We earn a commission if you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. How this works
A boot that felt fine on the shop carpet starts to talk to you around mile four, and by then the weight on your feet matters more than the weight on your back. Every ounce a maker cuts comes out of the midsole, the shank or the upper, so a light boot is always a set of trade-offs.
Our comparison took in 14 mid-height boots, on the makers' published weights, membranes, widths and drops, then on what owners report about each one. The Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX is the boot most hikers should start with. If your feet are wide, go to the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX instead, and if the budget stops at $120, the Columbia Newton Ridge Plus II Waterproof is the one that still holds a membrane.
Danner lists the pair at 28 oz, which works out to 14 oz a shoe and makes it the lightest boot here with a membrane. The catch is the last, which owners call short and narrow.
16 oz per unit, as listedGore-Tex membraneWide sold as its own modelDrop not published
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
Salomon lists the X Ultra 5 Mid at 16 oz per unit with a Gore-Tex membrane, an All-Terrain Contagrip sole and a molded chassis embedded in that sole, which is what gives the boot its sideways stability on loose ground. It also draws the fewest complaints of any boot here: barely one owner in twenty says anything critical.
One oddity worth knowing: Salomon publishes no heel-to-toe drop and no stack height for this boot. Numbers you see quoted elsewhere come from labs and retailers.
Who it is for
Day hikers and weekend backpackers on rough or wet ground who have medium to narrow feet. A wide version exists as its own product at the same price, so wide feet are not shut out, but see the fit note.
What owners report
Comfort with almost no break-in is the majority verdict, and dry feet in stream crossings and flooded trail come up again and again. The criticism is rare, and it points one way: roughly a third of the less enthusiastic reviews call the boot narrow, several of them written by buyers who had ordered the wide.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Narrow through the forefoot, and several owners of the wide version say it is still snug.
The lace system holds less well than the X Ultra 4 according to two owners, who report it coming untied.
Salomon publishes no drop or stack height, so you cannot compare it on those numbers.
Fit and sizing
Take your usual size and expect a close fit through the forefoot. Anyone who sizes up for width should buy the wide model, and anyone who has already found Salomon tight will be happier in the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX.
2
Best under $120
Columbia Newton Ridge Plus II Waterproof
The cheapest boot here that still has a membrane, a real midsole and a wide size, and the one with the longest owner record.
15.9 oz per shoe, men's 9Omni-Tech membrane5 mm lugsWide sizes listed
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
At $110 this is the cheapest boot in the guide by $50, and Columbia still puts a waterproof Omni-Tech membrane, 5 mm lugs and a 452 g per shoe build behind it. Nothing else near this price keeps both the membrane and a wide size.
Who it is for
Day hikes on maintained trail with a light pack, and anyone buying a first pair who does not want to spend $200 to find out whether they like hiking.
What owners report
Owners have been writing about this boot since 2015, which gives it the longest record in the guide. We read the 103 harshest reviews of it. Three complaints recur, in this order: the wide width fits like a regular (about one in five of them), soles or seams separating within months (about one in six), and water coming in through dew or wet grass (about one in nine). Buyers are also asked how the fit ran, and this is the one boot here whose answer rests on 211 people instead of a dozen: 82.5 percent called it true to size.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The wide fits narrow for many buyers, which is the single most repeated complaint.
Durability is the trade for the price: separations and fast tread wear turn up regularly after a few months of heavy use.
Buy the wide even if you normally take a regular: one buyer in five found this boot narrower than marked. Feet that need a genuine EE will do better in the La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX.
3
Lightest waterproof boot
Danner Trail 2650 Mid GTX
Danner lists the pair at 28 oz, which works out to 14 oz a shoe and makes it the lightest boot here with a membrane. The catch is the last, which owners call short and narrow.
Danner lists the pair at 28 oz, which works out to 14 oz a shoe and makes it the lightest boot here with a membrane. The catch is the last, which owners call short and narrow.
