I bought a pair of full-grain leather boots two weeks before a 10-mile loop in the Catskills. The boot shop guy said they felt great. I agreed. By mile four, I had a quarter-sized blister on my right heel and a hot spot the size of a poker chip on my left arch. I finished … Read more
I remember standing in a gear shop in Bend, Oregon, holding a Salomon trail runner in my left hand and a Lowa hiking boot in my right. The price tags were close. The weight wasn’t. I genuinely didn’t know which one to put back on the shelf. That was about seven years ago. Since then … Read more
The first pair of hiking boots I ever bought looked perfect on the rack. Solid tread. Good color. Felt fine standing still in the store. By mile three on my first real trail, I had blisters on both heels and was limping back to the trailhead. That was the day I learned that hiking boots … Read more
My first real day hike was a six-mile loop in the Smoky Mountains. I wore a pair of old sneakers I’d had for two years. By mile three, my heels were bleeding through my socks and my toes were screaming on every downhill step. That was the day I learned that footwear is not the … Read more