The 3 Best Hiking Boots Of 2022

You need a solid pair of hiking boots to protect your feet and stabilize your ankles whether you’re going on a day trip with friends or tackling an ambitious backpacking route. We chose the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex Hiking Boots (men’s and women’s) as the best hiking boots after trekking over 1,200 miles and taking over 2 million steps across all types of terrain in 43 pairs of hiking boots over the course of three years because of their solid traction and support, breathable and waterproof materials, and a mix of features that let us hike comfortably for miles, such as a wide toe box, sturdy heel protection, and a gusseted tongue.

Salomon Quest 4 Gore-Tex Hiking Boots

Salomon has upgraded its popular Quest boots from 3D to 4 (available in both men’s and women’s sizes). The Quest 4 Gore-Tex boots, thankfully, retain many of the fundamental qualities we appreciated in the previous model, such as adequate toe and heel protection, strong grip and support, breathable and waterproof fabrics, and a gusseted tongue. The changes are slight, but we appreciated the two minor improvements over the previous model: greater ankle and heel support for persons carrying heavy loads, as well as a more flexible midfoot plate that makes bending your foot easier. The new Quests featured the biggest toe box of all of the boots we examined, which means the boot is likely to fit most foot shapes right out of the box, despite having a slightly longer break-in period than the previous model. However, because the Quests are very big, they are best suited for anyone carrying heavy packs or children on their back. Despite their bulk, they’re also surprisingly comfortable on shorter excursions.

Merrell Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots

The Merrell Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots (available in men’s and women’s sizes) are a no-frills, dependable solution for budget-conscious hikers. Despite being less expensive than our other choices, we found them to be a solid fit in every manner that mattered: They were waterproof (though not for long), gave adequate ankle support for moderate-length walks, had an easy-to-use lacing system, and were quite breathable. They were also passably comfortable for us. However, we believe they are not the ideal choice for longer hikes on rocky, steep, or wet terrain because their traction is inferior to that of our other selections. If you have wide feet, the Moab 2 boots are available in both regular and wide widths.

La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX

The Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX (men’s and women’s) from La Sportiva replaces our discontinued previous top pick, the La Sportiva Saber, giving the same lightweight, flexible setup but with extra toe protection and a little longer break-in period. If you love trail running shoes but require ankle support (for carrying a big pack or a child, for example), you’ll enjoy that the Ultra Raptor is based on a trail running shoe’s midsole and outsole. Because of this, it’s simpler to flex your foot (which makes driving and walking easier than with our other options), and you’ll also notice that the boots are easier to slip on and take off. The Raptor’s robust underfoot stability, superb grip on wet trails, and excellent waterproofing impressed us. However, the Raptors run a little small (even when compared to the Sabers), so get a half to a full size up from your street shoe size. All La Sportiva boots are narrow in general, but the Raptors, like the Merrells, come in medium and wide widths to fit a wider range of foot shapes.