Best Backpacking Boots for Men of 2026

The Moab 3 is the boot we recommend to anyone who wants to spend far less than our top pick and still walk into a three-day trip. It has the best durability showing in this group, it's comfortable from the first mile, and Merrell has had long enough to dial the fit.

Comfort is the other half of the case. There's no break-in to plan around — these feel broken in in the box — and the toe box leaves enough room for your toes to spread on descents, which is usually what decides whether a boot works for you on day three rather than day one.

Waterproofing is where expectations need setting. The membrane handles mud, wet grass and shallow puddles, but a trail that stays wet for hours — soaked roots, boggy stretches, rain that doesn't let up — is where these can let water through, and a damp sock on the second morning is miserable. If your trips are mostly dry with the odd shower, none of that matters.

Sizing is the last thing to get right: these run small, so order a half size up, particularly if you're planning thick wool socks.

The Mountain 600 is the boot here that behaves most like a sneaker: light on the foot, flexible through the sole, comfortable from the first mile rather than the tenth. That's a deliberate choice, and it's why this is the pick for trips measured in speed rather than supplies.

The Vibram outsole is the part we keep coming back to. Wet rock, loose dirt, roots glossed with rain — this is the grip we trust most in this group, and it comes with a 4.5-inch cut that steadies the ankle without clamping it. The leather earns its keep too; scuffed and dusty, it looks better than it did new.

Where the Mountain 600 stops is load. This is a fast-and-light boot — a light pack and a long day, yes; four days of food and a tent, no. The sole flexes under real weight in a way our top pick doesn't, and the ankle support here is for balance, not for carrying. Keep it for trips where you move fast and sleep light and it's one of the most enjoyable boots on this list.

Some leather boots announce themselves for the first fifty miles. The Mt. Maddsen doesn't, and that's the best thing about it: soft from the moment you lace it up, a padded collar that sits where it should, and none of the break-in most boots in this category demand.

That easy comfort is the reason we recommend it, but the waterproofing is what keeps it on our shortlist for wet country. The boot handles ankle-deep mud, slush and standing water without the cold seep you get from a boot that's only water-resistant, and it does it while staying light enough to move fast in.

It's also quick to loosen at the end of the day, which sounds like a small thing until you're fumbling with cold fingers at a shelter in the dark. Pair it with midweight wool socks and it covers three-season trips comfortably; deep winter is a different boot's job.

The NORTIV 8 is the least expensive boot in this guide, and it's the one to hand a first-time backpacker heading out for a two-night trip with a light pack.

What the money buys is a genuinely sturdy boot. The upper holds its shape, the ankle collar gives real lateral support on rock and mud, and the sole is stiff enough that sharp stones don't come through. It also wipes clean in a way leather boots don't, and it looks better than the price has any right to.

Comfort is the one thing we can't promise: these suit some feet and not others, and the difference shows up late in a long day rather than in the first mile. Keep your first trip short and find out before you rely on them.

Our read is that they make sense as a first pair, a spare for a friend, or the boot that lives by the door for muddy weekends — not as the boot you build a week-long trip around. For the money, that's a fair trade.

If your season runs past the first hard frost, the Thermator is the boot on this list that makes sense: insulated, waterproof, and warm enough that a below-freezing morning at camp doesn't end the trip.

The warmth is the reason to pick it, and it delivers. Insulation under a waterproof upper keeps feet dry and warm in deep snow and slush, and the boot stays light enough to walk in all day, which insulated boots often don't. For late-season overnights and snowy approaches it does the job a three-season boot can't.

Two things to know. Sizing runs small — go up a half size and plan around a thick sock. And this is a cold-weather tool: in July it will cook your feet, so it belongs in the closet from May to September.

The Newton Ridge Plus II is the best-looking boot in this group, full stop: brown leather, red accents, the classic hiker silhouette that has been on trails since before any of us started hiking.

It's a capable boot underneath the looks. Waterproofing is better than the price suggests — puddles, wet grass and shallow crossings stay out — and the comfort holds up over long days and hard surfaces. The leather takes a scuff and keeps going, which is more than the synthetic uppers at this price manage.

The forefoot is narrow, and for us that's the deciding detail. If your feet run wide, this boot tells you within a mile, and no amount of breaking in fixes a last that's too narrow — the Merrell or the Timberland are the better calls. For everyone else it's a good-looking, genuinely waterproof hiker that doubles as a town boot.

The Targhee has a reputation older than most of the boots here: comfortable immediately, wide through the toe box, waterproof, cushioned enough for a long day. Our reservation is about how long it keeps that up.

Comfort is where it delivers. Cushioning is generous, the arch support has real structure to it, and the waterproofing holds in rain and wet snow. Getting all three right at once is rarer than it sounds.

The problem sits at the bottom of the boot. Soles and the glued seams above them are what give out — separation and delamination on uppers that are otherwise in good shape — and wet-rock traction is less consistent than the Vibram sole on the Danner. When a boot fails early, that's usually where it starts.

So how do we feel about it? As a comfortable, supportive boot for someone who replaces footwear every couple of seasons, there's a lot to like here. As the boot you build multi-day trips around year after year, our money goes to the Oboz.