Best Lightweight Waterproof Boot?

[Brian S.]

I'm in the market for some new hiking boots (all-terrain *though primarily the worst that Northern California can throw at the boot) and wanted to get my hands on something that met the following criteria (if possible):

1. Durable/Reliable/Lasting

2. Waterproof

3. Breathable or inner moisture wicking

4. Lightweight (something I can sprint in if I have to, to the extent that they are still boots and not trail runners)

Can all that be had for under around 200 or less? Am I high looking for all of those things in one? I'm currently looking at the ECCO Men's Track II Mid Gore-Tex Boot on Amazon, but am reading conflicting stories about the sole's ability to stand up to serious hiking for years on end. Any ideas would be great.

[James holden]

all boots will get wet sooner or later in adverse conditions

plan on yr footwear getting wet at some time in a longer trip

[Brian S.]

Eric, do you mean waterproof boots don't exist, or that even the waterproof boots will get wet? If they're billed as "waterproof" and they still get wet, then that's fine, I'm just looking for lightweight hiking boots that are called "waterproof" by the company, meaning they made an effort to waterproof the boot (e.g. with Gore-Tex, etc.).

[Vince Contreras]

All of your criteria are met, I'd think, with a pair of Pivetta 5's or 8's. The "durable/reliable" caveat will eliminate those boots with lots of extemporaneous stitching, i.e. most "patchwork" fabric-and-gore-tex boots. Now, since you also wish for the boot to be waterproof and breathable, I'd again recommend against a gore-tex liner…

Gore-tex hates your body oils. Most gore-tex boot liners are not removable, which makes effective cleaning difficult at best. The oils will, eventually, render the goretex ineffective at either waterproofing or breathing. Also, like many report, your feet may end up soaked from sweat due to the not-so-breathable nature of even a brand new gore-tex liner.

So, I recommend the Pivetta's because they are crafted from a single seamless piece of waterproof leather for the upper, thus needing no gore-tex liner. They are lined in leather. Also, they are perhaps the lightest boots available for the given feature set. I have a pair of 8's that I could certainly sprint in, and have ran in for about a mile or so with no issues. And of course, the fit and quality of construction is on par with (better than?) the priciest upper-echelon offerings from the likes of Esatto and Limmer.

So then, keep a cobbler in business and hunt for a pair of Pivetta's in your size on ebay or wherever. At any given time, ebay usually has at least a pair of two up for auction. I searched at least bi-weekly, for half a year, before I found a lightly-used pair in my size; knowing what I do now, I wish I would have started looking years ago…

If, on the other hand, you find you don't value reliability as much as light weight, I've worn a pair of New Balance 1500GT boots for a few hundred miles now, and I find them to be a great "light and fast" boot. They come in multiple widths too.

[Brian S.]

Vincent, thanks for the lengthy, informative feedback. I should note here that while I was waiting for a response I did some perusing over at Trailspace.com and ran into these shoes which also looked like they met my criteria, and they were rated fairly high in an aggregate of searches and reviews: Lowa Renegade GTX Mid
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/lowa/renegade-gtx-mid/?gender=mens

They aren't very attractive, but they boast Nubuck construction with Gore-Tex membrane, Vibram soles, and are around 2.3 lbs. In the end, it comes down to what fits in the store.

I'm interested in the Pivettas, Vincent, but cursory searches show nothing. Do you have links? What do you mean by "5", and "8"? Those numbers combined with Pivetta brought up nothing either.

[joe newton]

Durability is subjective but…

http://inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&L=26&P=5050973129

[Dug Shelby]

I have a pair of Vasque Wasatch's that I like a lot, although I'll be using Innov-8 Roclite 315's when I do my PCT thru-hike this year. I do know Innov-8 has some very cool GTX shoes/boots that not only look tough, but I've heard great things about. Much lighter that the 2+ pounds you found in the other boots.

I'm in NorCal too, and know what you're talking about…the weather in these parts can be extreme one way to the other, sometimes on the same day/hike…fun :)

[Vince Contreras]

@Brian: Pivetta is an Italian brand that had a few models of boots imported by the Berkeley Ski Hut back in the 70's. The most popular models were the P-5 (or Article 5), P-8 (Article 8), and the Eiger. Searches won't find much because most of their boots would be over 30 years old now–indeed, mine are 34 years old–and most of those who own Pivettas tend not to blog about them; they have a few threads with great info over at NWHikers.net, however. This is perhaps the most relevant thread:

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7978896&highlight=pivetta

If you search for "Pivetta" on their site, you'll find much more information as well.

