We all know what hiking boots look like.
They’re brown, made of leather, with laces all the way up the front and soles so thick they make the wearer two inches taller. You wear them while exploring the mountainous countryside, wading through streams and mud, walking the dog on a wet autumn morning and for just about any time you want to step out of the urban bubble.
They don’t have to be like that. Lightweight hiking boots blur the line between serious walking footwear and trainers. They’re comfortable, chunky, often softer than dedicated walking footwear and won’t look out of place in the city. At the same time, they’re less likely to slip on wet ground, will shrug off getting caught in a downpour on the way home, and won’t mind if you take a shortcut across the park.
Lightweight walking boots tend to be made from modern, high-tech materials instead of old-fashioned leather, making them lighter in weight, more able to breathe and cool your feet, plus attractive to vegans and others who don’t want to wear animal products. The classic values remain, however. While frequently cut lower than traditional boots, many still offer ankle support, and will keep water out if you’re crossing streams and ditches or need to splash through a flood on the way home. They’re also easier to wear for long periods, and won’t feel so heavy and tiring at the end of the day.
If you’re going on a serious trek through rough terrain, then a pair of leather, three-season hiking boots may still be a better choice, as they’re more supportive of your feet and ankles, and better equipped to stand up to the rigours of walking over rocks and loose surfaces. If you want something that’s tougher than trainers but you don’t want to look like an off-duty mountaineer in the pub, then these lightweight hiking boots might be right up your coastal path.
Best lightweight hiking boots at a glance:
- Best for taking a step beyond trainers: Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 - £220, Adidas
- Best for a more traditional pair of boots: Merrell Men’s Moab 2 Vent - £135, Amazon
- Best for recycled materials: Helly Hansen Traverse - £165, Helly Hansen
- Best for looking like trainers: Columbia Facet 75 Mid - £135, Amazon
- Best for graphene grip: Inov-8 Roclite G 345 GTX - £170, Amazon
- Best for keeping out the water: Salomon Cross Hike 2 Mid - £170, Salomon
- Best for feeling like a running shoe: Topo Athletic Trailventure WP - £198, Alpine Trek
- Best for walks in dry conditions: Danner Men’s Trailcomber - £147, Amazon
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Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2
Best for: taking a step beyond trainers
Walking boots from a reliable sportswear manufacturer, the Terrex Free Hiker 2 boots are slim on top but chunky underneath, which is exactly what you want from a lightweight pair. They’re available for men and women, and there’s a Gore-Tex edition if you want the extra waterproofing. You get a bouncy sole, and they’re light and comfortable.
The boots are easily mistaken for a pair of trainers at first glance, especially as they’re available in the grey and black colour schemes we’re used to seeing under a pair of suit trousers in wine bars and cafes. Unlike a pair of trainers, however, they’re fully capable of taking on a muddy path through the woods or a hike out to the middle of nowhere - though we suggest you leave the suit at home, just in case.
Buy now £220.00, Adidas
Merrell Men's Moab 2 Vent
Best for: a more traditional pair of boots
Made from a combination of pigskin leather and synthetic mesh, these boots have a more traditional look, including metal hooks and loops for the laces. They’re available in a range of colours, including a white and blue pair that are just begging to be dragged through the mud, and thanks to the man-made materials they’re breathable, light and have a reinforced sole that hides an air cushion in the heel for extra cushioning and a reinforced toe cap for protection at the front.
There are a couple of variants of the boots, including one that’s all leather. Some are fully waterproof, and some have different heights, from an ankle-cut shoe to a high-rise boot, but the mid-rise Vent model, with its low weight and coolness in summer, seems like the best of the bunch.
Buy now £135.00, Amazon
Helly Hansen Traverse
Best for: recycled materials
Available in a rather fetching red and black colour scheme known as ‘iron oxide’, among others, these boots from Helly Hansen have a traditional look but are made from 100 per cent synthetic materials, much of it recycled. They’re waterproof thanks to a Helly Tech membrane, have heel and toe protection, and are remarkably lightweight despite their robust build.
