How to get the size and the width right on the first order, across six waterproof mid boots from about $110 to $280.
By Alex HartDay trails mostly, a few nights out a year, mountains when the time allows.
Updated Oct 2026·30 compared
We earn a commission if you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. How this worksAmazon prices as of Nov 5, 7:16 AM ET, subject to change. Details
Start with the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX. It has room across the toes, which is where most boots pinch by the afternoon, and the wide costs the same as the regular, so you never have to squeeze into a medium to save money. Merrell names the Gore-Tex lining, which its cheaper twin doesn't. It's the second lightest here and costs about $190. It isn't the best boot here at any single thing, but it's the one least likely to be wrong for your foot.
A few nights a year I head out with a tent and a loaded pack, and those are the trips where I care most about boots. The extra weight comes down through your ankles. You want a collar that holds them when the pack sways on uneven ground, and a sole stiff enough that you don't feel every rock through it by the second day. Then there's the wet descent on the way out, tired, with the load pushing you downhill, when the rubber has to grip. Coming off Shining Rock on the second morning of a trip two summers ago, I stepped down onto a wet slab with a full pack and felt my ankle go. A stiff collar is the only reason I walked out instead of limping. For those trips the boot to look at is the Quest 5, which has a plastic frame inside the sole and the tallest collar in this guide.
A forefoot that needs more room than any wide has given it should go to the Targhee IV. High arches will like the proper insole the Bridger ships with. With about $110 to spend, the Newton Ridge gets you a waterproof lining and a wide size, as long as you stay off wet rock.
490 g per shoe, as Merrell lists it11.5 mm drop5 mm lugsGore-Tex named on the page
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
Most people should try this one first, because it's the least likely to hurt. Your feet spread over a long day, and the Moab leaves room for that across the front. Among buyers who answered the width question, 15 called it true, four called it roomier than marked and two called it tight. It's the only boot here where roomy beat tight.
Merrell puts it at 490 g a shoe, a little over a pound, second lightest on this list after the Columbia. Underneath is a Vibram TC5+ sole with 5 mm lugs, and the upper is pigskin leather and mesh over the Gore-Tex lining. No part of it is extreme, so few feet are ruled out.
Who it is for
A first real pair of boots, and anyone whose last pair pinched somewhere they could never quite pin down. Day hikes and light overnights on trail. With a heavy pack on loose ground, look at the Quest 5.
What owners report
Room up front is what keeps people in Moabs. A lot of the happy buyers tried other brands first, sent them back and came home to Merrell. On length, 17 of the 23 who answered found it true to the number on the box.
The complaints run through the whole Moab 3 line, since this boot shares its mold with the cheaper Waterproof version. A buyer on a second pair watched the rubber toe cap peel away from the upper after three months and said the next boots would be KEENs. Someone else found the collar cutting into the ankles, with no room left inside for an orthotic.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Three of the 23 buyers needed a full size up, so keep the return label until you've worn them around the house.
The toe cap peeling off the upper shows up across the Moab 3 range.
Merrell sells a boot that looks identical for about $20 less, and it isn't the same boot. See The competition.
Fit and sizing
Take your usual size. The wide costs the same, so if you've ever wondered whether you need one, get the wide. If even a wide has come up short before, the Targhee IV sits on a broader last.
2
Wide forefeet
KEEN Targhee IV Mid Waterproof
The most room for your toes of any boot here, on a sole KEEN guarantees won't come unstuck from the upper.
20.11 oz / 570 g, as listed12 mm heel to toe drop28 mm stack heightKEEN.FUSION bonded construction
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
Toes that feel crushed in most boots get room in this one. KEEN builds it on what it calls its Original Fit, with room for the toes to spread, and that room is the first thing owners bring up. It's also built to stay in one piece. KEEN bonds the upper to the sole without glue and guarantees the two won't come apart, which KEEN says is one of the main reasons boots fall apart at all.
It's heavier than the Moab, 20.11 oz a shoe by KEEN's figure, with a 12 mm drop and a bruise plate under the foot for rocky ground. KEEN also says the outsole is twice as abrasion resistant as rubber and that the air-injected midsole resists packing flat over time.
Who it is for
Feet that are wide at the toes and ordinary at the heel, and anyone who has worn out a pair at the seam between sole and upper rather than at the leather.
