Mammut Mercury Advanced GTX Hiking Boot

www.mammut.ch/, 5.4-ounces

Lightweight shoes are fine for most hiking and scrambling, but when loads and landscapes get heavy, or the weather goes psycho, then a waterproof trekking boot becomes a beautiful thing. And if said boots prove stable, comfortable, durable, lightweight—and they fit—well, you might even fall in love with ‘em. Which is how one tester feels after spending a month of serious trail time in the new version of Mammut’s all-leather Mercury boot, which has been upgraded for 2012/2013 with a taller Nubuk/Velours leather upper and a grippier, bouncier sole package.

Comfort is the most important factor with any boot, and to test that, we walked these out of the box and onto two weeks of trails in Montana’s Beaverheads, Beartooths, and the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness; a three-day off-trail backpack excursion in southern Utah’s Capitol Reef; and another two weeks on the steep trails of Zion and Bryce.

In their first 72 hours we hiked the boots 37 miles with zero hot spots in the heel pocket, forefoot crease, or tongue fold. The boots proved supple and cushy enough to pad against stony trail, and we could easily lounge around camp in them, even after a long trail day. This welcome performance came thanks to a snug heel cup and mid-foot section for secure foot positioning, combined with a high-volume toe box to allow for long-mileage swelling and foot squish under loads. The combination also proved to be a versatile last that fit several sets of tester feet, from standard D width to one tester’s EEE paddles.

The Vibram ‘Scale’ sole features lugs with a beveled forward edge, and sharp rear edges. They provided excellent forward traction and the EVA midsole gave foot-strikes a refreshing poofy, rubbery feel, even near the end of one 14-mile, 40-pound, stony-trailed day hiking to Johnson Lake in the Anaconda-Pintler. Downhill braking proved secure, even on muddy track, thanks to a pronounced heel block. At 2 pounds and 5.4-ounce per pair they’re only a half-pound heavier than many trail runners.

-Steve Howe