Search "Pivetta" over at Trailspace.com and you'll find that 24 out of the 25 reviews give their Pivetta boots 5 out of 5 stars (and the 25th gave 4 of 5, so…).

If you plan to do a lot of hiking, and don't want to replace your shoes every few hundred miles, I'd shy away from Inov8 shoes, though they are very, very light. "Durability" and "reliability" are indeed very nebulous words with vast ranges of interpretation…

[Vince Contreras]

@Brian: Also, if you tell me a little bit more about your feet (narrow/wide, low/high volume, arch type, under/over-pronator) I might be able to help you further. My exhaustive search for the right boots for my feet has endowed me with a perhaps extraordinary level of seldom-useful information regarding boot fitting issues. I have "A" width, low volume, high-arched feet in two slightly different sizes; hopefully you'll have better luck finding your perfect boot than I did!

[Greg Mihalik]

"something I can sprint in if I have to…"

Say What?

[Keith Selbo]

Waterproof, comfortable, leather, no Goretex. A pair (11.5's) weighs two pounds. I walk straight through water and mud with these guys. If the water is under 5" deep, your feet will stay dry. And warm. I don't wear them in the summer. $80 at Campmor.

[Ross Bleakney]

I agree with Vincent's first post, the key is find something that is leather and has very few stitches. I've found that Goretex liners are useless. The only thing I've found that works is well treated leather.

Of course, this makes it hard to find lightweight boots. I wanted waterproof boots for when I slop through soft snow in the Spring. I tried Danner boots (which are pretty light, and have little ankle support) but they didn't fit my feet well. So, I went with a heavier pair of Raichle boots (I would call them midweight boots). Basically, I wear that pair in the early season, and my trail runners later on. I should also mention that my waterproof boots are heavy by my standard, but light compared to many of my friends.

If you are willing to take a chance, you could try using soccer shoes. Many of these are lightweight, low cut and all leather. The big problem is the tread and the cushioning. Maybe you can solve the cushioning problem with inserts. The tread is a little trickier. If you went with indoor soccer shoes, then wouldn't have much traction. If you went to the other extreme, you would tear up the trails and probably not be comfortable. Maybe you could find a good pair of soccer turf shoes (which have lots of small knobs).

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Ross,

You said "…I've found that Gore-Tex liners are usless." Peresonally I have used boots of all kinds with Gore-tex liners and found them very good at keeping my feet dry in rainy or sloppy snowy weather.

Could you explain why you've found them "useless"?

[Roger Caffin]

There's a large 'hole' at the top of the boot, and rain trickles down my pants and legs into the boot through that hole. Since it is 'waterproof', whatever goes in does not leak out.

Cheers

[Sam Farrington]

Brian,

Lowas are great boots, if they fit you, but they are not very light in weight.

The most popular boots on this site seem to be the Inov's, but in some areas it is not possible to find a place to try them on. It takes me so many tries to find anything that will fit me, that I don't bother with mail order boots anymore, no matter how good the return policy is.

Because the "best" boot is the one that fits well, and all fits are individual, you will probably not find your answer here; but rather, in a really good boot store.
I like my Keen mids, but they wear out quickly, and don't stay dry long in the rain – although they just get damp inside, not sopped, and my feet stay comfortable with a quality synthetic sock. The Keen mids just happen to fit my feet much better than anything else, including custom made boots, and are fairly light, and supportive yet flexible; so they are what I wear.

[Konrad .]

+1 to Roger. If its rain you're dealing with, might as well not have a goretex liner. Once its soaked, good luck getting it to dry. If it's snow, than I'm all for goretex/event boots (with calf high gaiters though).

If you want a lightweight boot thats goretex, try inov-8, as others have mentioned. Super lightweight, but also super flexible….not sure if you like that or not. However, there's no real trails in CA that require the sturdiness found in the heavy duty boots you'd find at your local rei. If you're talking winter, snow, and crampon use…well that's a whole different story.

