Best leather walking boots for 2024: timeless classics

As an all-rounder, it's near impossible to beat AKU's Trekker Lite III GTX boot.

With a price of just over £200 it undercuts premium, high-performance rivals on price while still being able to take them on in terms of quality and performance. At the same time, it's a far more durable and capable boot than those costing under £200 (which are mostly mid-height models) and totally worth the extra if you can stretch your budget.

The Trekker III GTX is made in Italy with a upper made of a mixture of suede leather and AKU's Air 8000 fabric to help boost breathability. Underfoot, there is an excellent Vibram sole.

Whether tackling a hill walk or a more technical mountain hike, the Trekker Lite III GTX is a brilliant boot, offering load of grip, comfort, stability, and durability. There is a men's and women's version, each having a wide fit option too, making the Trekker Lite III GTX suitable for most people.

Check out the women's version here

Read our full AKU Trekker Lite III GTX review

We were seriously impressed by Hanwag’s Makra Trek GTX boot. It’s pricey but after our field test, we think it’s worth every penny because it excels in almost every hiking circumstance.

It’s not crampon-compatible but has a sibling (Makra Trek GTX Pro) that is. And being a waterproof leather boot weighing in at 635g (UK8), it’s not ideal for hot, speedy day hikes. But for everything else, from 3-4 season hill and fell walking, to long distance treks, to alpine hikes, the Makra Trek GTX is incredibly capable.

We found that the boot height (as opposed to the increasingly popular ‘mid’ height) provided wonderful stability and ankle support. Yet, the midsole has good flex, which encourages a more natural walking action. And because the gusseted tongue reaches above the second lace hook, water and debris ingress was never an issue for us.

Whether descending a muddy hillside or ascending a rocky scramble, the Vibram outsole gave us dependable grip – the lugs are deep and widely spaced; there is also a decent heel brake and climbing zone on the toe.

On test, the Makra Trek GTX was incredibly comfortable compared to other burly leather boots (inciting an audible ‘wow’ when we put them on), with excellent padding around the ankle, and two-zone, full-length lacing that allows for a highly personalised fit.

It’s a tough boot, with a burly toe cap and hard wearing heel insert. It can be re-soled too, which is a huge longevity and sustainability bonus. These boots are made in Croatia, with the leather being responsibly sourced in Europe.

Check out the women's version here

Read our full Hanwag Makra Trek GTX review

Berghaus unashamedly calls its Hillwalker II GTX the ‘ultimate British-weather' walking boot. Pound for pound, we’d agree with that, because this boot took us all over British hills and moorland in comfort and confidence.

Beginning with fit, we found the Hillwalker II GTX has a medium width-type fit, similar to Merrell, for example. There’s an Ortholite insole, which is quite soft and squishy, and so too is the boot collar. The top of the boot offers reasonable ankle support and protection but, tries to give you some agility as well by dropping significantly behind the Achilles tendon.

We liked this setup for leisure and easier hillwalking where you need some stability for dealing with rutted paths, where a full height boot would be a bit restrictive and overkill.

Berghaus uses its own sole design for the Hillwalker II GTX. It has a decent heel brake, which we found performed really well on downhill sections. The lugs are quite deep and grip reliably on the almost perma-moist terrain gracing much of Britain’s hiking trails. Where we had a couple of slips on steep, wet, uphill sections, but find me footwear that wouldn’t struggle a bit there.

You’ll notice the Hillwalker II GTX has a bit of a toe cap, but doesn’t have a protective rand. So, the Hillwalker II GTX is susceptible to grazes and attacks from rock. However, the leather is predictably hard wearing and the lack of stitching is a major boost to durability.

All leather Berghaus uses is Leather Working Group certified, the company is a certified B Corp, and has its in-house repair team (Repairhaus).

Check out the women's version here

Sporting a design that is a very far cry from the old school leather boot adored by many, the Scarpa Rush Trek Pro GTX is a tremendous hiking boot.

The Rush Trek Pro GTX is triumph of modern boot engineering, which combines timeless features like nubuck leather, Gore-Tex waterproofing, and metal lacing hardware for toughness and longevity with innovative details like the dual density midsole and clever padded collar for out-of-the-box comfort.

We tested the women’s version, which is built on a different last (boot shape) than the men’s version. The result is a fit that’s properly tailored to a women’s fit, albeit quite a slim one. Underfoot and ankle comfort is superb, thanks to the aforementioned EVA midsole and collar featuring softshell and foam padding.

Vibram is the name of the game for soles, but Scarpa back its own design. So, the Rush Trk Pro GTX uses a proprietary outsole and for all but the most demanding mountain adventures, it’s remarkably capable. And when it wears out, this boot can be resoled.

The variety of scenarios where this boot excels, in addition to its surprising ability to be durable yet reasonably lightweight and agile earned the Rush Trk Pro GTX one of our Gear of Year Awards for 2023.

Read our full Scarpa Rush Trk Pro Walking Boots review

Check out the women's version here

The Meindl Bhutan MFS is a best seller from the German boot specialist Meindl, and is a true classic leather walking boot albeit with a couple of welcome modern touches.

