Most hikers pick waterproof hiking boots to keep their feet drier in snow, mud, and wet vegetation. However, the quality of waterproof footwear really varies. If you want the best waterproof hiking boots, you'll need to pass on the budget brands and pony up for better hiking boots with GORE-TEX or eVent membranes. GORE-TEX remains the industry standard for reliable, durable, and breathable waterproofing while eVent offers the best breathability among waterproof membranes. Here's my short list of the best waterproof hiking boots, based on my extensive hiking experience and my experience managing footwear at a hiking and backpacking specialty shop.
best waterproof hiking boots
Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX
GORE-TEX Waterproofing
Main Benefits:
The Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX matches the support of many mid-weight boots but doesn’t weigh much more than a trail-running shoe. The GTX stands for GORE-TEX—still the industry standard for the most reliable and breathable waterproofing. Feature-wise, Salomon's best-selling, lightweight hiking boot has moderately stiff and supportive soles for support, and Contragrip traction that excels on steep trails with loose surfaces, such as mud, gravel, snow, and scree. The X Ultra 4 stands out for its exceptional weight-to-performance and should keep your feet as dry as possible.
Best Match
versatile hiking boot can handle wide range of hikes from easy trails to moderate-to-difficult day hikes to lightweight backpacking
Best Fit
Salomons fit snug in the heel and standard in the forefoot with tapered toe boxes for slightly narrow fit. Choose wide sizes for wide feet or roomier fit
Lowa Renegade Mid GTX
Leather + GORE-TEX Membrane
men's Renegade GTX
Main Benefits:
The Lowa Renegade has old-school appeal for men and women who want a tough leather hiking boot. It combines water resistant leather uppers with a GORE-TEX membrane to seal out snow and rain for above average weather protection. Renegades also offer above average foot and ankle support with sturdy outsoles, firm PU midsoles, and a full-length nylon shank to provide a stable base with strong torsional rigidity. Lowa offers this long-time best seller in several widths to help you dial in your fit. The Renegade may be little chunky (and pricey) for most day hikers. However, it's an award-winning option for backpackers and off-trail hikers.
Best Match
Sturdy boot for backpacking and off trail hiking
Best Fit
available in narrow, standard, and wide sizes
Salomon Quest 4 GTX
GORE-TEX Waterproofing
Main Benefits:
Arguably the greatest backpacking boot of all time, the Salomon Quest is an iconic backpacking boot that’s dominated award lists in backpacking magazines and outdoor gear sites for years. The Quest is built on the chassis of a trail running shoe, but it nearly matches the stability and support of much heavier backpacking boots. In other words, it’s a ton of boot that doesn’t weigh a ton. It also features excellent ankle protection, a great locking shoelace system, excellent uphill and downhill traction— and GORE-TEX waterproofing. With its moderate weight and athletic chassis, you can day hike in the Salomon Quest 4D; however, it’s a much better match for backpacking or gnarly, off trail hiking.
Best Match
backpacking,
hard-core day hikes, off trail hiking
Best Fit
standard fit,
may (or may not) fit wide feet if sized up a full size
best waterproof hiking boots: better breathability
Topo Athletic Trailventure 2
Breathable eVent Waterproofing
Main Benefits:
The lightest hiking boot on this list, the Trailventure 2 WP is an award-winning “fastpacking” boot–a cross between a lightweight hiking boot and trail running shoe. It's one of the few hiking boots that features eVent waterproofing—which is both breathable and air permeable to release more heat and moisture vapor than most hiking boots. The new Trailventure 2 features Topo’s wide toe box, a secure fit, and low (5mm) heel to toe drop. Its The Trailventure 2 is tailor-made for fast and light hikers, but casual hikers might choose it for its lightweight comfort.
Best Match
day hiking, fast-packing,
fast-and-light hikers
Best Fit
wide toe box accommodates
standard to wide feet
La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX
GORE-TEX Surround Waterproofing
Main Benefits:
La Sportiva's Nucleo High GTX is another lightweight hiking boot with better breathability than most hiking boots, thanks to GORE-TEX Surround. GTX Surround not only breathes through the boot's uppers, but also through the bottom to release more moisture vapor than most hiking boots. The trimmed down Nucleo II has a higher ankle cuff than other lightweight hiking boots for better ankle support. It's also made with premium nubuck (soft) leather and premium Vibram outsoles for better traction on wet and dry rocks. This moderately flexible yet moderately supportive boot is one of the best waterproof hiking boots for day hiking, fast-packing, and backpacking.
GORE-TEX vs. eVent: What's the best waterproofing?
Most waterproof hiking boots off two levels of protection. The boot's exterior will be treated with a durable water repellent to help water bead off the boot. However, that DWR treatment is NOT what makes a boot "waterproof." It's the waterproof-breathable membrane inside the boot that plays the biggest role in keeping your feet as dry as possible.
For the most part, you get what you pay for with waterproof hiking boots. You shouldn't expect too much from the proprietary waterproofing in budget hiking boots. For more reliable and breathable waterproofing, you should buy hiking boots that source their waterproof membranes from GORE-TEX or eVent.
GORE-TEX is still considered the best waterproof-breathable membrane in the outdoor industry. GTX is a thin sheet of Teflon (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or ePTFE) with 9 billion microscopic pores per square inch. Each pore is 20,000 times smaller than a single water droplet. That keeps liquid from seeping through the membrane. At the same time, these microscopic pores are 700 times larger than a water vapor molecule. This allows the membrane to release evaporated moisture (steam) into the outside air. That makes Gore-Tex waterproof and breathable.
eVent is not only waterproof and breathable, but also air permeable. That is, it can vent moisture vapor out of its pores without the heat and moisture buildup that GORE TEX requires to breathe (via pressure differentials). In theory, then, your feet may feel cooler in eVent waterproof booties than in GORE-TEX waterproof booties. I've worn both and personally can't tell the difference between GTX and eVent on my feet.
Have you found YOUR best waterproof hiking boots?
I made this short list of the best waterproof hiking boots to help you narrow you choices down to the best options for you.
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