What have you been wearing for your walking trips over these recent holidays? I must confess I seriously considered wellies after one path disappeared into a 2 foot deep bog. But as someone once said, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
On that philosophical note, I decided to acknowledge that matching clothing – and footwear in particular – to the conditions meant sticking to more reliable paths for testing the Hotter Mist walking shoes. These are tough shoes, but they are only human, sorry, only shoes, and have their limits. So I tested the joints and the Goretex lining by walking through more than a few deep puddles but I didn’t ask them to perform miracles in knee deep bogs.
As you would expect from Hotter, the shoes are very well constructed, light on your feet and give good support in all the right places. As an everyday walking shoe they are on the pricey side but if you are looking for performance and want something to last, I suspect the investment is worthwhile, especially if you maintain them properly. For a serious walking shoe, if you want to wear thicker socks, you might like to go for a half size up. You can buy Hotter shoes online and they have developed a comprehensive fitting guide to help you work out the best size to order. If you get it wrong, they don’t mind exchanging.
Often shoes which attempt to be an outdoor walking shoe and an everyday town shoe compromise on the sole to reduce weight. The Mist shoe has a serious sole and copes well with greasy decking, oozing paths and even ice, giving confidence as well as comfort, when crossing dodgy bridges. As it has an antibacterial cushioned insole which is easily removable  to help it dry out and stay fresh, I can even put it on my desk to take a photograph of the sole for you!
It comes in a range of 5 colours and there is currently £10 off the normal £90 price. Have a look here.
