GearFlogger

Garmont Toubkal GTX Hiking Boot

Here at Gearflogger we've always appreciated the companies that focus on one kind of gear and consistently produce great products as a result. Garmont is one of those companies, focused like a laser on building great footwear and nothing else. Based in Northern Italy, it's no surprise perhaps given their location in the shadow of the legendary Dolomites.

Unboxing the women's Toubkal GTX provoked a response that's pretty normal with Garmont: damn, that's a good-looking boot! Full disclosure: having spent a month banging around in Morocco, we are slightly biased given the reference to Toubkal, the highest peak in the Arab world. But good looks and fond memories aside, having tortured a number of other Garmont shoes and boots we had high expectations and looks and feelings of any kind weren't going to alter that.

The Toubkal GTX is built for fast hiking of the serious sort, for when a running-shoe based platform just won't cut it. If you need support, protection and reliability in your boot, but still want to balance those features with waterproofing and light weight, the Toubkal has you covered. About the only thing you don't get is step-in crampon compatibility, but strap-ons will work just fine. The Toubkal is constructed using Garmont's Anatomically Directed Design, featuring things like asymmetric cuffs (higher on the outside for better edging), a tongue that's thicker on the outside to help it stay in place, and a positive heel lock. Lacing starts with plastic-reinforced cord loops and ends with two sets of lugs, so the laces pull tight easily and stay in place for easier tying.

So they look great and are feature-forward, but how do they hike? In a word, great. The high, solid rand provides full armor against the nastiest scree and talus, while the deep Vibram lugs give you secure traction when the going gets muddy. We won't say the boot fits like a glove - because that would be weird, right? - but the fit definitely feels custom: tight where it should be, around the heel and midfoot, with room where you need it in the toebox. We found the Toubkal to be stone cold solid on unimproved trails where the footing ranged from grapefruit-sized rocks to fine gravel. At the end of the trail we have no problem highly recommending the Toubkal as a quiver of one for serious hiking.

$299.95 at Moosejaw

Garmont Tikal Travel Shoe

It's no secret we're big fans of Garmont on our feet, so when recently we planned a three week trip to Europe with carry-on luggage only, we had an idea of where to look for do-it-all footwear. OK, do-it-most footwear, but hey - we're traveling with a seven-year old, so BASE jumping will have to wait.

I wanted something that could do light trail hiking, lots of cobblestone mileage, the fancy French restaurant on the Sheflogger's itinerary, and oh yes - be comfortable to wear in the 90F+ temps we were expecting. I ended up in the Garmont Tikal, and apres-trip I can tell you they do indeed do it most. With a pair of sport sandals, everything fit in a small daypack and did everything we asked and more.

From freezing temps on the Jungfraujoch glacier saddle to the streets of charming Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and stomped to the floorboards of a rented Mercedes Benz on the autobahn, the Tikal was comfortable, cool and stylish. The thin reversed leather uppers shed light precipitation and breathed very well, and as a bonus they wore extremely comfortably without socks thanks to a coconut hair footbed. The softness of the leather was really appreciated when shoes became necessary to protect sunburnt feet.

Transitioning off trail or on hard cobblestone streets the Tikal's EVA and cork midsole made for pain-free walking around more castle walls than you can shake a stick at. Seriously, you would get tired shaking a stick because some of those walls go on. The Tikal is a standout in the active travel category. With shorts, jeans or technical travel slacks the Tikal will get you through most any nontechnical scenario you can imagine. Available in men's and women's and highly recommended.

$150.00 at Garmont North America

Garmont Sticky Cloud Shoes

Approach shoes tend to be either very close to a climbing shoe - climbing performance over comfort - or very close to a hiking shoe - comfort over climbing performance. The Garmont Sticky Cloud is definitely the latter, and for those looking for a bombproof shoe for via ferrata or long grueling approaches, it excels.

