10 Best Hiking Boot Brands that We Love and You Will Too

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Choosing among several companies and brands may be a hard challenge, especially when purchasing your hiking boots. In this cold period of the year, for example, you may need comfortable yet warm ones.

The brands we have selected today are not only our favorites but also some of the most popular manufacturers of hiking boots and mountain apparel in the world.

Some of them are European brands and some are American: most of them are famous worldwide because they are synonymous with quality and long-lasting apparel and mountain equipment.

We hope that here you can find your next favorite brand, as most of them have several choice options that suit you well throughout the year.

When choosing your hiking boots, you have to consider first the terrain you are going to go onto, and consequently choose the right footwear. Besides, several components matter, such as the height of the shoe, the sole, and the forepart.

For each situation, you also have to estimate if you are an expert or not, to better choose the shoes that suit you.

Among our selection, most of the brands consider the sustainability aspect of the fabrics, technology, and materials used, ensuring a real sustainability program for their production. We think that this is a very important feature.

Here we have selected 10 brands, each with its peculiarity and particular features that make it unique. Some of these companies make outdoor apparel and gear in general, while others are specialized in hiking footwear.

So, are you ready to choose your next pair of hiking boots? Let’s take a look!

Contents:

• 1. Salomon
• 2. Merrell
• 3. Garmont
• 4. The North Face
• 5. La Sportiva
• 6. Salewa
• 7. Aku
• 8. Lowa
• 9. Hoka One One
• 10. Columbia

Best Hiking Boot Brands: Infographic

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1. Salomon

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Woman wearing Salomon hiking boots

With a wide range of outdoor equipment, Salomon is a French brand renowned above all for ski and footwear products. Salomon first started producing skis: in 1957 they invented the first ski binding type. In this sense, they are pioneers in their field.

Then their range of products gradually expanded to cover equipment for many outdoor sports. Still, their focus remains on skiing gear and footwear.

You might also like: Salomon vs Merrell: Which Brand is Better for Hiking Shoes and Boots?

Using different kinds of technologies for their footwear, Salomon’s top products include hiking boots, using the Gore-Tex® technology to make outdoor passionates feel confident and dry and ensuring high quality for everyone to enjoy their hike in nature.

Their mission includes also the education of people to make them enjoy nature responsibly. To do that they have adopted a sustainability program and constantly promote their commitment in this direction.

Don’t miss: 8 Shoes Brands like Salomon for Your Outdoor Adventures

2. Merrell

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Merrell hiking boots

Founded in 1981, Merrell is an American company whose strength lies in the manufacture of hiking boots. Since its early years, Merrell was known as one of the best manufacturers of outdoor equipment. Their core values include comfort, design, versatility, and durability.

Related: 9 Shoes and Boots Brands like Merrell: Our Top Alternatives

The most used technology, M-Select Dry, is similar to Gore-Tex and guarantees a waterproof membrane that insulates the feet and makes them breathe. Several technologies, like Vibram®, make hiking boots grip well in all types of terrains.

They equally pursue a strong commitment to sustainability, by creating their products with natural and recycled materials.

Read also: 12 Best Hiking Trails in Italy: Our Favorites

3. Garmont

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Garmont official website

Garmont is an Italian company born in 1964. It is a brand that is highly focused on hiking boots, to serve all outdoor and nature lovers.

Among the technologies used, Garmont relies on Vibram to make the soles highly performing, and Gore-Tex®, to insulate and make outdoor footwear waterproof. Their strength lies in the precision of details, and the anatomy-based designs of their shoes.

Read next: 9 Italian Hiking Boots Brands: Our Top Picks

4. The North Face

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The North Face Cragmont Mid DryVent Waterproof Men’s Hiking Boot

Born in San Francisco in 1966, The North Face has been ever since synonymous with outdoor life apparel and is a recurring brand in our articles (like here and here for example). In the latter part of the Nineties, The North Face started to become a point of reference for those who needed footwear and hiking boots.

The company offers a wide range of breathable outdoor footwear, most of them made with Gore-Tex®, for comfortable and long-lasting support in all weather conditions.

Don’t miss: 10 Outdoor Brands like The North Face that You’ll Love

The North Face has a sustainability program too, to provide responsible use of down as well as electric energy (they only use renewable energy sources in their Swiss head office).

