Great Walks heads to Maria Island to test out some of the latest hiking boots on the market.
Technology never stops advancing, and not just in memory chips and AI and robotic leg braces. Advances are continually made in the world of footwear as well, hence this Great Walks look at the latest crop of hiking boots to hit the shelves of your local outdoor store. These boots were tested over four days on the Maria Island Walk.
Teva Grandview Max GTX
Better known for 40 years of quality sandals, Teva haven’t been doing hiking boots for long, but they’ve distilled all their footwear know-how into the Grandview Max, and it seems to have paid off. From the first time I slipped in a foot, they were super comfortable.
A good start, for sure, but anyone can make a shoe comfy enough to impress a buyer in the store. Just Hoka the hell out of it with a maximal sole unit and more cushioning than 20mg of morphine. But what about after hours on the trail? Well, these puppies stayed comfortable all the way and out the other side. I tested the Vibram MegaGrip sole on the steep granite of Haunted Bay. Okay, so it’s not the slipperiest surface, but the rubber stuck well to the igneous rock regardless.
A greater proportion of Teva’s trumpet blaring is reserved for the Universal Heel Lock System (UHLS), designed to secure the foot in the back of the boot for downhill progress. In practice, the two floating tabs at the front of the ankle are counter-intuitive as the fat laces don’t slip smoothly through them, and one has to pull them hard forward to tighten them. Once done, the UHLS is engaged via a velcro strap behind the heel, which further enhances the boot’s grip. I found the not-to-the-edges stitching of these tabs made it hard to grab and pull the right part of it, but that’s a minor niggle.
RRP: $370
au.teva.com
Asolo Acadia Mid LTH GTX (Pics: Asolo 1,2)
I was unprepared for just how soft the brushed suede of the Acadia’s would feel around my clodhoppers just minutes after donning them. The 1.6mm to 1.8mm upper was the perfect gauge to mould itself around my contours while retaining warmth and durability.
The other thing that struck me straightaway was how easily the laces slid through the cleats. It was smoother than a Carlos Santana guitar solo and removed the need to progressively tighten them from the toe end up. One tug and done! The slipperiness backfired on me only once when a lace came undone, but a firmer knot fixed that. The comfort didn’t evaporate during a 10km tramp either; it just bedded down more permanently.
I don’t have a wide foot, but Italian brands are often a little on the narrow side for me. Not so the Acadia, which is available in a regular and wide fit for men, the latter marketed as a bunion fit for women. This unusual initiative targets the 25% of female hikers who report a bunion issue, which is a painful lump on the base of the big toe joint, usually caused by the bones moving out of place. This affliction usually dictates sufferers buy footwear a size or two bigger than their fit to accommodate the bunion. Of course, the boot is then ill-fitting in other ways.
The Acadia maintains the appropriate sizing in all areas, except to add extra volume in the specific lateral region of the bunion. Good way to win over an eighth of the population!
RRP: $359
For sales: t: +61 (2) 9417 5755. e: sales@intertrek.com.au
Words and photos_Dan Slater