The Sticky Cloud is a burly shoe, no doubt about it. Tipping the scales at close to two pounds for a pair, the shoe is clearly built to take serious abuse: a rock-solid toe cap and thick, high-void tread will protect your precious little piggies through the gnarliest of boulder fields. The sole wraps around the heel, complete with tread blocks, so if you need to land a heel hook you're good to go.

Really the only nod made to pure climbing features are the laces, which go down to the base of the toes for a solid fit, and the flat surface on the sole at the point of the toe, which makes it easier to smear and edge on smaller ledges and pockets. Where the Sticky Cloud really shines is on the descent, with generous padding under the heel that cushions the roughest heel strike.

One nice small touch is the heel lock setup: the cord that wraps around the heel has little plastic grommets for the laces, which keep them from getting too twisted. If you're looking for a shoe that will coddle your feet during long approaches and steep descents and still give you some options for making the occasional class five move, check out the Sticky Cloud.

$159.95 at REI

Garmont Miguasha Low Nubuck FG shoe

We've become big fans of Garmont footwear here. The fit just works, the quality is always high, and their shoes and boots are targeted at specific categories of use that make sense. That doesn't mean they're one-trick ponies however, as evidenced by the Miguasha shoes.

The Miguasha is classified as Active Travel and comes in a low oiled full-grain leather model that we're reviewing here, and also low and high GTX waterproof versions. We've previously reviewed the GTX high for women favorably, and the men's low non-waterproof version shares most of the same positives: it's a really good-looking shoe that doesn't look out of place in the office but can hike all day too. It's supremely comfortable, thanks to a rubber midsole and a heel design that effectively locks you in.

The proof is in the pudding (why? why is it in the pudding?) as they say, and the Miguasha performs admirably whether the trail is pavement, gravel or dirt. You wouldn't want to carry a heavy load or bushwhack too much in the Miguasha, but Garmont has other footwear for those purposes and a lot more. The Miguasha does everything on trail and a good amount of light off-trail work with style and substance. The Vibram sole is grippy and transitions from snow and ice to slush to rock seamlessly, and we never found ourselves wishing for more shoe.

We were very interested in the full grain leather construction and how it would perform in snow, slush and the like. Full grain leather is the highest quality leather, stronger and more breathable then other types of leather. We've found it to be extremely water resistant and very comfortable across a wide range of conditions. It does require a slightly longer break-in period, and longer term you'll want to put a little maintenance into the leather, but it's well worth it. Overall we are huge fans of this shoe, and we think you will be too.

$159.95 at Backcountry Gear

Garmont Miguasha Boot

Sometimes it seems frustratingly difficult to find good footwear with an understated design that you just know will age well. Garmont is a reliable source, focusing on footwear and saving the splashy colors for their winter boots where it provides a nice respite from that season's whites and grays. In the hiking and travel categories they have a great selection of boots that use color sparingly for accent, and the result is a broad selection of great-looking boots where the chief attraction is a clean design.

The Miguasha is available in mid and low cut, waterproof and not, and men's and women's versions. We tested the mid waterproof women's Miguasha Nubuck GTX, categorized by Garmont as an Active Travel boot but suitable for anything resembling light hiking duty.

The first thing you notice is that the boot is just damn good looking, no two ways about it. It's not all hat and no cattle though; the Miguasha's Vibram sole, light weight and narrow cut that make it a nimble and effortless performer on trail and for light scrambling duty. Need one boot for business casual occasions but also capable of putting in some mileage on dirt? Check and check, the Miguasha does both with aplomb. The Gore-Tex waterproof liner will handle submersion with no problems, and the low volume footbox does an admirable job of locking down the heel for a sneaker-like feel.

After a few months of use in varied conditions our tester appreciated the flexibility of the boot. It's comfort won her over, and it's good looks didn't hurt either. The Miguasha shines as a three-season boot pulling double duty both as a daily driver and as an offroad enthusiast. If you're looking for comfortable versatility that's easy on the eyes, The Miguasha could be your boot.

$200.00 at Garmont