Best for everyday use and travel

850g

Plusses: Durable and supportive, multi-use
Minuses: Heavy, designed for narrowfeet, pricey

Features: This shoe has a ‘retro’ design with contrasting stitching and a coloured heel tab supposedly to signify its dual use as a trail and travel shoe. It has ‘climbing-style’ lacing for a more custom fit, a padded and gusseted tongue, a suede leather upper with toe guard and a full-grain leather and mesh lining backed by a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex membrane. The EVA midsole is solid and resists torsional twisting.

Fit: This shoe has a narrow last and there was too much length for me to take my usual UK8.5, so I dropped to UK8, which, lengthwise, was a perfect fit. However, it did feel tight across the top of my broad foot.

Comfort: This shoe is designed to be worn on hard pavements as well as softer trails. It’s a much firmer design than other hiking shoes and it’s solidly built too. This means it doesn’t have that instant ‘out-of-the-box’ comfort of other models. It does strike the required balance between cushioning and durable firmness, though, to ensure feet don’t become sore or fatigued during day walks over mixed terrain.

In use: This solidly constructed shoe oozes durability. There’s double stitching throughout, a slightly higher cuff, firm leather uppers and a supportive midsole that offers excellent stability. It has enough forefoot flex to help roll through your stride, but there’s very little torsional twisting that might lead to a rolled ankle when walking over uneven ground. 

This durability and the combination of less flex and the leather lining meant my feet would get quite warm, and the occasional hot spot would develop – never blister-threatening, but noticeable. The heel cup is secure, so at least my feet did not move around.

It has a firm and sharp-edged sole that won’t wear as quickly as softer rubber soles. This makes it suitable for urban walks as well as a variety of trails. The firm toe guard and climbing lacing suggest scrambling is on the cards, but I only used it on bush walks where the grip and stability was akin to that offered by a higher cut boot.

Value: It is pricey and lacks some of the comfort features found on other shoes, but is a reliable and durable shoe for a range of uses and should last the distance.

Verdict: Multi-functional travel/trail footwear is difficult to get right, but this shoe strikes an acceptable balance between durability, trail readiness and street appeal.