Warm weather hiking boots

Heavy!
Waterproof? Hot!

Unlike Roger who can magically broadstroke a pair of shoes in 3 words or less, I have abit more to say that hopefully will help you out.

What is an appropriate weight for one person may not be appropriate for everyone. Timberland lists them at 2lbs 7oz for the pair. This isnt too bad, especially considering that they are leather and gore-tex.

For hiking in Mexico, you probably will not need leather and gore-tex. While GT is “breathable” it is still a barrier to moisture escape and your feet will be sweaty the whole time. If you plan to be crossing alot of wet areas, like down in the yucatan, GT probably sounds pretty nice – – but its really not. It will trap all kinds of jungle-nasty inside the boot. You want to get rid of the moisture as fast as possible. Remember the old Vietnam era jungle boots? They had the little screens near the bottom of the boot. Those were there to drain off water as fast as possible. You probably want the same thing.

What seems to be the real “killer” on these boots is that looking at their specs on the Timberland site, they seem to have been designed for hiking in areas of “cool and wet”. They mention the ability to mount flexible crampons for crossing snow and ice, they are GT but uninsulated, and most of the reviews I read on the Cadion boot seems to indicate that the sole grips best in wet muddy conditions. All of this seems to indicate, to me, that this boot really comes into its own in those areas and that time of year where the snow is melting and everything you see is a muddly slippery slidy bog.

I dont think Mexico has much of that kind of terrain… so maybe these boots arnt the best for your trip.

Not knowing exactly what you have planned, Id probably go with mesh (or at least fabric) uppered mid or low topped footwear.

Id be less interested in weight and more interested in the fit of the footwear. If its a little heavy, the worst that can happen is you get stronger (boohoo). If they dont fit right, you can be debilitated with nasty blisters or other maladies.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the responses. There are so many choices of hiking boots that buying a pair has proven to be a bit overwhelming. I was hoping that I would get responses saying that the choice I made was a good one but no such luck. The place I go hiking is in the mountains in Jalisco Mexico where the conditions are dry and extremely dusty. In addition, the soil is a terra cotta color which has stained my clothing in the past so it will surely be hard on any boots that have mesh/fabric. Point being, I guess mesh top boots would not be ideal for my situation. Someone else had mentioned that a good quality leather boot might be what I need. Does anyone have any suggestions for a boot along those lines? Right now I hike in a pair of $17 construction style boots that I bought in Mexico a couple years ago. Anything would be better than they are, but I figured if I’m going to put effort into buying hiking boots, I should get something that is best as opposed to just better. Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

If your dealing with really nasty dust, your right, mesh isnt really a good idea.

If you really want leather uppers and if they fit your feet, Merrell makes a shoes called the “Chameleon Wrap Leather”. Its a little less than a mid, a little more than a low top. All leather upper. No GT. And I personally find the sole to be one of the most anatomical on the market.

Another, lighter, shoes from Merrell is the Land Pro Ultrasport. Its also a full leather upper and no GT. The sole is designed for “slick” surfaces but is also designed to handle “moderate terrain”.

Id definatly prefer the chameleons sole for traction over most terrain, but the Land Pro has the better upper. In my opinion anyway.