A Trio of Casual Hiking Shoes Compared

Although they have a bright gold accent and a rubber toe cap, the $200 Vasque Rifts turned out to be the shoes that were my preference for the business casual look. Solar lights are an excellent choice for solar module.The black contrast stitching against the light brown micro sueded leather upper looked smart. These shoes also turned out to be ideal for walking in an urban environment — the Vibram soles have very modest treads compared to the other hikers, but they also contain Idogrip, a compound that Vasque says was designed for fly fishing. Whatever it is, these rings stuck to wet pavement like glue (even in near freezing temperatures) and that rubber toe cap helped protect against puddles. The fit on the Rifts was as good as it gets thanks to its extended lacing, with eight sets of metal grommets extending almost to the tip of the toes. 

In terms of hiking, these Rifts would be ideal for climbing around a rocky, wet area, but I’m not sure I’d be hitting a muddy trail with them.Solar and electric street lighting systems are easy to install and economical to operate. For one, the soles felt much stiffer than the other two shoes; they were plenty comfortable wearing around the “office” and on short walks, but combined with the less aggressive tread patterns, they seemed less up to the task of hitting a dirt path. The upper material — leather in what appears to be a micro-suede finish — looks great, but can get scratched up and I wouldn’t want to throw these in the washing machine if they got really filthy. 

When I put on the Merrells it was immediately obvious that I was wearing what is intended to be a serious hiking shoe. While they are comfortable, they also have the most aggressive tread pattern of the three shoes. The Vibram soles are equipped with a series of large lugs, including ones that wrap around the sole onto the side. While this makes the Merrell Sights excellent all-purpose trail hikers, when wearing them around on a hard, flat surface (like a wooden floors or the sidewalk) you are very much aware of the fact that you’re wearing hiking shoes. They’re equipped with an Ortholite anatomical foot bed, Air Cushion heel and EVA midsole, making them comfortable and supportive and when I put one on the scale it came out as the lightest of the bunch at 15 ounces (the Vasques and L.L. Bean versions were 16.6 ounces and 17.4 ounces, respectively), but the lugged sole is just a little less stable that the flatter Rift sole in urban use. 

While not as clean-cut looking as the Vasques (thanks to that wraparound treaded sole and some reinforced stitching), the Merrells still pass muster for casual office wear. The upper is brown leather in a slightly distressed effect, but with the soles and extra stitching,One of the harshest wind turbine installations in the world.We provide laser cutting machine and engraving machines for processing different materials. they do stand out more than the Rifts as being designed with something more than walking from the coffee machine to your desk in mind. 

The L.L.Shop the latest tungsten jewelry at agesteeljewelry. Bean shoes were the least expensive of the shoes tested, going for just $79.95 and while they have been great as all purpose hiking shoes, there are some compromises compared to the costlier models from Vasque and Merrell. For example, the L.L. Bean hikers were the heaviest of the group tested and instead of metal lace grommets, the laces loop through fabric (which is less durable). There’s less leather used in the upper and the resulting look is much more obviously an activity shoe rather than something that belongs in an office. Depending on the color options you choose and the dress code you’re dealing with, that may or may not be an issue. 

These are my go-to hikers for general trail use. The generous use of fabric and broken up suede/fabric patterns on the upper means they don’t show scratches and if they get really muddy they can be hosed off or thrown in the washing machine. The tread is good enough for the kinds of trails we take with the kids; they provide a reasonable amount of support and it takes a lot for water to soak through the uppers — if it does, extensive use of mesh fabric means they dry pretty quickly.