These are sweet I own a pair. Great. A little ligh for serious up and down mountain hiking…but water prrof light and confy.
La Sportiva, Merrel, Asolo, Vasque
These are some that have worked well for me. Also sight below has some killer deals from time to time/.
The best all around shoe I have ever worn, from Iraq and Afghanistan to wearing around town, was the Merrell Chameleon Stretch I. I don’t think they are made any more, but I know you can occasionally find new pairs on the internet.
Unfortunately, after almost 3 years, they are now my lawn mowing shoes.
I wear the Merrell MOAB’s in warm weather and have a pair of Scarpa Kailash’s that are Gore-Tex lined for cold weather.
My feet sweat too much for Gore-Tex lined boots in the summer.
I like the merrells too, I was stationed in 29palms and between there, living in palm springs and Iraq and the Stan I became a huge fan of the Merrell Ventilator. Comfortable and light and super cool, also enjoyed the Oakley shortie SI but they fell apart after just three or four mission in Iraq. A boot that falls apart that fast should not cost $180.00. I love the Asolo boots also, a bit more narrow in the last but fit my feet well. Cant remember the model but much stiffer tortionally which is great for more weight. The Danner are rugged but man are they heavy, have four pairs of them currently.
Took off this weekend for a 3day 24 mile backpacking trip through Red River Gorge with the Danner CH’s. Really loved them. Got pored on and feet stayed dry. No hot spots while carrying 52 lbs. Carried more weight than I needed just for the workout and boots were awesome. After wearing those usmc bellveiws through all my deployments the combat hikers didn’t feel so heavy, but compared to my merrels it’s a different story.
One follow-up on the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra Mid’s…
The lacing system sucks balls. Works great for about a month, then the “Quicklace” lace-locks wear out and wont hold tight for more than a few minutes of hiking. Luckily I brought a replacement set of “Quicklaces” out to Colorado with me on vacation that I got from REI. I will probably try to find a good set of regular laces to replace these with once this set wears out.
Other than that they worked great. Very comfy, waterproof, great traction.
I get new hiking shoes once or twice a year because I spend all day at work with 30-95lbs on my back and the most comfortable for me in this order are
Keen
Asolo
Salomon
I cant recommend specific models because everyone is different but that’s why there is zappos.com
Keen is by far the most comfortable shoe I own but the ones I like the most are hot
Damn…
I really wanted a pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX but after reading all the bad reviews about the lacing system being basically “JUNK” I have to find something else.
Merrell has always been good to me so maybe something to look at.
+1
The lacing WILL fail. It’s a matter of months. If they had regular laces I would own another pair.
These look interesting… 
Vasque trail shoes have been good for me. I have wide feet and they are very confortable. Normally carry 20 lbs for long day hikes. I have a pair of Teva hiking shoes I use for every day wear and occasional day hikes and they are very good, heavy in the sole but that is also good foot protection, but kind of lacking arch support. I also have Vasque Sundowners as an all leather, mountain hiking boot that have been great for many years in rugged alpine hikes and cross country excursions with 35 lb pack.
I have the mid’s and the regular low cut shoe of these… With a pair of superfeet, these are a winner!!
Lately ive been using my vi rams five fingers for just about everything.
I’m a Merrells fan, too.
Another thing to consider if you have any hip/knee/ankle pain at all is to visit a running store and have them analyze your gait and use appropriate inserts if they suggest. I had a hip injury from running and ended up with probation I hadn’t had in the past. After giving up after months of PT, I finally added inserts and I’m considerably better now. I’m not aware of any outdoor/wilderness stores that do this analysis but it would be nice if they did.
I’ve transitioned to wearing “approach shoes” in the past year on most mountain hikes here in Colorado, specifically the La Sportiva “Boulder X”. They have a stiff enough sole to allow for carrying weight, are low-top so my ankles don’t overheat, great traction due to their intended use (being approach shoes to climbing spots), and not all that costly at less than $100.
I did 22 “14’ers” (peaks over 14,000’) in them last Summer and they are holding up very well. I still own all of my conquer-huge-mountain hiking boots but they are seeing less use except when I need gaiters in Winter.
Merrel chameleon…great foe daily wear and hiking…get them at bass pro or sports authority
Asolos
Is it possible to run regular laces or 550 cord with these? Every review I see is very positive with the exception of the quicklace system taking a shit on them.
I’m a big fan of approach shoes too. 5.10 Camp 4’s around town and Desert Enforcers in leu of boots in the desert.
Those sticky soles really spoil you. Anything else feels downright slippery.