Both breathable and waterproof, their hiking boots are equally performing and comfortable on all types of terrain.

You might also like: 15 Best Hiking Trails in Norway: Our Top Picks

5. La Sportiva

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La Sportiva official website

La Sportiva is an Italian brand whose aim, since its early years, is to provide athletes and outdoor passionates the best products for hiking, and enjoying the mountains in every latitude possible.

Don’t miss: La Sportiva vs Salomon Shoes: Which Brand is Better?

Founded in 1928, their principal and most known footwear include those for trekking, hiking, and mountain running. In particular, in 2014 the “Mountain Hiking” footwear line was launched, with the “Surround” technology by Gore-Tex.

Also, their hiking boots are realized with the “Nano-Cells™” technology, which makes these boots breathable. With a wide range of products, La Sportiva provides different types of options for every level of experience, and for all needs.

Read also: European Hiking Boots and Shoes: 9 Brands that You’ll Love

6. Salewa

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Salewa official website

Born in 1935, Salewa boasts a strong collaboration, in the ’80s, with Reinhold Messner and Kurt Albert.

Among their hiking boots, we can mention “Mountain Trainer”: they are light and flexible, and we think they are great for daily hikes.

One of the things to consider when choosing your hiking boots is their height. For rough terrains, the best choice is footwear with strong support to your ankle.

The point of strength of their footwear is their versatility: they provide boots for different sports, from speed hiking to trekking and mountain climbing.

Must read: Salewa vs Salomon Hiking Boots: A Comparison

7. Aku

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AKU official website

AKU offers a range of products that go from urban wear to options for the wild outdoors. It is an Italian brand devoted to the production of trekking and outdoor footwear since the ’80s.

A union between old Italian manufacturing and new technologies has made Aku’s quality famous all over the world. It aims to give all outdoor enthusiasts and those who live and work there, quality products.

Several technologies are used in their shoes such as Gore-Tex®, PrimaLoft®, and Vibram®. They also pay attention to the sustainability of their production means and materials, as we can see in their use of the Zero Impact leather technology.

Learn more: What to Look For in Hiking Boots? 6 Important Things

8. Lowa

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People wearing Lowa boots

Passion for quality and tradition are the key words of this brand, based mostly in Europe. Founded in 1923 in Germany (here are some German outdoor brands), Lowa has a specialized team that manufactures all types of outdoor footwear. From trekking to travel, they prefer fit and comfort to design, though this is not neglected.

Don’t miss: Lowa vs Hanwag Hiking Shoes: A Comparison

Offering different shapes of shoes for different people and needs, the soles are made in collaboration with Vibram®.

Their main models are the Tibet model, to cover great distances; Zephyr model, which is a multifunctional model of shoe based on the Monowrap technology; and the Renegade model which is their most important model, made with Gore-Tex and Vibram, and winner of several awards.

Read also: 8 German Boots Brands for Hiking and Outdoor Activities

9. Hoka One One

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Hoka One One official website

Hoka One One is a company whose main focus is on running shoes. They have developed different technologies in this direction. But they also have a selection of hiking footwear which is worth considering.

Hoka was born in France while its founders were trying to invent a new shoe that gave the best endurance race times.

Its bestsellers include waterproof footwear that is suitable for hiking and mountain use. The outdoor lifestyle is their key word, providing performing, comfortable and stable shoes for different levels of experience and territory to explore.

Don’t miss: French Hiking Boots and Shoes: Our 5 Favorite Brands

10. Columbia

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Columbia official website

Columbia Sportswear is a renowned company for all nature and outdoor life enthusiasts, frequently featured on our site for their jackets (for example here and here) and now also for their footwear.

Born in 1938 in Oregon, United States, their main feature is sustainable manufacturing combined with their original design. Most of their hiking boots are made with waterproof fabrics.

Their structures include lightweight elements to keep you safe while exploring the outdoors. With their sure-footed grip and smooth ride, Columbia’s hiking shoes are breathable, insulated, and with thermal-reflective technology.

Their footwear is available in different styles and colors, to provide also quality designs.

Must read: Columbia vs Merrell Hiking Boots and Shoes: A Comparison

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Columbia concludes our selection of hiking boots brands that we think you should try. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any other brand suggestions, let us know in the comments below.