Finding the best hiking boots will depend on your intended use of them. If you are a hard-core hiker or just a day trailer, you’d better plan to spend some money to get a good pair of boots or you’ll be sorry.

Getting the best hiking boots you can afford is important because as most hiking boot reviews will tell you a hiker’s most essential piece of equipment are his boots. Not choosing to purchase a pair of say North Face hiking boots or some other highly respected manufacturer and getting cheap hiking boots can be a costly mistake. Getting hurt far from civilization because you choose an inferior boot sucks. A good hiking boot will support and protect your feet and enable you to hike stronger and farther in comfort.

To illustrate the importance of good boot I tell this story: I have a friend who went on a weekend hike with crappy boots he got at Sears or some other place. He spent maybe $25 on them. There was no reinforced steel or similar shank and the leather and tread were not quality built. The boots were just plain cheap. So he’s out hiking and his tread didn’t hold on a rocky ridge. Well, the poor guy ended up slipping down a 200-foot ice and rock ravine pinging boulders along the way down like a giant pinball. He couldn’t get his grip in order to stop and ended up with a broken leg and foot. Luckily his friends were there with him but they couldn’t get him out of the forest until the next day. It was so cold they had to lash him up on a tree to keep him off the ground. He still ended up with frostbite on his foot. Later in the hospital he told me he wished he had had a better pair of boots with thicker soles and stiffer support. He felt if the boots hadn’t been so flimsy, he could have stopped himself or at least dug some tread in to slow himself down.

To get the best boot first figure out what level of hiking you do. Do you mostly do day hikes or go out for weeks at a time? There are three levels to consider: Lightweight boots are for day hikers. Midweight hikers are for people carrying a backpack weight of 10-25 pounds. Heavy weight boots are for serious hikers who stay out for long periods of time. Match your appropriate level to the correct hiking boot. Go to an online boot dealer and check out the selections that Red Wing boots and Rocky boots offer. These brands as well as Timberland, Georgia, Iowa, Asolo, Merrill, and Lacrosse among others offer boots that fit all levels. For people who hike in snake infested areas look for reinforced Rocky snake boots or Chippewa and Lacrosse for similar models.

Breaking in new hiking boots should be done slowly with short hikes. Taking your new Vasque hiking boots or any other brand new boots right out of the box and into a 10 mile hike is asking for trouble. Blisters and other sore spots can form that will ruin you hike in less than an hour if you don’t break your new boots in slowly. Even walking around the house a couple hours will help break in new boots. Also be sure to wear a good polyester or wool sock with your new hiking boots to wick moisture away from your skin. I personally like thick wool socks or I’ve even worn two pairs of thinner socks in order to keep dry and blister free when my feet are soft.

Below is a list of online boot dealers I’ve put together. These are some of the biggest dealers out there so they do offer discount hiking boots on occasion. Discounted hiking boots are fine as long as you get a solid brand name. I do feel you get what you pay for. See my Hi Tec hiking boot review for an example of why this is. I wouldn’t take a chance on a lesser-known brand as I feel you’re asking for pain and suffering.