There’s so many hiking brands to consider that shopping can get tedious. Like, do I want my hiking shoes to be Gore-Tex as well as my coat? Which of the many compression-resistant abbreviations do I want in the heel of the shoe? How thick is the tread? And what exactly is a dope-dyed yarn socklining?
But you know what? That’s kind of why it’s so fun. It’s like collecting Pokemon cards again or properly nerding out on something. There’s a community and we all learn together.
In answer to the first question: Gore-Tex isn’t the be-all-end-all. The second: you want GEL™ heel cushioning (as pioneered by ASICS). If you’re hiking you want a semi-thick tread that potentially leans into your pronation, and lastly: no one knows what a dope-dyed yarn socklining is. No one, except Haglöfs, who coincidentally have a shoe that ticks all the above boxes.
Haglöfs L.I.M. range is ultra-light with minimal extra features – just the ones that are necessary. It’s like the Occam’s Razor of shoes. Peak functionalism. The top of the mountain.
Browse their L.I.M range here and check the Low Proof Eco for a streamlined box ticker of a hiking shoe.
