Advnture Verdict

is o

Pros

+
nice colour

Cons

-
i don't like exercise

You can trust Advnture Our expert reviewers spend days testing and comparing gear so you know how it will perform out in the real world. Find out more about how we test and compare products.

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Sizing and fit

I tested a US size 6 which is a half size up from my regular size giving my feet room to swell. My toes definitely have ample room, but what surprised me was how snug these shoes around my midfoot. I think the company is going for a really secure, locked down fit since these shoes don’t lace up, but the reality for me was that these were quite uncomfortable, and I’m pretty keen to get out of them as soon as I can.

I don’t have broad feet and if you do, there’s almost no way you could wear these. I think they might want to go back to the drawing board to consider how they can achieve the snug active fit without cutting off the blood supply, but if you have a narrow foot they could be a dream come true.

UYN Palomo Shoes — The grip is adequate for easy paths (Image credit: Future)

Waterproofing and breathability

Here in Scotland, I generally want my hiking shoes to be waterproof since we get a lot of rain and the trails are always boggy. I really doubted these would be waterproof by looking at them, so I ran them under the tap and submerged them in water before hitting the trail in them and they are indeed watertight. I probably wouldn’t wear them on a trail I knew was going to be very wet, however, since they’re not really designed for a lot of mud, but I can see why they’d be nice for a rainy day, as long as I was wearing rain pants to keep my socks from getting wet.

Naturally, when a garment is waterproof it loses some breathability, but I was hopeful that the merino uppers wouldn’t let me down. I’ve only tested them in winter, however, so while I haven’t experienced hot sweaty feet in them, summer could be a different story. For now, I’d say they breathe well.

Grip and protection

Given that the soles are inspired by the hoof of an Ibex, I’d probably expect more grip than these provide. They do have some grip and I found them fine for well-maintained paths as well as on slick city streets, but you can tell just by looking that the lugs aren’t meant for anything technical, and that’s not what they’re advertised for either. I’d say these have more grip than a road running shoe but not as much as a lot of trail running shoes, which makes me wonder why you’d choose them over the latter, which are more versatile.

There’s a tiny amount of protection around the toe and heel but I don’t think you’d feel amazing if you kicked a rock in these. Again, clear paths are the way forward with these shoes.

Value

Given that these use more expensive materials like merino wool, they’re pricey relative to other walking shoes but, besides a breathable and waterproof upper, I’m not sure they deliver as much in the way of grip and protection. At least in my base layers, merino isn’t as durable in synthetic, so I’d also be concerned about these holding up over a lot of miles.

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.

VAN-7561 - Hiking boots

testin some boots innit