When I hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc last summer, I saw European hikers wearing Mammut footwear, so I sought out the brand's best-selling hiking shoe to review, the Ducan Low GTX. For almost a year now, I've worn this shoe for the occasional hike, alternating it with other top hiking shoes for men and women. It's obviously a quality hiking shoe and has a solid look. But its surprising mix of features makes it tougher to recommend than most hiking shoes I've personally tested for Hiking Feet. My Mammut Ducan Low GTX review shares what I've learned about this shoe's support, weight, fit, comfort, weather protection, traction, and value.
Testing the Mammut Ducan Low GTX while hiking New Mexico's Embudo Canyon
Mammut Ducan Low gtx review
I've personally owned the Mammut Ducan Low GTX since spring, 2024. My review is based on more than 50 miles of day hikes in Pennsylvania (my old home) and New Mexico (my new home). Most test hikes were my typical, mid-week day hikes on different types of terrain —solid rock, scree, sand, mud, and pine needles—to test this shoe's support, comfort, and traction. However, I also tested my pair in snow to evaluate its weather protection and ran it through the guantlet on a gnarly, off-trail hike in the Sandia Mountains to test its limits.
As always, Hiking Feet's reviews are 100% independent. This site never publishes sponsored posts and has no advertisers to keep happy. This is my personal take as someone who hikes more than 1000 miles per year, works in the outdoor industry, and previously managed footwear at a hiking and backpacking shop.
Support
The Mammut Ducan Low GTX has an unsual support profile. The shoe is much more flexible than it looks. I could easily fold the soles in half at the midfoot—much less foot support than the typical mountain shoe. However, when I tested its torsional rigidity, the shoe showed some resistance to twisting for a little ankle stability. However, this is a low-cut with little ankle protection overall. In my experience, this flex-forward build favors hikers who prefer walking faster on easier trails. With all that flex through the midsole, my feet felt more fatigued than normal on moderate terrain. This shoe's relatively limited support is a surprise, given its weight.
Weight
Mammut markets the Ducan as a "lightweight hiking shoe for rocky terrain." The brand got the rocky terrain thing right, but this isn't a lightweight hiking shoe.
My pair (men's size 13) weighs about 2 lbs 4 oz. That's average to slightly heavy compared to the other hiking shoes I've tested and reviewed. The Ducan may be light compared to an Alpine trekking boot, but it's not a lightweight hiking shoe by most people's standards. It's a reasonable choice, weight-wise, if you're looking for a typical hiking shoe. If you're looking for a lightweight Mammut trail shoe, however, go for the Sertig II —a trail running shoe I really like for hikers.
Fit
The Mammut Ducan also has a funny fit. When I ordered my pair of Ducans, I learned that 60% of Americans return them or exchange them because of a fit or sizing issue. Like many European brands, these shoes run small and narrow by U.S. standards. Hikers with standard-sized feet should probably go up a full-size from their everyday shoe size to get a decent hiking fit. I had to size up 1.5 sizes to get enough width for my moderately wide feet—even then, they're narrower than I prefer. In short, size up more than usual and expect a narrower fit in the forefoot and toes.
Comfort
Comfort has a lot to do with fit and matching your footwear to your body and hiking style. The Mammut Ducan has moderate cushioning, some spring in the midsole, and a traditional, 10mm drop from heel to toe. Some hikers hate this shoe's asymetric, partially integrated tongue, but I didn't mind that fit. However, I personally wasn't a fan of the all the mid-foot flex, especially on moderate to steep terrain. My feet felt sore after some relatively short test hikes and easy walks in the desert wash behind my house. If you've got healthier feet than me—and prefer your feet flex as much as possible on the trail—you might like this feel. Personally, I prefer something that's more supportive than the Ducan Low. Or, if I want a more flexible shoe, I prefer one that's much lighter. That being said, several customer reviews like its comfort.
Weather Protection
My opportunities to test this shoe's waterproofing have been limited, thanks to a Pennsylvania drought and the New Mexico desert. However, my feet stayed dry on a couple hikes through shallow snow in the Sandia Mountains. The GTX in the Ducan Low GTX stands for GORE TEX, which is still the best waterproofing on the market. This is a plus. Just keep in mind that a shoe doesn't provide too much waterproof clearance —enough for a 2-3 inch puddle, nothing more.
Traction
Traction is my favorite feature of the Mammut Ducan Low. As advertised, this shoe offers solid traction on rock. I scrambled without issue at an off-trail route at Shingletown Gap in Pennsylvania and on unofficial trails up and down bouldery Embudo and Embudito canyons outside Albuquerque. The tread also impressed on an off trail adventure up and down steep scree and weathered granite in the Sandia Mountains. My footing was pretty solid up and down a mountain face and ridgeline that gains/loses 2100 feet in two miles. (The only two hikers I saw gave up halfway into the hike due to the steep terrain and dodgy footing.) The Vibram rubber outsole is durable and reliable on mountain terrain.
Value
With a MSRP of $185, the Mammut Ducan GTX costs more than the average hiking shoe. You do get a quality build, GORE TEX waterproofing, and Vibram rubber outsoles for that price. With the outdoor gear market going poorly right now, you can pick up this shoe at a deep discount.
Mammut Ducan Low GTX: Pros vs Cons
My review shows that the Mammut Ducan Low has some premium features. But it's a strange brew of features, too — which is why it's worth weighing this shoe's pros and cons:
Should you buy the Mammut Ducan hiking shoe?
Overall, the Mammut Ducan makes the most sense for hikers who want serious traction for mountain trails but don't want a stiff alpine hiking shoe like the Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite. Honestly, this shoe isn't high on my list. Most hikers either go for a supportive shoe or a light and flexible shoe. The Mammut Ducan is a strange hiking shoe in the sense that it's neither supportive nor lightweight?! Likewise, its flexible build favors hikers who prefer fast walks on easy trails while its traction favors hikers who prefer difficult hikes on rocky trails?! Plus, its sizing also seems off, given its high return rate. For me, the Mammut Sertig II makes more sense for hikers because it's both lightweight and supportive. That being said, the Ducan is Mammut's best seller, and its waterproofing and traction are both plusses if you mostly hike mountainous terrain. Plenty of customer reviews online have given this hiking shoe high marks, too.
If you do pull the trigger on the Mammut Ducan, try sizing up more than normal — or order multiple sizes to figure out your best fit. If you're not feeling this shoe, please see my picks for the best hiking shoes or browse Hiking Feet's other hiking boot & shoe reviews. Happy hiking!
