Merrell Altalight Knit Mid
Most durable footwear
Our take The Altalight Knit is like a featherweight boxer: light and supertough. Its upper is made out of a woven, high-tenacity Cordura/nylon blend, which makes it extremely tear-resistant. During a weekend hiking through the backcountry of Montana’s Madison Range, we made our way through scree fields and up to ridgelines and the boot didn’t suffer a scratch. Bonus: The sock-like upper is great at keeping out debris as small as sand, and is ubercomfortable.
The details A flexible shank in the midsole adds some torsional rigidity, but the Altalight falters a bit under loads over 30 pounds, which cause the midsole to feel compressed.
$190, 1 lb. 9 oz. (w’s 7); m’s 7-15, w’s 5-11