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Gear Review: Five Trekking Boots on the W and the Inca Trail
Six months of testing by our guides
Average rating 5.0 out of 5
5.03 reviews
We gave five pairs of mid-weight boots to guides in Cusco and Puerto Natales and asked them to walk until something broke. Here is what survived.
How we tested
Between October and March we bought five pairs of mid-cut, waterproof trekking boots in the 1.2 to 1.6 kg range and handed them to four guides: two in Cusco working the Inca Trail and Salkantay, and two in Puerto Natales running W Trek departures. Each guide wore each pair for at least 150 km and reported on comfort out of the box, grip on wet granite and Inca stone, waterproofing after river crossings, and how the soles and seams held up.
The results surprised us. The most expensive pair, a full-leather boot with a stiff sole, was the most durable and the most waterproof, but three of the four guides found it too stiff for the Inca steps, where you spend hours on short, high descents. The lightest pair, a fabric boot with a membrane, was the favourite in Peru and lasted the season, but leaked by week six in Patagonia, where boots stay wet for days.
Our overall pick is a nubuck boot with a medium-flex sole and a deep, soft rubber lug, which kept its grip on wet rock and still looked respectable after 600 km.
What matters most
- Fit first: try boots on in the afternoon with your trekking socks
- A medium-flex sole for stone steps, stiffer for scree and snow
- Soft rubber lugs for wet granite
- A gusseted tongue for river crossings
- At least 50 km of breaking-in before the trip
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About this story
Lucas FernándezAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 5.0 out of 5
3 reviews- BCBen Cohen5 out of 5 stars29 Sept
The acclimatisation advice was perfect: three slow days first and nobody in our group got sick. Superb guide.
- AHAhmed Hassan5 out of 5 stars20 Sept
Beautifully written, and the sunrise timing advice gave us the best morning of the whole trip.
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