What owners report
Owners praise the room in the toe box, then how little breaking in it asked for. A year of daily wear, walking, hiking and fishing, left one pair with scuffed leather and a little wear at the heel, and nothing structural gone. Another buyer singles out dry feet in wet grass.
There's one sizing tip worth reading twice. A buyer who wears an 11.5 elsewhere takes a 10 in KEEN, and advises going down a size in the wide.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
2.8 oz heavier per foot than the Moab 3 GTX, which you notice in the last hour of a long day.
The 12 mm drop is steep. Coming from a low-drop shoe, it tips you forward until you get used to it.
Stock on the general listing runs thin, so colors and sizes come and go.
Fit and sizing
True to size in the regular width. Be careful with the wide, because of that report about sizing down. If you need a broad forefoot and a narrow heel at the same time, look at the Bridger instead.
3
Best under $120
Columbia Newton Ridge Plus II Waterproof
About $110 for a waterproof boot that comes in a wide, and the lightest pair here. Its sole is slick on wet rock.
15.9 oz per shoe at a men's 95 mm lug heightOmni-Tech membraneTechlite midsole
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
It's the cheapest way into a real waterproof boot, at about $110, and the lightest one here. Columbia didn't cut the lining to hit that price: it's Omni-Tech, Columbia's own named membrane, in a seam-sealed boot. At 15.9 oz a shoe in a men's 9, it's about 1.4 oz lighter per foot than the Moab. Hooked metal eyelets at the ankle make it quick to lace up at the trailhead.
Who it is for
Day hikes on ground that's already a path, and a cheap way to find out whether you'll keep hiking before you spend real money. I wouldn't carry a loaded pack down wet rock in it.
What owners report
The sole is where people run into trouble. One buyer nearly went down several times on the first day, on damp rock. Water can get in too: another got caught in a storm wearing rain pants and waterproof gaiters and came out with dry legs and soaked socks. Worn every day, it goes fast. Someone who wears them five days a week lost the tread in two months, and another wore holes at the toes in four months and about a hundred miles, where the previous pair had lasted a year.
On the other side, plenty of buyers find them comfortable straight out of the box, including people with feet as wide as a 14 EE.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The sole is the weak point owners return to, and wet rock is where it shows.
40 of the buyers who answered on width called it narrower than marked, against 160 who called it true, and one buyer in a men's 2E found even the wide far narrower than marked.
It's built to a price, and the reports show where: tread and uppers go first.
Fit and sizing
174 of the 211 buyers who answered called it true to size, so length is rarely the problem. Width is. Buy the wide, and if you need a genuine EE, the Bridger gives its forefoot width as a separate measurement.
4
Arch support out of the box
Oboz Bridger Mid Waterproof
It comes with the arch-support insole most hikers end up buying on their own. Order it half a size up.
19.0 oz / 538 g, as listed12 mm heel dropTriple density O Fit insoleTPU chassis and nylon shank
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
If you have high arches, or you always end up buying a separate insole, start here. Oboz puts a molded insole in the box, with a firm shell, a deep heel cup and a real arch, where most boots ship on something flat. That insole is the reason owners give for buying it.
The shape is the other reason. Oboz says its men's regular width is a C at the heel and an EE at the forefoot, so a foot that's narrow in back and spreads in front has somewhere to go, and there's a wide beyond that. It weighs 19 oz a shoe, with a TPU chassis and a nylon shank in the sole that give it more structure than the lighter boots here.
Who it is for
High arches, and feet that are one width at the heel and another at the toes. Also weekends under a loaded pack on rough ground.
What owners report
Start with sizing, because that's where buyers go wrong. Of the buyers who answered, 13 found it a full size small and seven a half size small, against 51 who called it true. One buyer who wears a 12.5 or 13 in everything else ended up in a 14, and an 11 EE had to go to an 11.5 EE. Width reads tight too: 16 of the 68 who answered called it narrower than marked.
Once the size is right, owners like it. The heel settles into its cup and stays there, as long as you don't crank the laces all the way down. It's stiff for the first few outings and comfortable all day after that. One owner spent a weekend in the Adirondacks in mud and roots without a blister.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Roughly one buyer in four finds it smaller than the label, the sharpest sizing gap of the boots here.
Stiff for the first few outings before it settles.
One owner calls it clunky, and at 19 oz over a chassis and a shank, that's fair.
Fit and sizing
Order half a size up, and a full size up if you already sit between sizes. Take the wide if your forefoot spreads, because 16 of 68 buyers found it narrower than marked.
