Five Ten Access Leather Hiking Boot

Traction

Five Ten’s Stealth rubber is known for its tackiness, and we weren’t disappointed with the Access. Testers described the rubber’s stickiness as “unreal” after a week of trekking through Turkey.

Durability

After a week of running and hiking over limestone, one tester’s boots came back with minimal wear, thanks in part to the top-grain leather, a smooth leather without dimples, like that in a baseball mitt.

Support

We carried overnight packs in the Access and felt supported—impressive for a shoe that looks more like a sneaker than a boot. The reason? The EVA midsole and 3D outsole, which wraps around the foot, cupping the heel.

Fit

We’ve had some issues with heel slippage in low-cuts before, but the unique lacing system (the laces tie directly into the sidewall over the midfoot, rather than through eyelets in the upper) locked our heels down, minimizing hot spots and blisters. According to one tester, the longest part of the break-in period was changing the shoelaces (the Access comes with two lace color options).