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 remains the industry standard for reliable, durable, and breathable waterproofing while eVent offers the best breathability among waterproof membranes.

My shortlist has handpicked the best hiking boots with GORE-TEX and eVent waterproofing to narrow your choices down to the best waterproof hiking boots. Here's a quick preview—with more detailed product descriptions below, including the "best match" and "best fit" for each of these waterproof hiking boots. My recommendations are not only based on my extensive hiking experience, but also my outdoor industry experience. 

best waterproof hiking boots

Most of the best waterproof hiking boots feature GORE-TEX waterproofing. GORE-TEX has been around awhile, but it still sets the industry standard for best waterproof membranes. GORE-TEX membranes sit inside hiking boots to keep out liquids and release evaporated sweat and moisture vapor into the atmosphere through pressure and heat differentials between the inside and outside air. In spite of what many bloggers claim, Gore is both waterproof and breathable, and it's the most durable and reliable waterproofing on the market.

Pro Tip: Any hiking boot with "GTX" in its name features GORE-TEX waterproofing. Here are some of the best waterproof hiking boots with Gore in different weight categories, from lightest to heaviest: 

Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX

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.

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. 

Salomon Quest 4 GTX

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 waterproof hiking boots: better breathability

Topo Athletic Trailventure 2

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.

La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX

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.

Do you think you’ve found your next hiking or backpacking boots? If so, please consider purchasing them through the affiliate links above. Hiking Feet may receive a small commission (at no cost to you). These commissions fund this site (and compensate me for the hundreds of unpaid hours I spent creating free content to help you buy the right hiking boots or shoes). If this site hooked you up, please consider hooking me up, too. Thanks, I appreciate it!