This is a boot that’s made for medium to long-distance treks over varied terrain; when you’re going to be facing everything from boulder fields, scree and rocky trails, to bog, marshland and just downright muddy stuff.
Hut-to-hut trekking in the Alps, the challenging GR20 trail through Corsica, or a day out exploring somewhere like the rocky mountains of Snowdonia’s Rhinogydd range (one of the places I did my testing) those are the kind of adventures this Italian made boot, the AKU Trekker Pro GTX, seems built for.
Sole Unit Construction
The most notable aspect of the Trekker Pro GTX is the flexibility of its sole unit. It’s stiff enough to let you ride with ease over jagged rocks and to get a reliable foothold if you need to edge up any routes requiring scrambles but then it’s also got a little bit of flex – enough to support those journeys with longer mileages.
Then there’s the comfort that the shape of the sole unit brings too. Like most of the trekking and hiking boots in AKU’s line, including the AKU Alterra GTX and Tengu GTX which we’ve previously tested here on Outdoors Magic, the Trekker Pro GTX features AKU’s Elica Stride System. The result of constant research and lab tests, Elica involves careful shaping of the boot’s ‘chassis’, including the outsole, midsole and removable insole, with the intention of supporting the natural inclination of the heel and forefoot. Your heel tends to roll inwards when planting a step and then it rolls outwards at the forefoot rolls when pushing off and AKU have designed their whole system to support this, making sure that there’s an even distribution of pressure across the foot.
The overall result, as we’ve found testing this system over the years, tends to be out-of-the-box comfort and a natural, supportive ride with the right kind of cushioning where you need it. AKU’s boots do feel different – and in all the right ways.
