Footwear Insight

Outdoor Boots / Living Inside Out Baffin's Huron, $112.99, is a lighter insulated waterproof boot that is manufactured in the brand's factory in Canada. Forsake's Range, a series of sneakerboots for men and women, offers superior stability on all terrains. The styles – high and low tops – feature a waterproof/breathable membrane in a seam-sealed upper, a Vibram outsole with XS Trek high-traction rubber, an extra-wide footprint and a composite shank. They are $140 to $160. G.H. Bass & Co.'s Brantley, $185, was inspired by an alpine boot in the brand's archives and announces its history with Bass' original motto — For Hard Service — on the logo. Hi-Tec's Wild-Fire Mid I WP, $90, delivers comfort, support and protection from the ground up. It has an M-D Traction outsole, an XLR8>> high-rebound EVA midsole and an Ortholite Impression memory foam footbed. Khombu's Freedom Mid, $100, is designed to comfortably cross over from being a snow boot to a fall day-hiker or stadium boot. Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Ski Team, the men's boot has a lightweight, flexible rubber shell and outsole. Merrell's MQM Flex Waterproof, $130, is a light hiker with specific styles for men and women. It features Sure Traction sticky and durable M select GRIP+ rubber grip for technical terrain, Smart Protection ballistic mesh mapped over high- wear areas for durability and a Natural Flex FLEXconnect flex-groove midsole that bends naturally with the foot while staying connected to the ground. Oboz' Sapphire Mid Waterproof, $160, is a comfortable performer that is sculpted to fit a woman's foot. Its asymmetrical collar comforts offset anklebones that can be accentuated in women, and its height accommodates women's calves, which typically are lower than men's. Made of soft nubuck leather, it is lined with the brand's B-DRY waterproof breathable membrane and features sleek midsole and outsole cushions that offer great grip without added weight. Tecnica's Forge, a new collection of trekking boots for men and women, $250 to $270, combines a precise anatomical fit right out-of-the box with customization options. Through Custom Adaptive Shape or C.A.S., which was first used in Tecnica's alpine ski boots, the Forge fit can be done in 20 minutes at selected spe- cialty retailers. Timberland's FlyRoam Trail Mid, $130 for fabric and $140 for leather, is a heritage-inspired design whose lightweight materials and high-rebound sole make it a contemporary choice. The modern white outsole is sneaker-like, and its Aerocore energy system features a sport-inspired aerodynamic design, durable midsole and lightweight EVA foam. Vasque's Clarion '88, $149.99, updates one of the brand's classic styles to give it a sneaker-like feel. It has a durable, waterproof suede and mesh upper, a flexible EVA midsole, a pronounced heel brake and a Vibram rubber outsole. Baffin's Huron, $112.99 G.H. Bass & Co.'s Brantley, $185 Merrell's MQM Flex Waterproof, $130 Tecnica's Forge, $250-$270 Khombu's Freedom Mid, $100 Forsake's Range, $140-$160 Oboz' Sapphire Mid Waterproof, $160 Timberland's FlyRoam Trail Mid, $130 H-Tec's Wild-Fire Mid I WP, $90 footwearinsight.com July/August 2017 ~ Footwear Insight • 41 A t some point, and it is likely to be sooner than later, the outdoor category will cease to exist. There will still, of course, be boots that like to take a hike, but they will no longer be called outdoor boots and they will be designed to spend just as much time indoors as out. "Eighty percent of the USA population lives in an urban environment, and this is a global trend," says Luke Schnacke, product, marketing and e-commerce director for Hi--Tec. "The majority of customers no longer need an out-and-out three-to-four season hiking boot for the four-day backpacking or camping trip." What active Millennials need – and want to buy – for their close- to-home day-trip adventures, is a multifunctional boot that seamlessly walks from city street to mountain trail. Jack Knoll, director of marketing for Forsake, adds that the desire for versatility has led to a decline in sales of "high-tech hiking-specific styles." "This trend applies differently to the technical hiking boot and the lifestyle casual/sneaker categories, blurring what were once traditional lines of what a hiking boot or summer sneaker should be," Knoll says. At Timberland, the all-around-town and all-terrain styles are translated into what Gregg Duffy, senior director of outdoor performance footwear, calls a "winning formula called SPG, or Style + Performance + Green, that blends form and functioning in a way that gives consumers an adaptive style they need for every day." The appetite for an all-purpose boot is being fueled, in part, by the idea of value for the buck. "Our market research shows that sales of outdoor footwear remain reasonably stable in the USA marketplace, however, the price consumers are willing to pay is decreasing," Schnacke says. "We are also aware that the Millennial cohort has the largest spending power in the U.S. economy yet the average income level is around $25,000." The be-all outdoor boot, by necessity, is big on technology that adds a new level of comfort. Brad Long, director of design product at Oboz Footwear, says midsole foam technologies as well as flat-knit or engineered knit uppers are changing the design and feel of outdoor boots. "Lower durometer foams give a softer, cushioned feel," he says. "To compensate for that, outsole widths are wider to distribute the impact more broadly since softer foams don't hold up as well. Multiple foam densities in midsoles have been common for quite some time, but now we are seeing more responsive and supportive EVA midsoles that are lighter in weight than conventional midsoles." Flat-knit and engineered uppers not only make boots softer, but they also help the environment. "This technology reduces labor and waste because there are no seams to stitch and dye cutting of upper materials is eliminated," he says. As far as style, well, it's a fusion of athleisure and traditional. "Classic and heritage are beginning to show some signs," Duffy says. "At Timberland, we'll continue to stay true to our classic aesthetic while reimagining what is iconic in new and modern ways." O

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