28 oz per pair, as listed8 mm dropVibram 460 Megagrip4 in shaft
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
Danner lists the pair at 28 oz, which is 14 oz a shoe, and only the Altra Lone Peak Hiker 3 comes in under that. The Danner does it while keeping a Vibram 460 Megagrip sole, a Gore-Tex liner and an external heel counter, so the weight saving does not come out of the grip.
Who it is for
Fast day hikes and light overnights for hikers with narrow to medium feet. Anyone with a broad forefoot should read the flaws before adding it to a cart.
What owners report
The praise is consistent: comfortable on day one, no break-in. The criticism is more consistent still. Of the 107 harshest reviews we read there, about half call the boot narrow and about a third say it runs short. A dozen owners describe a fight to get the foot in, because the tongue is stitched high and the opening is small.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Narrow, with owners of the wide saying the same thing.
Runs short. Barely half the owners who reported on fit called it true to size, the lowest share of any boot here.
Getting in and out takes work, and a few owners keep a shoehorn for it.
Fit and sizing
Plan on a half size up, and a full size if you have a wide forefoot. Danner does not list widths on the product page we read, though owners mention ordering EE, so widths may exist through other sellers.
4
Roomy fit, long days
Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX
The Moab shape most people already know, in the version with a named membrane, plus wide and women's sizes at the same price.
490 g half pair, as listed11.5 mm drop5 mm lugsPigskin leather and mesh
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
This is the Moab shape that sells by the truckload, in the version with a named membrane. Merrell publishes 490 g for the half pair, an 11.5 mm drop and 5 mm lugs, on a pigskin leather and mesh upper with a Vibram TC5+ sole, and it comes in wide and in women's sizing at the same $195 list.
Merrell sells two boots that look identical: the Moab 3 Mid Waterproof at $175, whose membrane the product page never names, and this Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX at $195. Owner reports on the cheaper one are what sent us to this version, and the numbers behind that are under The competition.
Who it is for
Hikers with a broad forefoot, and anyone who wants a boot that feels worn in on day one. It suits maintained trail and loads up to about 30 lb.
What owners report
Roominess is what owners keep coming back to, and the fit reports agree: four buyers in five call it true to size, and as many call it true to width. The complaints on the Moab line cluster on the rubber toe cap peeling away and on the collar pressing at the top of the foot.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Heaviest boot that made this guide at 490 g a shoe, and you feel it next to the Danner Trail 2650 Mid GTX.
The rubber toe cap peeling is a recurring report across the Moab 3 line.
Some owners of older Moabs say the 3 fits differently from the 2 in the same size.
Fit and sizing
Four buyers in five call it true to size, and Merrell sells the wide at the same $195. Owners moving from a Moab 2 report that the 3 fits differently in the same size, so measure before you reorder out of habit.
5
Fast and light
Merrell Moab Speed 2 Mid GORE-TEX
Merrell's own number puts it at 400 g a shoe, and it is the only boot here with a full length rock plate.
400 g half pair, as listed10 mm drop34 to 24 mm stackFull length rock plate
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
Merrell lists 400 g for the half pair, which puts this boot between the Danner and everything else, and it is the only model in the guide with a full length rock plate. The upper is nylon ripstop, the drop is 10 mm and the stack runs 34 mm to 24 mm.
Who it is for
Hikers who move fast on rocky trail and want protection underfoot without leather. It is the boot to take when the Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX feels too narrow and the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX feels too heavy: 3 oz lighter a shoe than the Moab, with a rock plate the Salomon does not have.
What owners report
Only 37 owners have written about this boot, so this is a first impression and we will treat it as one. Comfort and low weight carry the positive ones. Sizing draws the only repeated criticism, and it points both ways: some owners go up half a size, others down. Two report hardware failures, one a sole that separated at three months.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Sizing reads as inconsistent across owners, which makes ordering online a gamble.
The toe box and the instep run snug.
Far fewer owner reports than the Moab 3 or the Columbia, so the long-term record is thin.
