Our Favorite Shoes for Hiking and Travel

Most of our travels require comfy walking shoes, at bare minimum, if not full fledged hiking shoes. Being a former college cross country and track runner, I am a bit picky with athletic shoes. But, I fell in love with the Salomon Speedcross GTX trail/hiking/running shoes and haven’t purchased another brand or style since.

They retail for around $150 but you can find them on sale for around $120 or less if you hit it right.  My first pair I found on Ebay brand new for $76 (last one in that size available from the previous years version — salmon and yellow color) and my current pair I got shipped from a bike shop in Germany (again last one left in my size) for $108 including shipping (black with light blue stripes). REI often clears them out at the end of the season / release of a new version but, again, you need to hit it right and have a shoe size they still have left.  If that’s a little steep and you don’t need the Gortex, they have the ClimaShield and regular versions for lower retail prices and both versions come with the quick lace, comfort and same traction as the Gortex version.

We love the Speedcross GTX because:

• Waterproof and Gortex layer makes them great in all weather conditions
• Quick tie laces tuck into the tongue or can be undone and worn lose for easy on/off and never (from our experience) break
• They wear well despite use and abuse
• Overall very comfy
• Great for gripping terrain
• A lighter shoe than a traditional hiking shoe but with all the similar perks

I am hard on shoes as I usually have only one pair of outdoor shoes at a time and wear them for everything. With that being said, my last pair lasted nearly two years before I decided to replace them.