5
Multi-day loads
Salomon Quest 5 GTX
A plastic frame in the sole and the highest collar here, for trips when the pack is heavy and the ground is loose.
1 lb 5 oz per unit, as listed4D advancedCHASSISGore-TexNo drop published
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
Take this one when the pack is heavy. Salomon builds a plastic chassis into the sole to keep your foot steady when the ground shifts under it, and the collar comes up higher than on any other boot here. That's what I'd want on the last morning of a trip, coming down wet rock with the tent on my back.
Salomon aims it at multi-day hikes and backpacking on rocky, technical ground. At 1 lb 5 oz a shoe it's the heaviest boot in this guide, and on a smooth afternoon trail it's more boot than you need.
Who it is for
Trips of several nights, ground that's loose or tilted, and the pack weight that comes with both.
What owners report
Several owners say it needed no breaking in at all. One carried 35 lb for three days of camping in the High Peaks of New York, came back with feet intact, and mentions having wide feet. Another moved up from the Quest 4 and finds the 5 the more comfortable of the two. One more wears them standing all day at work.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The heaviest boot here, at 1 lb 5 oz a shoe.
One width only, where every other boot in this guide comes in a wide.
Fit and sizing
Men's 7 through 14, in a single width. Take your usual size, and know that if it comes up narrow, there's no second option in this model.
6
When medium has never fit
LOWA Renegade EVO GTX Mid
Made in narrow, medium and wide, and LOWA will put a new sole on it when the tread wears out.
590 g per single shoe, as listedVibram Rene Trac outsoleMonowrap PU frameThree lasts, C, D and E/EE
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why I picked it
If a medium has never fit you, this may be the only boot here that will. LOWA makes it on three lasts: C for narrow, D for medium, E/EE for wide. You choose the shape first and the length second.
The rest is what about $280 buys. The upper is Terracare nubuck with fewer seams to rub, over a Gore-Tex lining, and the polyurethane midsole sits in LOWA's Monowrap frame on a Vibram sole. The laces run in two zones, so you can snug the ankle without crushing the forefoot. LOWA rates it moderately stiff and lists 590 g a shoe. It also resoles its boots, so when the tread goes you can send them back instead of buying new ones.
Buy it if
You already know your width, you hike often enough to wear through a sole, and you'd rather pay about $280 once than half that twice.
Skip it if
This is your first pair of boots. Learn what your feet want on something cheaper.
What owners report
Owners don't agree on the fit. One praises the ankle support and finds it half a size large. Another says the medium is too narrow for him, though medium fits him in every other boot, and the wide wasn't made in his size. A third, who wore the old Renegade happily a decade ago, got blisters on this one where the third eyelet from the top sits.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
About $280, roughly $170 more than the Newton Ridge for the same kind of named membrane.
LOWA redesigned the upper for this version, and it doesn't sit the way the old Renegade did on every foot.
Fit and sizing
LOWA's own advice is to take your usual street-shoe size and try it in a shop in the afternoon, once your feet have swollen. Choose the last first and the length second.
Who this is for
Everything above is a waterproof boot that comes up over the ankle, meant for day hikes or a few nights out, on trail. Each one weighs between 15.9 and 21 oz a shoe and has a membrane its maker is willing to name.
If ounces matter to you more than anything else, our lightweight boots guide draws its line at 17.6 oz a shoe, and four of these wouldn't clear it. Desert heat in July argues the other way, for a low shoe with no membrane at all. And if you'd rather have a low hiker cut for a woman's foot, my hiking shoes for women guide covers that side.
How to choose
Width first, then length
A boot half a size long is a nuisance. A boot too narrow ends the day, and no amount of lacing fixes it. So work out your width, pick the last that matches it, and sort out length afterward. Trace both feet on paper in the evening, when they've already spread, and measure across the widest point.
The $20 membrane question
Merrell sells two boots that sit side by side on the shelf. The Moab 3 Mid Waterproof's page says only that there's a membrane in there. The Moab 3 GTX costs about $20 more and says Gore-Tex. On the cheaper one, wet feet are what owners complain about most. The name doesn't have to be Gore-Tex, though. Oboz calls its membrane B-DRY and Columbia calls its own Omni-Tech, and both put those names on the page.