Fit and sizing
Owners split on whether it runs large or small, so this is the boot to buy where you can send it back. Wide is offered at the same price.
6
Leather, with a true wide
La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX
A leather boot at 476 g with vents through the sole, and the only model here whose wide version is a separate build with its own page.
16.8 oz, as listedGore-Tex Surround ventsVibram Nano XS-TrekNubuck with mesh inserts
+−Read the full write-upHide the full write-up
Why we picked it
La Sportiva lists 476 g for a leather boot, which is the trick here: the Nucleo uses nubuck with Nano-Cell inserts and a Gore-Tex Surround membrane that vents through the sole as well as the upper. The Vibram Nano XS-Trek sole and the 3D Flex ankle hinge are the parts that justify the $259 list price.
It is also the only boot here whose wide version is a separate build with its own page, not a width run of the same shoe.
Who it is for
Backpackers who want leather and structure, hikers who run hot in a membrane boot, and the wide feet that a width option does not fix. It is the only boot here whose wide is a separate build, which is what keeps it in the guide at this price.
What owners report
Owner coverage here is thin: three reviews across the men's and women's boots. What follows therefore comes from named testers. OutdoorGearLab, writing in April 2026, notes that the mesh vent panels are less robust than a full leather upper and that their women's test pair let water in after a full day in snow. The Amazon listing carries its own warning: order a full size larger.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Almost no owner record to read, unlike every other boot here.
The vent panels are the weak point of the upper, and a wet snow day can defeat them.
The most expensive boot in the guide.
Fit and sizing
Buy a full size up, which both the seller and the boot's European sizing point to. The wide is a different model, so order it by name.
7
Lightest, and no membrane
Altra Lone Peak Hiker 3
The lightest boot here at 388 g, with a zero drop platform and the widest toe box. It has no waterproof membrane at all, which is the point.
At 388 g, or 13.7 oz, it is the lightest boot in this guide by a tenth of an ounce over the Danner, and the only one with no membrane. Altra builds it on a zero drop platform with a 25 mm stack and its widest toe box, on a MaxTrac sole. In hot, dry weather a boot that breathes and dries beats a boot that keeps water out.
Who it is for
Summer hiking on dry trail, desert country, and anyone whose feet swell or overheat in a Gore-Tex boot. Not the boot for shoulder season, wet grass or snow.
What owners report
Retailers carry almost no reviews of this boot, so we read the 25 on Altra's own site instead. Toe room and coolness in heat carry the good ones, one of them from a backpacker of forty years. Half the pool is critical, and those reviews split between build quality, with a side tearing and a sole starting to separate early, and owners of the Hiker 1 and 2 who find this version bulkier than what it replaced. One calls the grip dangerous on wet rock, which fits a sole that is not Vibram.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
No waterproof membrane, so wet ground means wet socks.
Four of the 13 lowest-rated reviews report durability problems, including a side tearing and a sole separating early.
Zero drop is an acquired taste, and moving to it from an 11 mm boot asks your calves for patience.
Fit and sizing
True to size with room across the toes. If you are coming from a conventional boot, walk in these before you take them out for a long day.
Who this is for
This guide covers mid-height boots for day hikes and trips of a few nights, with a pack up to about 35 lb, on trail. Every boot here stays under 17.6 oz a shoe by its maker's published figure.
Carrying more than 35 lb, or traveling off trail on scree, calls for a stiffer backpacking boot than anything on this list. Hiking in summer desert heat points the other way, toward a shoe that breathes.
How to choose
Weight against support
Saved ounces come out of the midsole, the shank or the upper. Under a light pack the lighter boot wins. Over 30 lb, the stiffer one carries better, and the La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX is the stiffest boot here.
Width before size
Most foot pain on trail is a width problem. Buy the right last first, then adjust length. Measure at the end of the day, when your feet are at their largest.
Membrane or breathability
A membrane keeps splash and morning dew out and body heat in. It pays for itself in the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest and shoulder season. In July in Arizona it traps sweat and dries slowly once water comes in over the collar.
