Timberland Chocorua Trail Waterproof Hiking Boots
These are the boots Chris and I have used for more than 10 years. They have gotten us through hurricanes, Florida hikes, a day on Grandfather Mountain, and 30 miles on the Appalachian Trail. They are cool in the summer and warm in the Florida winters which have gotten down into the low 20’s while we were on the trail. They provide good traction and ankle support (very important for me as my ankles are double jointed and will buckle easily) and a leather upper with mesh that provides good ventilation.
They did require a little bit of a break-in period for Chris and me.
The outer soles are made of solid rubber, but the lug pattern is good in wet areas but limited on extreme terrain. They weigh in at roughly 2 pounds 6 ounces for both boots and are moderately priced at $114.00 for men’s and women’s boots
Keen Targhee II or III Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot
I bought William a pair of Keen boots from Gander Mountain a few years earlier and he has loved them. They got him through Boy Scouts and our 30-mile Appalachian Trail hike. I don’t remember exactly which model I bought him, but he highly recommended that I look at the Keen boots.
The Targhee has a good combination of comfort, stability and traction which make them suitable for a wide variety of terrain, although they don’t seem to get good traction on smooth, wet terrain. They provide good ankle support and protection. The uppers are a combination of leather and mesh and they also provide a good toe cap.
Keen's Targhee fit well right out of the box and require little, if any break-in. These boots do seem to run a bit small, I normally wear a size 8.5 and a size 9 fit me perfectly and this is also mentioned on Amazon’s page for the boots. The Targhees weigh in at 2 pounds 8 ounces and are moderately priced at $127.20 for both men and women’s models.
