The hiking boot space is an embarrassment of riches these days, but Danner managed to stand out by making something that’s just ridiculously comfortable.
Vibram sole, waterproof, good grip, available for men and women and in two heights- the Danner Mountain 600s check all the boxes, and depending on your size and color preference, they’re a killer value on Amazon when pricing lines up.
We had known Danner was going to be incorporating these Vibram soles for quite a while, and it was absolutely worth the wait from both a support and aesthetic standpoint. The more mellow lines of the Vibrams meld with Danner’s great details to form one of the best-looking hikers around, and in a lot of great colorways to boot (get it?).
But our favorite feature of the 600s, which doesn’t appear to even be noted on its listings, is the tongue. Connected to the sides of the shoe with a stretchy membrane, the tongue is soft and has a huge amount of give, so while the excellent laces keep the 600s feeling very secure, the pressure on the top of your foot is basically zero. It’s a small touch that makes a huge difference.
To top it all off, the 600s are very lightweight- just 18 oz./shoe. We’ll be weighing in the competition, in all regards, in our upcoming hiking boot roundup.
Update 4/23/18: The Danner Mountain 600 EnduroWeave is the 600 for summer. Highly breathable, lighter weight, durable, and featuring Vibram Megagrip, the EnduroWeave adds a lot of versatility to the 600 while simultaneously lightening the load. Of course there’s a give and take here- you’ll be losing the waterproofing that we’ve come to take for granted on most hiking boots. The black colorway looks good enough to wear anywhere.