Best hiking & trekking shoes for women according to redditors
We found 50 Reddit comments discussing the best hiking & trekking shoes for women. We ranked the 44 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 50 Reddit comments discussing the best hiking & trekking shoes for women. We ranked the 44 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Changing your socks frequently won't help much, but it will help protect your feet from blisters and "hot spots" (areas that aren't quite abraded enough to blister, but which become painful and sore enough that you don't want to walk.)
Breaking in boots and shoes is extremely important in you are living life on foot. Infantry soldiers are issued two pairs of boots. They are supposed to alternate boots every other day. When you first get a pair of combat boots, you soak them in water, beat them with a wooden-handled scrub brush, put on two pairs of clean, woolen, combat socks, tuck two spare pair into your belt, and go for a walk. Halfway through, you stop, take off the boots, switch socks to two dry pairs and walk back. As the boots dry, they begin to mould to your feet.
On the second day, you do this to the second pair of boots. You only need to soak and beat them once, but you need to switch boots every day so that they wear in evenly and they have a chance to air-dry out (from sweat) to avoid fungus. Pull your boot inserts out of the pair that is "resting."
https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/military-boots.html?qview=3370816
https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/military-boots.html?qview=5960165
Your foot bears weight unevenly. If you look at a barefoot footprint in wet sand, you can see that your body weight is borne on the "ball" (metatarsals) and "heel." Because of the way people walk when wearing boots (the heel strikes the ground first, then the toes) and especially when marching in cadence, military boots tend to wear worst on the back of the heel. In effect, lacing boots up above the ankle protects the ankle, but causes people to walk unnaturally. If one grows up barefooted or wearing moccasins, your natural gait will be very different, in which one points the toe when taking a step. This looks somewhat like a ballet dancer pointing her (or his) toe. The toes/metatarsals strike the ground first, and the heel later. This is similar to the way people's feet touch the ground when running--you run "on your toes," kind of.
Boots will wear more on those areas where the foot bears the majority of the body's weight, and as the boot sole wears, depressions will form inside the boot to accommodate the plantar surfaces of the foot. This is what we mean when we say boots are "worn in." Once this occurs, as long as you do not wear your boots with wet feet and wet socks, your feet should not blister. However, when on a long hump you should still rest your feet ten minutes out of every two hours, and change socks and inspect each other's feet during the rest.
Modern hiking boots usually do not require much of a break-in period, but they also are not nearly as durable as military boots. They are designed a lot like tennis shoes.
https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/9-best-light-hiking-boots-spring-2018/
Older design (1970's) mountaineering boots have a very stiff sole and a very robust way of lacing. Walking in them feels a little bit like having boards strapped to your feet.
https://www.amazon.com/Danner-Womens-Mountain-Light-Cascade/dp/B00SC8DDTC
Everybody chooses boots that suit them best. Nothing wrong with that. I chose boots that were not necessarily the best quality or the most comfortable, but for which I had good evidence to support the idea that they would not fail me 1,000 miles from home. I chose military packs for the same reason. Tough, durable, almost impossible to break.
Ok they're slightly out of your price range,but Merrells have never done me wrong. I bought these for hiking the grand canyon and let me say this, everything but my feet was sore.
Merrell Women's Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Shoe, Falcon, 7.5 M US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5FH4V7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Gg31AbT75T737
Totalmente. Tengo zapatos especificos para otras cosas (ciclismo, formales, pa correr, etc.) pero dia a dia uso de este tipo.
Tengo un par Salomon. La cubierta es de malla y son la raja pal verano. Ademas son livianitas.
Los Merrel que tengo son de cuero y partes de malla. Mi unco pero con estas es que tienen poca traccion en mojado. Metal mojado (tapas, rejillas) he patinado un par de veces.
Tengo otros Columbia para invierno que tienen cubierta mas gruesa (algo asi) y tengo unas botas que he tenido que usar cuando hay nieve (como estas)
Salomon make the best boots for me. My X Ultra 3 Mid GTX is an amazing pair.
For women, my SO swears by the Merrell MOAB 2
Both were bought after careful research on here and elsewhere.
I'd call both great mid-level boots. If you're doing more extreme stuff and wading through a lot of water, you'll be wanting different styles. These are for dusty, rocky, muddy, damp trails and hills. They're not snow shoes or particularly waterproof.
I trail run/hike in these
they are amazing! light, rock plate, stiff but not too stiff, EXTREMELY comfortable from the minute i put them on. I find the stiffness of this shoe keeps my feet inline and when i do trip/misstep it keeps my ankle from rolling.
I find hiking is so soothing. nature, good sites and sounds, being alone thinking but not stress thinking bc i can't be in my head too much while all the beauty of nature is around me - just ....so soothing
I'm an 8.5W and think they are very true to size. I'm not familiar with the ones you posted, but I have these ones and have worn them for about 5-6 yrs, and they are just starting to give up. I've heard great things about these ones too.