How much boot the pack needs
For day hikes and light overnights, a mid boot without a chassis is plenty, and the Moab 3 GTX or the Targhee IV will do it. Once the pack is heavy enough to change where you put your feet, or the trail turns to scree, the chassis in the Quest 5 is what keeps your foot from rolling. One owner trusted it with 35 lb over three days. Don't buy a frame you have no use for, though, because you lift what's on your feet with every step. On the descents, our trekking pole guide covers the gear that does the most for your knees.
Whether the insole comes with it
Most boots ship on a footbed thinner and flatter than the one in the Bridger. Oboz puts a molded shell, a deep heel cup and a shaped arch in the box, and its owners name that insole when they explain why they bought it. For high arches, that's a part you don't have to buy separately.
The competition
Six boots with big names that didn't make it, and why.
About $20 less, and the same as our pick on every published number except 5 g of weight. The difference is that Merrell's page for this one never names its membrane, and water getting in is what its owners complain about most. That's worth $20 to me. My Merrell Moab 3 review goes through every version, low and mid.
16 oz a shoe and the top pick of our lightweight guide. It meets every criterion here and still stays out, because this guide is built around fit and the X Ultra runs narrow, with owners of the wide version saying so too. If your feet are narrow, my X Ultra 5 review covers the Mid and the low.
KEEN Targhee Apex Waterproof
KEEN lists it at 375 g against 570 g for the Targhee IV, at the same price, which makes it tempting. It's also brand new, and I'd rather point you to the IV, which one owner has worn daily for a year.
Hoka's high-cushion take on a hiking boot, listed at 18 oz (Hoka's other boot, the Kaha 3 GTX, gets a full Hoka Kaha 3 review), and the one to try if hard landings are what hurt. The men's version is hard to find right now, with sellers showing restock dates instead of stock.
About $240 for the same shape as the Bridger I picked, with Gore-Tex in place of Oboz's own B-DRY. Both membranes carry a maker's name, so the extra $20 buys the better-known logo, and the O Fit insole is already in the cheaper one.
How we picked
Mid height or tallerA membrane the maker names21 oz a shoe or underCurrent modelUnder $290Owner reports read
Thirty mid and high boots sold to American hikers made the first cut. For each one I took the figures its maker prints: weight in the maker's exact wording, drop, stack height, lug depth, membrane, upper material and the widths on the size chart. The six that made it give their weight in four different units, so the table converts everything to ounces for a single shoe, and each card keeps the original wording.
The owner reports came next, model by model, and I read the unhappy ones before the rest. Zappos collects them, including the ones written on makers' own pages, and asks every buyer two questions a review rarely settles on its own: did the boot match the size marked, and did it match the width. A figure like 17 of 23 means 23 people answered that question, and I give those raw counts rather than percentages.
Common questions
How do I know if I need a wide boot?+−
If you've ever come home with a numb outer toe, or a hot spot on the joint at the base of the little toe, width was the problem and length never was. The fit surveys point the same way: 40 of the buyers who answered on the Columbia called it narrower than marked, and 16 of 68 said the same about the Oboz.
Do I really need Gore-Tex?+−
No. What matters is that the membrane has a name and a maker behind it, so somebody answers for it. Omni-Tech and B-DRY both qualify. The Moab 3 Mid Waterproof is the counterexample in this guide, and wet feet are what its owners write about.
How much should I spend on hiking boots?+−
About $110 buys a membrane, a wide size and a boot that will handle day hikes on easy ground. From about $180 to $240 you get more choice of shape and, in the Oboz, an insole you'd otherwise buy separately. Above that you're paying for a boot that can be resoled and three widths instead of one, which is only worth it once you know your width.
Should I order a size up?+−
Not as a habit. Most buyers in this guide found their boots true to the size marked. Two exceptions are worth remembering: about one buyer in four finds the Oboz smaller than its label, and one KEEN owner who takes an 11.5 elsewhere wears a 10 in KEEN and advises sizing down in the wide.
What breaks first on a hiking boot?+−
On the cheapest boots the tread goes, and one Columbia owner lost it within two months of daily wear. Higher up the range it's the joint between sole and upper that gives, which is why KEEN guarantees its bonded construction against it, and why Moab owners keep describing the rubber toe cap lifting away from the upper.
The verdict
Buy the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX
Your toes get room, the wide doesn't cost extra, and the Gore-Tex is named on the page, all for about $190. Spend more once you know what your feet need: the Quest 5 when the pack gets heavy and the ground gets loose, the Renegade EVO when medium has never been your width.
