Why we chose them: well crafted, versatile, comfortable
If you want a pair of hiking boots that you can rely on to perform, feel comfortable and last more than just a couple of hundred miles, the Alterra GTX by Aku are certainly worth looking into.
Here at Outdoors Magic, we’ve tested out a number of options from Aku over the years, including their Tengu and their Superalp GTX, and they all impressed us. Aku after all, are a brand with real boot making experience. They started out in the early 1990s from a small workshop in northern Italy and still to do this day operate from the region, with all their boots and materials coming either from their Italian factory or from elsewhere in the EU.
Who Is the Aku Alterra GTX For
The Alterra GTX is one of the brand’s most popular models, perhaps even their best seller. At 670g per boot it’s their main mid-weight option, one that’s best-suited to treks involving big distances and/or rocky trails – stuff like the Alta Via trails through the Dolomites and hut-to-hut trekking in the Alps or, in the UK, a big summer day out bagging some Munros in Scotland.
The upper features a mix of suede leather and a stretchy synthetic that really wraps around your foot like a glove. It also has a nice solid toe bumper to protect the materials (and your toes) in those rocky environments these are made for. Then of course, there’s a Gore-tex membrane that lines the walls and continues into the tongue as well for wraparound protection.
“The sole has just the right balance between flex and stiffness that I look for in a three-season walking boot.”
Underfoot there’s a removable insole, double density PU foam for shock absorption and cushioning, a nylon lasting board and a Vibram Octopus outsole, all of which combine to form what Aku call their Elica system…