Since I can't make this its own thread, and it's super super specific, I'll try sharing this here!!
I'll be attending a three week group vacation-thing in Europe in May, consisting of both indoor casual and formal activities (workshops, business meetings, brewery tours, sightseeing, etc.) as well as outdoor activities (two free days of outdoors stuff, a night lantern hike, etc.). I'll be traveling to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and England, and I am absolutely overwhelmed with what to pack. This is geared for a college/about to graduate tour group! Here are my constraints:
I'm super super overwhelmed and terrified of not being dressed properly since I have some health problems/wear out pretty easily! Thanks for the help!!
Sorry for the late reply! I wore an ivory pair (called Optic White but most definitely ivory in color) of Cole Haan Zerogrand waterproof hiker boots. They were perfect for everything that I needed for Iceland's environment while still being sort of bridal :-) : https://www.amazon.com/Cole-Haan-Womens-Zerogrand-Hikr/dp/B071WPDP67?th=1&psc=1
I have a pair of the Vasque hiking boots. They’re a year old or more and very easy to wear. Light. No break in. Cool.
Monolith
Merrell Moab 2. A little outside your price range, but so totally foolproof. Worth it.
I ordered these off Amazon and modified them. I cut straps off, painted them, and sewed elastic in them. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H7BYXY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tt6zCbYFVED3Y
Here is my shoes I made from last year vs the ones I made this year. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsHgfi4hxId/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=v5feck9jkvbl
Sorry I can never get the links to shorten on my phone.
Have you tried Down Booties? If you're just trying to warm up in the car post swim and don't need to walk around much, they might be a good option.
something like these
I never buy these for walking in the woods because they can’t handle the environment, to easy to get cold and wet.
Get yourself a good set of hiking boots
Columbia
amazon
These are great boots for different prices.
I have two pairs of excellent hiking boots for moderate treks like you've described. My Danner Adrika boots are amazingly comfortable, fairly lightweight, and took nearly no break in time. I did replace the insoles with my preferred boot insole, but they are awesome. I wore them all around Colorado and New Mexico for moderate hikes. I also have the more technical Lowa Renegade GTX which I got on sale in a retired color combo, and they are a little heavier and more supportive, but still great for any hikes that may take you around water/puddles/rain.
I got [these](https://www.amazon.com/Teva-Womens-Arrowood-Waterproof-Charcoal/dp/B01N6ILF1Y/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1527607566&sr=8-6&keywords=teva+boots+women) a couple of months ago so I guess a bit new still for extensive comments but so far I am very very happy with them. They are light but supportive and comfortable. For me it was important that my ankle felt supported too. I think the grip is good, I haven't landed on my ass yet this season! But they are a definitely mid-way shoe rather than full blown hardcore hiking. They do have some more rugged models. Teva is a great brand, my friend has been hiking on his for a good three years now and they have lasted well.
Also check out Adidas Terrex line! Those shoes have some very solid soles and good builds too.
I wear a pair of Ecco Trak 6 for both work and play. This is my second pair in 20 years, so they do last a long time.
Mens: https://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Track-GTX-Plain-Toe-Boot/dp/B00743SYA4
Womens equivalent: https://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Womens-Track-25-Hiking/dp/B01MZEER59
My Merrell’s come in a wide because the regular is pretty narrow. I’m on my 3rd pair. I like the non-waterproof kind for less foot sweat but they make a waterproof Moab
https://www.amazon.com/Ariat-Womens-Terrain-Hiking-Boot/dp/B01FXESU9A
I bought these for a trip to Arizona and they fit great, wore well, and still look awesome.
Ariat is a great boot, and at $80 these are a really good price.
That's not really a hiking boot. Plus if it's a winter boot (meaning it's insulated), it might be too hot. How about something like this?
my wife was having similar issues and after trying on almost every boot/shoe in REI she chose Ahnu Sugarpine https://www.amazon.com/Ahnu-Womens-Sugarpine-Waterproof-Bluestar/dp/B00ZUYBJV0/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1480983628&sr=8-12&keywords=ahnu . I would recommend at least a half size big.
I'm an 8.5 in Keds and an 8.5 in Merrells. I have narrow feet, which is why I love both Merrells and Keds. Also seconding the Sirens.
If you're only doing light hiking, you could also look into trail running shoes, which will give you more options and might be cheaper. Either way, if you live near an REI or other outdoor store, I'd recommend going in and trying a bunch on to get a feel for the brands (Merrell runs narrow-ish, Keens run wide, etc) if you want to try to score a sale online.
If your feet get cold then something like this will be your best winter friend.
I have these merrell's and I love them.
They're super light, fit true to size, have good traction, and I had minimal blistering when breaking them in. I'm not a super avid hiker so I just wanted something affordable but good quality, these totally fit the bill.
They have men's boots too and my husband likes his. They also have other styles, higher ankles, etc.