan only Birkenstock high fashion hiking boot - the Oakland. Judging from its appeal, its sold out in all sizes on the Japanese Internet:

I count myself lucky to get one of the Midland boots in my size and now its sold out!

 

[Phil McCrackin]

Danner must be , for me , the most comfortable boot I’ve had. Now on my 4th different style and they are well worth the money, Black Friday around the corner so worth trying to snaffle some in the sales ..