| Note: a gifted product |

At the end of last year, we finally got a replacement for our most important piece of travel kit: our walking boots. We said sad goodbyes to our finally beaten old boots and said hello to two new pairs of beautiful Cedar Brown Danner Light hiking boots. And after half a year of walking adventures in them, it’s time to publish our full and frank Danner boots review.

These Danner boots, it has to be said, were gifted to us. We know, we know. But what we think is important to mention is that we approached Danner about this – not the other way around. We did our research, and these are The Ones we wanted to try.

Close-up of the beautiful Danner boots in the low tide harbour of Castlebay on the Isle of Barra.

And let it be said: Danner didn’t require us to review them at all. So we suppose if we hated them, we could simply say nothing?

But spoiler: that is not what we suppose.

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Why did we want Danner boots?

A US boot made in Portland, Oregon since 1932, you might know the brand from Wild, a book and then a film about hiking the tough Pacific Crest Trail. The film starred Reese Witherspoon if you remember – and guess what she was wearing the whole time? DANNER BOOTS (these Mountain Light Cascade ones to be precise). And that’s not really surprising because they are THE American go-to hiking boot. Nowadays you’ll see them on the feet of many an outdoors photographer and Instagrammer too.

All this piqued our interest, because we were frankly desperate for a stylish walking boot. Look, perhaps unlike the walker stereotype style matters to us. We’re very keen to find clothing that works but also looks good. That you could walk up a hill AND down the street in.

And as a couple we like the classic aesthetic: earthy palette, sustainable sources, natural materials: the canvas bag, the (faux) fur-lined hood, the boot that can be worn with whatever.

And Danner boots are one of the few high-quality walking boots that fit with this idea.

Nell sitting atop the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides with Danner boots on and the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean.

Our first impressions

Are that they’re the most beautiful boots we’ve ever seen in real life. A burnt orange, with darker walnut 1000d nylon panels and black laces, high on the ankle, they’re the most streamlined and narrowly-tailored boots we’ve ever worn. Perfect for pairing with leggings, jeans, long winter coats.

Or even a dress?

They have all the technical stuff: a Gore-Tex lining, tough but flexible Vibram soles with Velcro-like grip, and stitching on the outside which makes them very hardy.

Our boots were identical (the women’s and men’s versions are seemingly exactly the same) which was kind of an accident, but hey, easier to do just one Danner boots review, right? And we run this blog together so we’re pretty his’n’hers anyway, aren’t we.

What we’ve used them for

We went travelling in all kinds of places and conditions. We went from walking through Venice to snowshoeing in the Dolomites in no time at all.

THEN we walked the 280km Cathar Way trail in them, because God loves a trier.

Birds eye view of Nell doing the laces up on her Danner boots

This is why we’ve waited this long to post a review: we wanted to really wear them in.

And after all that: no problems. They are completely waterproof. The soles didn’t come away from the shoe. There was no (we repeat NO) rubbing. They gripped, bent, flexed.

Maybe the best thing you can say about a walking boot is you don’t really notice them, you just walk.

The biggest challenges

Was to strap them into plastic snowshoes and take them up the Dolomites every day for a week. This is surprisingly tough on boots: the straps dig in to the leather and the boots are constantly submerged in snow and water.

It goes without saying of course that they kept our feet pretty toasty and dry the whole week.

But they definitely got the worn-in look from snowshoeing, and subsequent rocky hiking, with scuffing along the toes. We actually quite like this: these boots are made for walkin’ after all (and see below for basic boot care).

The cost

Okay, Danner boots are not cheap. Our Danner Light boots retail in the UK for over £300. And while of course it is important to find good quality walking boots – because nothing is working harder when walking than your feet – this is still well over double the price of our previous Scarpa walking boots.

But consider this: these boots are made to last for years. And they’re far more versatile than any other walking boot we’ve ever owned, passing our ‘street AND mountain’ test with flying colours. Both of which mean that we buy and carry less because we can wear these boots more.

And the high price tag comes from the fact that Danner design and make their boots in the US, not shipping it off to be manufactured in some dubious factory-cum-sweat-shop.

We’re realising that fashion always has a cost, cheap or not. So we’re happy to support a brand that has its money flowing in the right direction.

How to care for your Danner boots

Danner boots may cost a lot, but they will last. You can easily look after the leather and keep them waterproof. Every month or so we give our boots a good brush, we apply dubbin wax with a cloth to protect and soften the leather, brush again and then finally spray them with Nikwax Waterproofer. This odour eliminator spray is also pretty useful as well!

Danner also have a service they called boot recrafting which is for when you’ve worn your boots into the ground (quite like we did on the Via Francigena). You simply send your boots to Danner and the dedicated team will bring them back to life. They send them back to you within 5 working days. We think this is a pretty cool idea.

Our Danner boots review conclusion

These are beautiful, well-made boots. Their versatility is in our opinion still the best thing about them, allowing you to get the most of the investment.

And an investment they really are, let’s be honest. But if you’re going to splurge, let it be on gorgeously classic but cutting-edge modern walking boots. Just like these Danner Lights.

What do you think of Danner boots? Leave us a comment below

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