[Erik Danielsen]

I'll give another plug for inov-8s. Something about the way they feel on your feet encourages quick and nimble forward motion. I prefer a highly breathable boot that I can add a waterproof sock to if needed, but inov-8 does have 3 goretex-lined boots available, one ultralight model, one slightly heavier model, and one full leather model. Even the heavier two are in the same weight range as a lot of running shoes. Yeah, they're probably less durable than a full-leather boot, so I suppose there's a question of the tradeoffs you're willing to make there, but keep in mind that they are in no way fragile or delicate. When my first pair came in the mail I was expecting ultralight materials I'd have to baby, but the material in the lower few inches of the boot felt like armadillo skin, the rest of the upper was decent leather, and the exterior layer of mesh felt more like some sort of metallic screen than synthetic. Absolutely bomber compared to various other breathable leather/mesh boots I've worn.

[carl becker]

I have to give a +1 to Roger. For me a good fitting, light, grippy boot was the most important. I want my boot to be breathable as they always get wet either by sweat, rain or streams. I have a pair of Inov-8 390 boots and the goretex does not keep my feet dry. My feet stay wet longer after crossing a stream. They don't have a good grip either. I much prefer the X-Talon 212 on all counts except when very cold. The 390's are cut a bit bigger and I can use heavier socks in colder weather. For 30 years I used "light" leather boots with moist feet.

[Ike Mouser]

I have to give advice which is based on things i"e learned he hard way, otherwise what use would it be to you? I dont recommend waterproof shoes for hiking, except in conditions where water turns to snow and the temp will be maintained as such(it wot unfreeze). Only in the case of there being no liquid precip do i reccommend it. In these cases i would say inov8 goretex roclite 390.

For almost every other situation carry breatheable trail runners with rocky goretex socks to provde for a waterproof boot instead of relying on a goretex liner that doesnt breahe and never dries. This adds layers and versatility.

You need to read will"s article on winter footwear(4 parts).

[Jeffs Eleven]

With respect, sprinting boots?

I think if there ever were a time you needed to sprint, you'd probably be drunk on adrenaline and not notice that you had on boots. Hell, you probably wouldn't even notice the ground.

But maybe mids? just for the xtra ankle movement.

And +1 on reading Wills articles!

[Konrad .]

"…you'd probably be drunk on adrenaline and not notice that you had on boots. Hell, you probably wouldn't even notice the ground."

HAHAHHA I dont know why but the quote just gave me hilarious imagery of moose charges, bear attacks, and the sound of children screaming.

Yea im not understanding the the boots and sprinting requirement either.

[Travis Leanna]

>Yea im not understanding the the boots and sprinting requirement either.

Backpackingfast.com

[Lawson Kline]

Hey Brian,

I have the Ecco Track IV high boot and they are the best pair of boots made period. Before starting Mountainfitter I did shell construction for close to 8 years which meant I was either in a ditch forming a concrete foundation or on a roof sheathing it. For the first few years I always wore expensive "work boots" but they were heavy, my feet got wet alot and never lasted longer then a year. Three years back I bought myself some Ecco's Track IV for hiking and after realizing how lightweight, comfortable and durable they were I started wearing them at work. I have worn these boots for close to three years now and wear them from the time I get up to the time I take them off at night (12+ hours a day) atleast 5 days a week. They have seen more trails, mud, dirt and concrete then all my other boots combined and they are still in pretty good condition. I promise that these are the best boots you will ever buy.

Heres a link:
http://www.eccousa.com/shoes/mens/outdoor/track-iv-high/483/detail.aspx

My size 12 Ecco's weigh 25.5oz

[nathan matthews]

I've used a pair of vasque sundowners for over 15 years, although I finally wore through the second set of soles this September. I shredded the goretex liner a few years ago, but the leather itself remained waterproof. For the past six or seven years I've done a lot of my hiking in trail runners, but I use these boots for one or two longer trips per year and I used them as my work boots throughout most of their lifetime, so they definitely suffered a lot of use.

The boots I have were sewn in Italy, and my understanding is that Red Wing, who owns Vasque, now has them sewn in China, so I'm not sure if current quality is the same. Nonetheless, because my old boots probably won't take another re-soling, I'm going to check out the current model and see how it compares.

[Vince Contreras]

I've heard nothing good about the current sundowners. Older, Italian-made ones are a rare find, but certainly worth the search…

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