New 2 Hiking - 4 Boots?

[jhudson]

Hey there! 
 

I’m new to hiking and living in Vancouver so my Wife and I have been hiking the north shore mountains and plan to explore more. 
 

I’m looking at these boots and would like some thoughts and advise:

-Salomon quest 4D 3 

-Salomon X Ultra Mid 3

-Merrill chameleon 8 leather mid

-Oboz Sawtooth mid B-dry 

[John B]

As a general rule, a brand that may work for me won't necessarily work for you.  This is due to every manufacturer cutting the shape of their boots slightly differently--called the "last" of the boot.  I would recommend finding a brand and model that fits you well and stick with it.  Boots are not something I would recommend ordering on line--find a good outdoor store and try them on, walk around for 20-30 minutes.  A good store will let you do this (in-store).  Good luck!

[jhudson]

Thanks 

[a_gunslinger]

I like both the Salomon quest 4D 3  and the Salomon X Ultra Mid 3.  Wasnt a fan of the Oboz. 

Dont forget to order a half size larger!

Im always torn because I have also hiked long distance in Salomon Speedcross cross trainers and loved it.  When we came to water crossings, others I was with had to stop, take off goretex boots, get across, put them back on.  As a gortex boot full of water isnt much good, and dries slowly.  My Speedcrosses dry pretty quick.  If you are doing a lot of rock traversing and extra ankle support required, a boot is needed.  But not always.

And agree with JohnB.  Trying them on is helpful.  Although Amazon Wardrobe makes it easy to order 4-5 pairs of boots, they show up at your door in 2 days, try them all out, send them back for free if not happy!

[ppine]

It is all about fit.  Which ones fit the best?  Try them on or you have no basis for comparison.  Your feet are going to swell some with hiking and elevation especially.  I like to wear thin undersocks and pretty thick wool socks over those.  That means hiking boots might need a large size than regular street shoes.