The Traverse boots sit in the middle between classic heavy boots and lighter shoes, offering water resistance and breathability alongside enough protection to take on tougher trails.
Buy now £165.00, Helly Hansen
Columbia Facet 75 Mid
Best for: looking like trainers
Taking a very trainer-like approach to hiking, these low-rise boots from Columbia make rambling in the rain more pleasant thanks to their waterproofing and slip-resistant soles. The materials used are all man-made, and the style of the lacing is much closer to running shoes than hiking boots, giving them a degree of stealth if you want to work now and go hiking later.
The boots weigh less than 500g each, and despite prioritising comfort carry enough of a sole underneath to make scrambling over rough ground and rocky terrain a distinct possibility.
Buy now £135.00, Amazon
Inov-8 Roclite G 345 GTX
Best for: graphene grip
From the looped lacing to the high ankle support and mesh construction, these are definitely hiking boots. However, they’re also light and come in black, blue and grey colours that mean, under a pair of sensible trousers or jeans, they’re not going to stick out too much.
The soles are tough, with textured lugs infused with high-tech wonder material graphene, which should add extra strength and resistance to tough terrain, and there’s toe and heel protection as well as a cushioning midsole for enhanced shock absorption. Gore-Tex membranes keep the water out, and coming from a firm like Inov-8, with long experience in producing trail running shoes, you can expect a pair of fast, light and grippy boots.
Buy now £170.00, Amazon
Salomon Cross Hike 2 Mid
Best for: keeping out the water
Gore-Tex layers are great for keeping dampness on the outside of your boots where it belongs, and Salomon has used the venerable technology - invented in 1969 - again in these updated boots. Available in a grey and black colour scheme that offers a degree of office stealth, there’s also a glorious red, black and white option that gives some Nikes a run for their money.
Get up close, and the Cross Hike 2 boots are clearly not trainers, instead displaying deep lugs underneath and the ankle support and looped lacing you expect from a hiking boot. They weigh just over 400g each (and less for the women’s boot), however, and are partly made from recycled materials, so make a great choice for lightweight boots that will take you through the wetter parts of the countryside.
Buy now £170.00, Salomon
Topo Athletic Trailventure WP
Best for: feeling like a running shoe
Topo is known for its Ultraventure trail running shoes, and has put its outdoor know-how into these lightweight walking boots. They have a high cut for ankle support like boots, with metal lace hooks near the top and a sole with wide-spaced lugs for grip, but the breathable synthetic materials, lower lacing holes, and comfortable foam insoles are pure running shoe.
There’s protection for your feet in the form of reinforced heel and toe guards, and there’s a breathable waterproof membrane to keep the dampness at bay. At 878g each for the men’s boot, they’re not the lightest on this list, but offer a good mix of features and comfort.
Buy now £198.00, Alpine Trek
Danner Men's Trailcomber
Best for: walks in dry conditions
At just over 500g, there’s no argument that these shoes from Danner aren’t lightweight. In fact, Danner says they’re its lightest ever. They have a low-rise styling - much more a shoe than a boot - yet there’s a quick-drying and abrasion-resistant synthetic upper paired with a chunky, grippy sole to make it very clear what they’re meant for.
With no waterproofing membrane, these aren’t ideal footwear for muddy tracks or puddles, but the breathable Cordura nylon upper means on a dry day they’ll keep your feet cool and comfortable.
Buy now £147.00, Amazon
Verdict
If you’re after a pair of lightweight hiking boots, it can be easy to pick up a pair of trainers from the clompier end of the market instead. But then you’d be missing out on the extra features, such as waterproofing and ankle support, you get from a pair of shoes that’s been designed with rough terrain in mind, rather than running on hard surfaces or darting across a tennis court.
Shoes like the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2s or the Columbia Facet 75s will provide a comfortable walking experience that keeps out the moisture and still allows your feet to breathe, essential if you’re tackling terrain more interesting than the Jubilee Greenway.
