Top trail running and hiking shoes compared

About Top trail running and hiking shoes compared

This ranking covers 19 sellers of trail running and hiking footwear, from single market shops to brands delivering across continents. Shoes are bought in one go rather than by subscription, so there is no renewal step to weigh: the price met first is the price paid, and the second number that matters is what a return costs. Entry prices across the listings run from €23.95 to €166.95, while returns windows sit in a far tighter band of 14 to 45 days. That gap is the main trade-off in this category. A cheap pair from a brand that charges for returns can cost more once a size goes back, and a pricier brand with a long free window can cost less in practice. Fit range and shipping reach settle the rest, and those are the tests each member below is judged on.

How we picked

Scores here come from three weighted parts: cost at 40%, offer at 40% and trust at 20%. Cost and offer together carry more than the whole of trust, so entry price and what a seller actually stocks decide most placements, with trust setting the margins. Each score is assembled from the seller's own published material. Product and category pages supply the range and the entry price. Shipping and returns pages supply the window and whether returns are free or worn pairs are accepted. Imprint and terms pages supply the legal entity, the home market and the markets served. Contact pages supply support channels, and a published shoe specification supplies weight, drop and widths where one exists. Partner listings are placed first and everything else follows by score. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score.

Our top picks

1. 1. Sportwerk: best for top-pick

   Sportwerk carries the top-pick label in this ranking on a low entry price of €23.95 and a range that names trail running alongside road, racing and spikes under road, racing and trail. Returns run 30 days and are free, and support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a sizing question has a person to answer. The limit is reach: it sells into DE, AT and CH only, and the listed width is regular, with a sample shoe at 300 g. Decathlon, next in the ranking, publishes in dollars from $9.99 but is also set to a single market.

   • Price from: €23.95
   • Heel-to-toe drop (mm): 8
   • Weight (g): 300

   Pros

   • Shoes start at €23.95, and that entry price ranks 1 of 13 brands in the running shoe comparison.
   • The entry price sits under the €64.02 figure across the running shoe ranking.
   • The range covers road, racing and trail, a longer list than Decathlon at road, trail and racing or Mizuno at road, racing and trail.
   • Returns run 30 days and returns are free, so a pair that does not fit costs nothing extra to send back.

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre only, so there is no chat or community channel.
   • Fits come in regular, so a runner who needs a wide or narrow last has no option here.
   • Shipping reaches DE, AT and CH, which leaves buyers outside that list without a delivery route.
   • Worn returns are not accepted, so shoes have to be sent back unworn.

2. 3. Decathlon

   Decathlon earns its place in this ranking on two counts: the entry price is the lowest published by any member, $9.99, and the range is the broadest outdoors mix here, with camping, hiking and winter sports under camping, hiking and outdoor clothing. It has traded since 1976 and backs the range with free returns over 30 days, so a cheap boot that does not fit comes back at no cost. Two things hold it down. The store ships to US only, and support runs on email and help centre, with no phone line for a failed boot. Academy, the member below, opens far higher at $399.99 and offers a much longer window.

   • Price from: $9.99
   • Return window: 30 days
   • Lifetime warranty: Yes

   Pros

   • Prices start at $9.99, placing Decathlon 5 of 67 brands on price from.
   • A lifetime warranty covers eligible gear far longer than the site median of 2 years.
   • The range spans camping, hiking and outdoor clothing, so one brand covers several sports rather than a single niche.
   • Returns run 30 days and are free, with worn items not accepted back.
   • Delivery is free above $49, which keeps shipping predictable on larger baskets.

   Cons

   • Worn returns are not accepted, so footwear and clothing have to be tried on with care.
   • Support runs on email and help centre only, so there is no phone or live chat route for sizing questions.
   • The range is limited to US, which rules it out for shoppers based elsewhere.
   • Returns sit at 30 days, placing Decathlon 8 of 60 brands on that measure, in the middle of the field rather than near the front.

3. 5. PUMA

   PUMA holds the middle of this ranking with a well rounded range, road, racing, trail, walking and spikes under road, racing and trail, and the widest support mix of the members here at email, phone and help centre, which adds a community board to email, phone and the help centre. Entry is $73 and returns run 30 days with free returns. Two limits: it sells to US only, and the listed width is regular, so feet needing more room have little choice here. KEEN, ranked next, goes the other way, serving US, CA and JP with a hiking boot range from $190.

   • Price from: $73
   • Heel-to-toe drop (mm): 8
   • Return window: 30 days

   Pros

   • The range spans road, racing and trail, covering road, racing, trail, walking and spikes in one place.
   • Returns run for 30 days and are free, so a poor fit is easy to send back.
   • Entry price of $73 ranks 6 of 13 brands compared on price, so the money is not going to the cheapest name on the list.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which covers phone and email rather than a help centre alone.
   • It is a brand, not a marketplace seller, so the same PUMA SE stands behind every order.

