Oboz Bridger Ridge Mid GTX is a light-weight, waterproof climbing boot that gives wonderful foot safety on rugged trails. Good for backpacking, peakbagging, and off-trail use, these boots have loads of toe, facet, and heel safety in your ft and ankles. Additionally they require nearly no break-in time and are wearable out of the field. They’re out there in males’s and girls’s sizes, however vast widths aren’t out there.
- Gender: Males’s (Ladies’s additionally out there)
- Kind: Mid-Top Mountain climbing Boot
- Weight: 3lb 2.6 oz / pair in males’s 10.5US
- Drop: 8 mm
- Lug measurement: 5 mm
- Waterproofing: Gore-Tex
- Match: True to measurement
- Execs: Nice toe and heel safety, vast toe field, high-quality insole
- Cons: No vast widths out there
The Oboz Bridger Ridge GTX is a burly, waterproof climbing boot with Nubuck leather-based uppers and a Gore-Tex waterproof/breathable membrane. That is the primary Oboz product to make use of a Gore-Tex membrane; they used their proprietary knockoff earlier than this.
Wrapping across the toe areas are 3D molded TPU caps to guard your toes and toenails for those who kick and stumble over rocks. This is without doubt one of the first options I search for when evaluating climbing boots as a result of I seldom take a look at my ft when climbing (I look forward), and the additional toe safety is useful on rougher trails. The heels even have inflexible TPU heel caps that stop pronation and promote stability.
The inside of the boots is vast within the toe field, with loads of room to splay out your toes, however narrower within the heel to lock your foot in place and forestall heel elevate, which might trigger blisters. The Bridger Ridge GTX additionally consists of the Oboz Path Insole. This insole is designed for lengthy day hikes and backpacking excursions. It options closed-cell PU, offering sturdy cushioning and assist. Whereas many of the insoles that climbing shoe firms embody of their footwear are crappy foam, Oboz insoles are so good which you can buy them individually, at REI, side-to-side with others from SuperFeet and Sole.
The collar of the Bridger Ridge GTX stands at 6.5 inches excessive and options reminiscence foam that adapts to the wearer for additional consolation. The identical foam can be used contained in the boot’s heel space to lock within the heel.
The EVA foam midsole gives a excessive stage of vitality return. A 3D molded TPU Path Chassis between the midsole and outsole provides torsional stability whereas additionally offering underfoot safety, very similar to a rock plate on a path runner. The soles have an arch so you’ll be able to put on them with a gaiter, however they don’t have a gaiter ring, so that you’ll need gaiters that may hook over your laces. The forefoot is barely rockered (curved), which makes the boots simpler to hike in, however the heel is flat for elevated stability.
Comparable mid-height climbing boots
Suggestion
The Oboz Bridge Ridge Mid GTX is an efficient possibility for those who’re on the lookout for a light-weight and waterproof/breathable mid-height boot that emphasizes foot safety and stability with out being as heavy or heat as a full-blown leather-based climbing boot. They’re additionally surprisingly light-weight and agile (though different mids are even lighter weight) and require minimal break-in time to eradicate scorching spots underneath the tongue and across the higher cuff. These boots run true to measurement, however aren’t out there in vast widths.
Â
Disclosure: Oboz donated boots for this evaluation.
SectionHiker by no means accepts fee for gear evaluations or editorial protection. Whenever you purchase by means of affiliate hyperlinks on our web site, we could earn a small fee at no additional value to you. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and unbiased gear evaluations, climbing and backpacking FAQs, and free climbing guides.
