Whether you are a Search and Rescue volunteer, or a weekend explorer, your feet need the right tools to carry you far, fast and comfortably. Your boots should be as light and comfortable as possible for the type of hiking you’re doing, while also keeping feet dry, warm, and well-protected. Wolverine designed the Impact Mid-Cut Waterproof hiking boots to shed the moisture, grip the trail, and maintain comfort even on your harshest mountain play date.
Our Test Team…
For Search and Rescue volunteers, having the right equipment is essential. Yet out of the collection of gear in a Search and Rescue Volunteer’s gear stash, perhaps the most critical is the right footwear.
When a single call-out can traverse miles of swampy lowlands to picking your way through technical mountain terrain, you a boot that is competent over across a range of terrain and environments. So To help test the Impact hiking boots from Wolverine, we enlisted the help of a few Southern California Search and Rescue Team Members and asked them to help us put them through the paces.
On Design and Performance…
In designing the Impact Mid-Cut Waterproof hiking boots, Wolverine took a light-and-fast approach making the Impact Mid-Cut boots ready to meet the demands of day hikers, trekkers and fast-packers alike. The overall design of the Impact Hiker stresses comfort and agility versus rigid stability, but the lightweight design doesn’t make these boots a pushover.
From rugged trails, to full days of rescue missions, Wolverine’s highly durable performance leather proved to be just as tough as the elements it encountered. When call-outs required miles of mud mucking and creek crossings, the waterproof leather exterior and waterproof membrane kept feet dry and comfortable.
While the Impact hiker features a mid-cut design with a fairly wide opening, our Search and Rescue crew noted that it was easy enough to attach gaiters in more severe weather to help keep out the elements that otherwise might sneak into the boot.
When it comes to Wolverine’s slip-resistant rubber lug outsole, the Wolverine design team deserves credit. While the tread pattern doesn’t look as aggressive as similar boots in this category, the outsole consistently held its ground through talus fields, granite scrambles, and just about everything else that stood between our SAR members and accomplishing the mission at hand.
In terms of comfort, not many boots can go directly from new-in-the-box to a 4,000 foot climb over steep, sketchy switchbacks. Yet such a task was no problem for the Wolverine Impact Hiker. Thanks to a compression molded EVA midsole and Performance Arch footbed with NXT® Odor Control Sockliner, the Impact Hiker cushioned every step of the climb and ensured not a single blister or irritation at the end of the day.
Notes from the Field…
The Impact Mid-Cut Waterproof Hiking boots offer a soft flex that’s almost reminiscent of a trail runner. This is in comparison to the thicker sole of boots designed for heavy stability in technical terrain. While our SAR partners had no complaints in terms of performance, the flex of the boot does provide a different feel as well as interface with the trail. The Impact Hikers don’t provide the torsional stiffness or rigidity through the midfoot that you’ll want for more severe terrain or heavy loads.
Bottom Line…
If you’re looking for a boot that’s light and agile, and don’t need more rigid support, the Impact Hiker offers comfort to breeze over rugged terrain.
*Gumption Gear Review received the Wolverine Sentinel Hikers from Wolverine USA at no cost and receives no monetary compensation for this or any related review. The item featured was provided solely in return for our honest views and opinions.