The Best Hiking Boots

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The Best Hiking Boots

Words by Mr Tom M Ford

14 September 2016

Our edit of the footwear you need to tackle the great outdoors this autumn – but also walk tall in the city.

By and large, we might prefer to live in cities, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the great outdoors. A hike up a hill can soothe the strains of inner city-living, it feeds the soul and helps us fit into Saint Laurent jeans.

The problem is, outdoor exercise often means practical clothing, which often means a sacrifice on the style front. This season, it doesn’t have to be this way. A current trend doing the rounds is for robust, fulsomely soled, leather boots that represent that sartorial sweet point where form and function coalesce to produce something, well, enviable. From retro-looking Berlutis to waxed-suede O’Keeffes – we’ve got your ankles covered this autumn.

These handsome Berluti boots look like the sort of thing Mr George Mallory might have worn on one of his Himalayan expeditions. And as well they might ­– they’re modelled on a style of boot created for Mr Mallory’s contemporary, the film star Mr Rudolph Valentino, in the 1920s. The tough Goodyear-welted rubber soles, on the other hand, are thoroughly modern and won’t fail you in even the most dismal conditions. Plus, that hand-polished Venezia leather promises to get even richer with age.

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It was 1934 and Mr Eugène Heschung was tired of the bad weather in his native Alsace. His response to his wet feet? To start his own footwear brand specialising in beautifully made, highly durable shoes. Were he alive today, he’d be proud of these full-grain leather boots from his eponymous brand. With a padded collar, adjustable buckle strap and a Vibram rubber lug soles, they have both beauty and brawn.

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It is rare to see the words suede and functionality sitting happily together. Not so with these Missoni boots. They are leather lined for comfort, and come with a chunky Vibram rubber soles for keeping your feet cosy and dry. The colourful laces and design on the thick collar are a natty touch, discreetly nodding to the brand’s roots as a purveyor of the finest patterned knitwear. Team with a textured cashmere sweater and channel your inner Mr Walter Bonatti.

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These O’Keeffe boots are as good for climbing debris-strewn mountains as they are pounding the pavements of Bushwick or Dalston. They are handmade from suede that has been waxed until fully waterproof and come with padded cuffs, meaning your feet are always dry, fully supported, and, well, rather chic. A pair of Goodyear-welted commando leather soles mean you’ll never lose your footing, either.

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Each Officine Creative boot is handmade at the the label’s Duca Del Nord factory in Italy. And when we say handmade, we mean it – each boot undergoes at least one hundred painstaking processes to get that lived-in patina just right. If you are attempting Ben Nevis, you can rely on these Kontra boots: they have hardwearing lug soles for a firm grip whatever the weather, and a gusset tongue ensures stones don’t get inside. Made from burnished suede, they’ll need to be treated with respect in wet weather, but they can more than hold their own – and you – on rough terrain.

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There are many things to like about these Viberg boots. Their chocolate-brown hue, for example, or the incredibly stable Dainite soles and D-ring lace system, which means they mould themselves around your feet. But best of all, the boots are made from whole-cut leather, so they are wholly impervious to rain, sleet, snow or anything else the great outdoors can throw at you.

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