Drop, and why it is missing
Drop is the height difference between heel and toe. It ranges from 0 mm on the Altra to 11.5 mm on the Moab 3 here, and a big change takes some getting used to. Salomon and Columbia publish no drop at all, so those two cannot be compared on it.
Drop is the height difference between the heel and the forefoot of the sole. Schematic, not to scale. The figures on the right are the drops published by each maker for boots in this guide. Salomon and Columbia publish none.
The competition
Popular boots we looked at and left out, with the reason.
The best selling boot in the category, and the reason we picked its Gore-Tex sibling instead. We read the 69 harshest of its 766 owner reviews: 28 of them report wet feet, from dew, wet grass or an hour of light rain. Merrell's page for this version never names the membrane, while the $195 Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX says Gore-Tex plainly.
Keen lists it at 570 g, which is well over our limit. Owner reports also cluster on a tongue that slides sideways and a stiff underfoot feel. Keen's own Targhee Apex, at a listed 375 g, is the lighter answer in that range and we plan to look at it next.
Listed at 18 oz for a men's 10 by one retailer, above our limit, and its owners are the harshest we read anywhere in this category, led by lace hooks pulling out and soles separating.
adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 GTX
Replaced by the Free Hiker 3, released in June 2026, and the seller pages for the 2 now redirect to the new model. We will look at the 3 once it has an owner record.
Vasque Breeze
Vasque's site now redirects into Irish Setter's, and the page that remains publishes neither weight nor drop. Eight of its ten owner reviews are negative, mostly from people who miss the Vibram sole and Gore-Tex of the older Breeze.
How we picked
Mid heightUnder 17.6 oz a shoeMembrane named by the makerWide options notedSold on AmazonOwner reports read
We started from 14 mid-height boots sold in the US, then took each maker's own published figures: weight with its exact wording, drop, stack height, membrane, sole compound and available widths. Weight is the criterion that decided the list, and it is also the messiest: makers publish it per shoe, per pair, in grams or ounces, and rarely say which size they weighed. Every figure in this guide is quoted the way its maker writes it.
Owner reviews came next, boot by boot, starting with the harshest, on Zappos, which also carries the reviews left on makers' own sites, and on the makers' pages where they could be read. A count like "28 of 69" means exactly that: reviews we opened and read, never an estimate. Where a boot has almost no owner record, as with the La Sportiva, the guide says so and leaves the gap visible.
Common questions
What counts as a lightweight hiking boot?+−
For a mid-height boot, anything under about 17.6 oz a shoe by the maker's number counts as light, and under 14 oz is genuinely light. Compare like with like: some makers publish a per pair figure, which halves the number you think you are reading.
Are waterproof boots worth it?+−
In wet or cold conditions, yes. A membrane keeps splash and dew out and adds a little warmth. In dry summer heat it traps sweat and dries slowly once water comes in over the collar, which is why the Altra Lone Peak Hiker 3 exists in this guide.
Boots or trail runners?+−
Trail runners are lighter, cooler and dry fast, and most long distance hikers use them. Boots add ankle coverage, underfoot protection and a platform that carries weight better. Rolled ankles or a loaded pack point to the boot.
What size should I order?+−
Start from your measured length in the maker's regular width, and buy for width before you adjust length. Three boots here need a note: the Danner runs short, the La Sportiva asks for a full size up, and the Salomon runs narrow.
How long do hiking boots last?+−
Plan on 500 to 800 miles. The midsole gives out before the upper looks worn, so judge by how flat the boot feels underfoot. Membranes usually fail before the rest of the boot does, which is what owner reviews of the cheaper models here keep showing.
The verdict
Buy the Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX
It is the best rated boot in this guide by a clear margin, it stays at 16 oz by Salomon's number, and it comes in a wide version and a women's version. Buy the wide if you have ever sized up for room, and look at the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX if you need more forefoot than any wide gives you.
