How to Choose Hiking Boots

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Featured in the Fox Searchlight Pictures release 'WILD,' the women's Mountain Light Cascade hiking boots are a tribute to the iconic Danner style from the early 1970's.
Shop similar productsMade in USA.
View the Danner Mountain Product LineView all Danner Women's Backpacking BootsBest Use | Backpacking |
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Footwear Height | Over-the-ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Upper | Full-grain leather |
Lining | Cambrelle nylon |
Midsole | Polyurethane |
Support | Airthotic polyurethane heel cups/fiberglass arch shanks |
Outsole | Vibram Kletterlift rubber |
Can Be Resoled | Yes |
Weight (Pair) | 3 pounds |
Gender | Women's |
5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | |
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U.S. Women's | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 |
U.S. Men's | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | ||
EU | 34.5 | 35.5 | 36 | 36.5 | 37.5 | 38 | 38.5 | 39.5 | 40 | 40.5 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 |
This size chart is meant to be a guide only, as Danner styles are built from various lasts that fit each foot differently. Generally, most people size down a half to a full size when buying Danner boots as compared to their shoe size from other major footwear brands.
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Giving a heads up that my Mountain Light soles were defective. Danner acknowledged this in an email exchange and then offered I buy another pair at a discount. This happened at less than two years of mild use. The sole replacement is $130 plus shipping. That would have made for an over $500 investment. My last pair of $120 Dr. Martens went five years without a hitch!!
I purchased a pair of these boots in November 2021. I only wear them for short walks during the colder months. Have never hiked in them any more than a walk through the woods. They are not even close to broken in, probably have about 50 miles on them. The first year wore them maybe 2-3 times before putting them away for the season at the end of the winter. When I pulled them out in fall 2022 the eyelets were rusted. Bummer, but probably my own fault for not drying them off enough or something. Wore them a few times and put them away again at the end of the winter. Fast forward to today, I pulled them out only to discover the sole has come apart on one shoe. I'm shocked by the poor quality given the cost of these boots and the fact that they are made in the USA, but I expect to be able to return them or have them fixed under warranty. But REI changed their return policy to 1 year and Danner's warranty only covers repairs for 1 year. You know it's a bad sign when they don't even stand behind their own product! So despite having hardly worm these shoes and spending $300 on them, I now have to pay to get them fixed. And now they're even more expensive than they were when I purchased. DO NOT waste your money on this poor quality product sold by companies that won't even stand behind their products. Pathetic. And they're not even comfortable!!
I bought these boots (or whatever similar version existed back then) in 1990 to backpack and hike throughout southern California and other areas in the region. I do remember getting blisters on my first couple trips breaking them in backpacking through Zion Canyon and up to San Gorgonio but after the break-in and the right socks they were good. I am now 50 getting ready to take them to the Black Hills and Glacier National Park. They have seen many many miles. For any of you out there concerned about the price, know that these boots could last you a life time (or at least half of one). Perhaps I'll update this review when I'm 70.
These boots are awesome. They do not have insoles, so I had to buy some superfeet insoles in them, and once I did that they fit like a glove. There will definitely be a breaking in period because they are stiff, but are already molding nicely after a few days of walking around in town. Looking forward to taking them on a hike once I have them broke in. They were loose before the insoles. I called REI customer service and they suggested buying the insoles. They also told me to wear them for a few weeks and if they still felt too big then I could return them, even if they were dirty. You can't beat that when paying high price for a pair of hiking boots.
Within 2 weeks of wearing, one of the ‘D’ rings for the laces pulled out of the leather. Not what I wanted to experience from an expensive boot made in Portland, Oregon.
FYI - I read numerous reviews about the sizing of the boots and decided to go true to size. I have regular width feet--maybe a bit on the narrow side, but I never buy narrow shoes since most shoes have worked out for me out of the box. These Danners feel half a size too big out of the box. I added the insteps that were included in the box, but I think I have to go buy some insoles in order to perfect the fit. I'm wearing socks, and my feet slip a bit inside the shoe when I walk, which is disconcerting. The good news is they're totally stunning and worth every penny.
I bought these specially for the norwegian welt manufacture. Like pretty much everyone, I've had a hike ruined by EVA breakdown. My previous boots were Vasquez Sundowners. These boots compared to those. These boots-no springy EVA feel. The leather is soft, almost like deerskin. The first time I wore them in a break-in, the heel slipped bigtime. The second day, with lace adjustment, not so much. I wear a size 8.5 normally (EU 39). I bought the size 8 in these boots and they fit well with my Smartwool light hike socks. I plan a full breakin, minus the water, but I don't think I'll need to do much more to make these hike ready.
I got this hoping that I would love it. I loved the leather and it is so stylish. However when giving it a try I found that I had to get a size smaller (8) then what I usually wear (9). I was really bummed that when going up and down a hill my foot kept sliding inside, there wasn't really any cushioning or inside. The boot is heavy and would need time to break the leather in. I really loved the look and I wanted to love the feel but just didn't. I'm sticking with my marmot ones, that are better ventilated and more suitable for someone like me who has flat wide feet
I immediately fell in love with the aesthetics of this shoe. I am usually a size 6.5, and despite all the other reviews, I thought I knew better, so I ordered a half size up. The 7s were too big even with thick Smartwool Socks, so I had to order my usual size of 6.5. I have wider feet, and the shoes did not feel too narrow. However, the back lip of the shoe kept weirdly hitting the bone on the back of my left ankle. I thought about keeping it for the sake of aesthetics and hoping that the issue would remedy with more wear, but I realized it is too expensive, and too uncomfortable for me to take that gamble. I returned it.
Such fantastic craftsmanship. The leather is soft, and the shoes are padded so your feet are cushioned. I'm usually a size 8, in these I did size down to a 7.5. I tried on both sizes and walked around the store, but the 8's were too loose even with thick socks. There is some stiffness on the shaft, so I'm going to break these in on short hikes before I take them out for a long trek. I read these are limited edition, so I'm super happy I got them before their gone forever. Plus it always feels good to purchase quality products made in the USA.