   Cons

   • Widths are listed as regular only, so anyone needing a narrow or wide fit has less to choose from here.
   • The range is listed for US alone, which narrows shoppers outside that market.
   • Sportwerk lists road, racing and trail and Academy adds hiking boots, so PUMA covers less of the shoe map than either.
   • Entry price of $73 ranks 6 of 13 brands, placing it behind the cheapest options in the comparison.

4. 6. Altra

   Altra earns its place in this ranking on the two things that decide a shoe purchase: fit and returns. Widths are listed in regular and wide, so wide feet are catered for, and worn returns are accepted, the only member of this ranking to say so. Free returns run over 30 days and support runs on chat and help centre. Prices start at $104, near the top of the field, and the listed ranges of road, trail and walking mix road and trail with hiking boots, so trail pairs sit among a broader set. The company, Altra LLC, lists US, CA and AT across Europe and North America. KEEN, ranked next, is hiking first and offers more support routes.

   • Price from: $104
   • Return window: 30 days
   • Worn-shoe returns: Yes

   Pros

   • Footwear is sold direct by the brand rather than through a third party retailer, so the listed price is the one you pay.
   • Returns run 30 days and worn pairs are accepted, so a pair that does not suit your feet can still come back.
   • Widths cover regular and wide, so runners with roomier feet have a real choice rather than one standard fit.
   • Product types span road, trail, walking and hiking boots under one brand, which is more than Academy covers with road and hiking boots.
   • The returns terms sit alongside free delivery with no minimum spend, cutting the cost of getting the decision wrong.

   Cons

   • Entry price of $104 ranks Altra 8 of 13, so it is not the cheapest shelf here.
   • There is no lifetime warranty, which separates Altra from brands that back their footwear for longer.
   • Support runs on chat and help centre only, with no phone line listed for order questions.
   • Only regular and wide widths are offered, so runners who need extra wide or narrow fits have little to pick from.

5. 7. Merrell

   Merrell is the dedicated trail and hiking brand in this ranking, with trail and hiking boots as its listed focus, so nothing on the shelf is diluted by road running. Entry prices start at $96.99, above the middle of this ranking, but the return terms are solid: free returns over 30 days and support through chat, phone and help centre, including phone and chat. Fit is offered in regular and wide, covering regular and wide but nothing wider, and worn returns are not accepted. The brand belongs to Wolverine World Wide, Inc., and US, GB and AU is one of the widest shipping lists here, so a pair can be ordered and sent back across most continents. Altra, ranked next, ships widely too but starts higher.

   • Price from: $96.99
   • Return window: 30 days
   • Worn-shoe returns: No

   Pros

   • Free returns for 30 days take the risk out of sizing trail shoes online.
   • The range stays focused on trail and hiking boots, so the fit is consistent across the shoes.
   • Delivery reaches US, GB and AU, and shipping is free once an order passes $75.
   • Buyers deal with the brand itself, backed by Wolverine World Wide, Inc. and reachable on chat, phone and help centre.

   Cons

   • There is no lifetime warranty and no repair service, so a blown outsole or a failed seam leads to a replacement rather than a fix.
   • Worn returns are not accepted, so boots that have already done a long day on the hill cannot go back.
   • Fits are limited to regular and wide, leaving narrow and extra-wide feet without another last in the line.
   • Trail is the only specialty here, while Sportwerk lists road, racing and trail and Decathlon lists road, trail and racing, so mixed-surface training means buying around the brand.

What to look for

Entry price

Most buyers meet the price first. The median entry price in this ranking is €85.06, with a lower quartile of €50.79 and an upper quartile of €147.31. A high figure signals premium positioning, not grip on rough ground, and a low one can still cost more once a pair comes back.

Return window

Trail shoes get tried hard and sent back. Windows here cluster tightly around 30 days at both quartiles, running from 14 to 60. That spread at the top end is where this ranking separates its members most clearly.

Free versus paid returns

A long window is worth little if postage comes out of your pocket. Free returns are standard at 84.6%, and worn pairs are refused by 88.9% of listings. Read both before ordering a size you are unsure about, and assume boots need trying indoors.

Support reach

A help centre appears in every listing here, at 100%. Email and phone each sit at 62.5% and 62.5%, chat at 43.8% and community boards at 12.5%. A phone line matters most when a seam splits on a long day out.

Fit range

Regular fits cover 90% of listings, wide reaches 30%, extra wide 20% and narrow 10%. Feet that swell on a long climb will rule out most of this field before price is even read.

Brand or marketplace

At 91.7% the list is made of brands you buy from directly, against 8.3% resale marketplaces. Buying from the brand means the price, the fit and the returns terms you read are the brand's own, with no third party in between.

Frequently asked questions

Top trail running and hiking shoes compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV