Product test

Hiking boots tested by "Kassensturz": A small investment pays off!

25.4.2017

Translation: machine translated

The right footwear is the be-all and end-all when hiking. That's why "Kassensturz", in collaboration with "Saldo", put 12 of the best-selling hiking boots through their paces. The clear conclusion: the cheapest shoes came off worst. Find out more about the test here.

The test criteria

The shoes had to undergo a total of 7 tests and were tested for the following criteria:

Waterproofness
Redrying
Outsole abrasion resistance
Water vapour permeability in the material composite
Abrasion resistance of lining material and insole
Sole adhesion
Lace-up parts pull-out force

The sole adhesion and the pull-out force of the laces were not taken into account in the overall assessment, as there were no significant differences between the shoes tested on these points.

The test result

According to Kai Tinschert from the responsible testing and research laboratory PFI, the shoes scored predominantly positive in all tests. However, it was noticeable that the particularly inexpensive models performed the worst. These shoes lost out significantly, particularly in terms of waterproofness, re-drying and abrasion resistance. A small investment in a high-quality, durable hiking boot is therefore worthwhile.

The test winners

The best results in the test were achieved by the Litepeak and X-SO70 models from Meindl and the Innox shoe from Lowa, which were all rated "very good" overall. According to "Kassensturz", the X-Ultra from Salomon has the best price-performance ratio. The test winner in the women's hiking boots category was the Renegade from Lowa, which was also rated "very good".