It’s no secret that I’m a huge gear head. But of all the categories of outdoor equipment, none has a larger presence in my gear closet than shoes. Yet even with a higher than average amount of footwear to choose from, I tend to go back to the same ones over and over again. Once you’ve figured out how to keep your feet happy and comfortable on the trail, you don’t mess with the formula. My formula tends towards light and fast: trail runners, lightweight hikers, and scramblers/approach shoes.
Back at the winter Outdoor Retailer show, I had an opportunity to meet with Ahnu footwear. I hadn’t looked closely at them in the past, never having had a reason to branch out from my favorite trail shoes. I didn’t know a lot about their brand, and my first impression was simply “ooh, fun colors”. But we all know that colors do not make the gear, and the real test comes with performance.

I picked up the Sugarpine waterproof boot that was on display and was immediately blown away by the weight. An ankle covering waterproof boot that felt like a trailrunner? No way. I bent the toe box and it flexed like a trail runner. I had to try these out!

The folks at Ahnu were happy to send me a pair to try out and after a few months of putting the miles on them I am absolutely thrilled with these boots. They are unlike any others I have seen on the market and in a nutshell, I highly recommend them. Lets count the reasons why.

1. Weight

As I mentioned above, despite being ankle high waterproof boots, these are light and flexible on the feet. I usually do not wear this type of footwear on the trail, having found most ankle high boots to be heavy and overkill for my needs. These do not feel that way at all. I completely forgot I had such a ‘big’ boot on my foot when I hiked in these.

2. Quality Construction and Materials

I forgot what an advantage it was to have a high boot with a gusseted tongue – no gaiters required! Debris stays out of the boot where it belongs!
The waterproof membrane put up with dew covered grassy trails, splashing through mud puddles, and heavy rain, but my feet never felt too hot or sweaty. They don’t breathe as well as my mesh trailrunners, but I found that they do breathe a bit better than a leather scrambler.

The Sugarpines are durable and have survived about 50 miles of hiking with barely a scratch. If I wipe off the dirt they still look brand new. I expect to get a lot of miles out of these.

3. Colors!

I can’t write the review without mentioning the fun colors. Color is never my main consideration when choosing gear, but why not have some fun with it? I prefer bright colors on the trail since I often hike alone. These boots definitely fit that ‘cute AND high performing’ niche that is finally making its way into womens outdoor gear.

4. Fit and break in period

I found that these fit pretty true to size. I wear a 9.5 womens in athletic footwear and these fit perfectly in that size. I have room for my custom insoles, and the width of the toebox works with my slightly-wider-than-normal-but-narrower-than-wide foot. The boot laces up without any pressure points around the ankle (one of my pet peeves with higher boots), and within five minutes I forgot I was wearing ankle-height boots.
For my first hike in the Sugarpine Boots, I took them on a ~7 miler on dirt trails during a rain storm. They felt great and my feet stayed dry. Since then, I have worn them on several other 10+ mile day hikes, including one 17 miler with 5000 ft of gain. 

Whenever I am testing shoes I throw a backup pair of trailrunners into my pack. In the case of the Sugarpines, I never needed them. Quickly ramping up to a 17 mile day in a largely untested pair of shoes without needing my backup pair was a wonderful surprise. My feet were happy and comfortable all day. In fact, I didn’t think about my feet all day. When I got home that night and started writing down notes about some of the gear I was testing, that’s what I wrote about the Sugarpines: “I forgot about my feet.” I didn’t even put on my post-hike footwear back at the trailhead, keeping the boots on for the rest of the night. I suppose that’s what you want your footwear to do on a long hike – make you so comfortable that you’re not even thinking about your feet!

5. Crazy Grip!

Perhaps the best surprise I got from these boots was their crazy grip. I had them on two types of terrain that usually cause me trouble – steep, slick muddy trails and steep, gravelly fire road. You know, the kinds of trails where you have to make mini switchbacks just so your feet don’t go flying out from under you? The Sugarpine soles stuck to that stuff like Velcro. I have hiked in this kind of terrain for years and have never had a boot with this kind of grip.
In the picture below, I was coming down a steep muddy stretch of road, and the footprints around me all had long slides at the heel. I barely slid in the Sugarpines. Amazing!

In A Nutshell

So, there you have it. I consider the Sugarpine Waterproof boot to provide the best of both worlds: the weight, comfort, and break in period of a trail runner, with the protection of a higher waterproof boot. I am thrilled to have discovered another brand that works so well on my feet, and look forward to putting many, many more miles on these comfortable boots. I’m also going to take a look at the lighter hikers in the Sugarpine line. I think they’ll be a great summer hiker!