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The Birdman of Panama
March 03, 2025
One of a kind, and that's a good thing
You won't find anything else quite like these shoes. Firm yet cushy; supportive yet flexible; a built-in sock that manages to stay clean. For me, this shoe is a home run.Do some homework before you buy. For starters, the pricing is all over the place. You can pay anywhere between $80 and $200 for the exact same shoe. Amazon alone has several listings all over the pricing map.Also, these are great hiking shoes, but some of the color combinations are way too out-there if you're a nature photographer like me. The ones with the seemingly innocuous gray tops glow like the sun in daylight. The black-dominant ones are best for nature.The fit and finish are both superb. This is a high-quality shoe. It's well-assembled and tough. Good-looking, too.Walking feels very natural. The shoe has a slight incline that propels the walker but stays balanced for hiking uneven terrain. The cushioning is excellent from heel to toe. Ankle support is surprisingly good for a shoe that's not quite a boot. The integrated sock fits tight and is further supported by a hard collar below.Several posters complain about how difficult the shoe is to put on, with the tight sock and all. Someone said it took several minutes. Yes, the first few times it's like putting on a ski boot, not a lot of fun. I timed my first try at 15 seconds, which is an eternity compared with the 2-3 seconds for a normal mid-rise boot. I've gotten it down to 5-7 seconds as the shoe has broken in a bit, no big deal.Adidas makes a waterproof version, but this ain't it. However, they manage light rain quite well, and mud cleans off easily. Adidas also has a YouTube video that gives you tips for easy cleaning.Bottom line is that these sturdy, comfy, lightweight boots are my favorite nature photography shoes ever. Thumbs up!
✔ Verified Purchase
The Best Hiking Boots I've Ever Had
I've gone through a lot of hiking boots over the years and most have done their job just fine. As I'm getting older, I'm finding what used to work for me is no longer good enough. This is kind of a longwinded review with lots of extra detail that many of you will find irrelevant, but for those people with similar experiences to me, I hope this will be helpful.I first noticed hiking boots being a problem about 4 years ago on a backpacking trip when my old leather HiTec boots started feeling like bricks about 6 miles into the hike. That was a new experience for me. It felt like just lifting my feet was taking all my energy. So I went on a quest to find some better boots and decided not to restrict myself to the clearance section at Walmart as I usually did when boot shopping.After lots of research, reading reviews and comparisons and trying on a number of boots, I decided to splurge and by some expensive boots- the Solomon X-Ultra 4s. They were super comfortable and incredibly lightweight. The light weight was awesome, but I found a new problem. After a few hours on the trail, I was starting to feel every rock and root through the sole of the shoe. Most of my hiking and backpacking is in rocky New England Terrain plus lots of mud. I did a trek to Alaska in them with a heavy pack that really exposed the lack of cushioning in the foot bed. To make things worse, after a year and a half and several hundred miles of hiking, they developed a leak at one of the seams and were no longer waterproof. I was hugely disappointed with expensive boots and was ready to go back to something less expensive.Enter the Terrex Free Hiker 2.0. I first saw it at Sierra Tradingpost and tried it on. It felt comfortable and was on clearance for a relatively inexpensive price of $80. It was kind of an ugly blue color, so I didn't buy it then and went home to research it. The research seemed mostly good. Unfortunately, only that blue color was available at that clearance price, so I went ahead and bought it. The fit of these shoes is good. I like my boots a little looser around the toes and heels to prevent blisters and these gave plenty of room in those areas. I have never had a blister in them. The weight is decent. They aren't as light as the Salomons, but they have been fine wearing on hikes up to 10 miles and I haven't felt like I had heavy bricks on my feet at the end of any hikes. The comfort and footbed on these has been very good so far. 8 and 10 mile backpacking trips on rocky terrain with 40lb pack were no problem. There are no stitched seams, so I hope they stay waterproof for many miles. My only complaint is the lacing is very tight and you have to spend a lot of time loosening a section at a time to get them off and re-tightening it all when you put them on. Grip has been excellent with them. In my experience, the Continental rubber outsole has better grip on wet granite rocks than Vibram outsoles. That's very important on the steep, wet New England trails around me.I was so impressed with these boots, that after I got back from my last trip, I went looking to get another pair to keep on hand for when these wear out. Shoe manufacturers are always changing their lineup and now that I have found a pair that I love, I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it again in the future. This time, Amazon had the best closeout price, and again, only on the ugly blue ones. So, I have a second identical set now sitting in the closet ready to go.Overall, I highly recommend these boots for hiking and backpacking for me. For you, I don't know- if your hiking needs are like mine, I say give them a shot.
✔ Verified Purchase
Better than other similarly designed shoes
These are perfect for your everyday hikes, occasional multiday trips, or really anything you’d need a litttle extra rigidity for.Pros•Comfort: feels like an extension of my foot. Because of the sock-like design it really hugs your ankle. If you’re not used to this design just imagine you feel taller and your feet are longer/wider. If you want to replace the insole I would go half a size up.•Durability: The Continental sole holds up to abuse and tackles muddy/rocky terrain well. I got them super wet, covered in dirt/mud, and didn’t have any issues with snagging or tearing.•Design: Just looks great. I wore them at the airport and got a few compliments. I think they’ll shine most design wise for your day hikes (and date hikes) because you can easily wear them both on/off trail and style them well with whatever you wear.Cons•Cleaning: They are a pain to clean if you get a lighter color. The sole cleans easily, however, everything else is stained. It doesn’t bother me, but if it’ll bother you I’d recommend a more natural or darker color.•Water Resistance: It’s not designed to be waterproof so that isn’t an issue. They just dry weird because the only escape for moisture from the inside of the shoe is the smaller foot insert. If you’re on a multiday trip just leaving them next to the fire won’t dry them the way they would other shoes. Remove the insoles and rotate the shoe around the heat. Really try to funnel heat into the shoe if you can. I just couldn’t get them dry enough before bringing them in the tent for the night and had to continue drying them the next morning by the fire. Again, they’re not designed to be waterproof. The inside just don’t dry as easily as other brands.
✔ Verified Purchase