The Bhutan MFS exhibits what true quality and longevity means with walking boots, made all the more obvious in a market full of lightweight synthetic alternatives. The Bhutan MFS has a nubuck leather upper plus a wraparound rubber rand to defend against abrasion. And the Vibram sole can be replaced if or when required.

It's not an especially technical boot, being most at home on hillwalks, but it's a superb long distance boot once broken in, and offers some of the best waterproofing on the market thanks to an ideal trio: high boot cut, leather upper, and Gore-Tex lining.

That aforementioned Vibram sole grips well in mud, boggy terrain, grass, and dry rock. It struggles a bit on wet rock, though as so many walking boots do.

In terms of comfort, it's predictably heavy. However, the Bhutan MFS offers reassuring stability and its Memory Foam System (MFS) around the ankle is soft, padded, and moulds to the wearer's ankle.

Check out the women's version here

Read our full Meindl Bhutan MFS review

There’s a familiar string of opinions among reviewers when it comes to Keen hiking boots: wide fit, super comfy, but not super technical. Keen has captured the loyalty of a significant portion of hikers because of these traits. And in cutting straight to the chase, the NXIS Explorer continues Keen’s strong family bloodline.

The mid-height NXIS Explorer boot is clearly not a technical hiking boot. But at about 460g, it’s the lightest boot here and the only one to dip under the 500g mark. On test, we found the main pros of this are twofold. We had sneaker-like agility while wearing these boots, yet sporting a full leather upper, the NXIS Explorer offers a noticeable durability upgrade to lightweight synthetic hiking boots.

Keen’s classic wider fit encourages your foot to sit more naturally with toes splayed. In addition to comfort, we found this helps with balance too.

Expective the NXIS Explorer to cope with tough, technical terrain would be foolish. But we were impressed how well the 4mm lugs gripped on loose dirt, rock, and wet grass, even on ascents and descents.

The NXIS Explorer is reasonably sustainable, too. It uses LWG-certified leather and is PFC/PFAS-free.

Check out the women's version here

Beefy, capable, and unpretentious, we found that Lowa’s Tibet GTX is a brilliant mountain trekking boot that delivers stability in spades. It is a full boot height (rather than the increasingly popular ‘mid’ height boot), with 2.5mm leather, and a midsole stiff enough to take a strap-on crampon.

We liked how the Tibet GTX kept our feet warm and dry on test. Predictably, it’s a heavy boot with some added stiffness to the midsole. But it still manages to provide plenty of comfort and allows a natural walking motion.

Chunky, widely spaced lugs, plus a decent heel brake gave us ample traction on a range of terrain and gradients. Where the Keen NXIS Explorer could be likened to something like a grass kart, the big Tibet GTX is more like a tractor. Large and clumpy, but sure-footed and tough.

The Lowa Tibet GTX is made in Europe using European-sourced leather that is ‘free of pollutants’. There is a wide fit available, and the boot can be resoled as well. However, there’s no women’s version (the Lady III GTX is the closest).

Check out the Lowa Lady III GTX here

La Sportiva’s Trango family is quite extensive, ranging from the mightiest mountain boots to more humble hiking boots. The Trango Tech Leather GTX sits at the hiking end of the scale and has been around since 2020, but our extensive testing has proven it’s still a seriously capable and well-rounded boot.

It certainly looks quite technical, with its full-length lacing, single piece leather upper, large rubber caps at the toe and heel, and high ankle cut. Indeed, it’s stiff enough to take a crampon, but the Trango Tech Leather GTX is still comfortable enough for long days covering a lot of ground.

We found the key to this is a signature feature of the Trango family: the 3D-Flex System. It’s basically a hinge in the upper, which gives greater ankle movement and comfort without compromising on stability. Clever stuff.

It’s not the most cushioned boot, and the stiffness will render it unsuitable for hillwalkers. But for those venturing into mountainous terrain, it’s sublime.

Check out the women's version here

Now, this looks like a rustic leather sneaker. That’s deliberate, so the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX can blend seamlessly into town and trail settings alike. Sceptics will likely sneer at that and write off this boot as incapable on the hill.

Our expectations weren’t especially high either, but the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX proved to us it’s more capable than perhaps it looks. Its Vibram outsole was in its element on rock, gravel, and rutted tracks. But it gripped surprisingly well on moist, muddy terrain too.

We found the full-grain leather required some breaking in at first – it is a bit stiff out of the box. It’s also quite a bit more expensive than many boots of this type, and more capable rivals we tested. But unlike most town-to-trail rivals, it’s durable thanks to that leather upper and resoleable Vibram rubber.

There is plenty of underfoot protection, which pays dividends on longer walks, and the Gore-Tex lining keeps water out. Although, the tongue gusset doesn’t extend up the ankle, so the Mountain 600 Leaf GTX can be susceptible to some ingress if you frolic in deep puddles.

Check out the women's version here

Simple, easy-to-use spray that does many cleans. The solution is water-based and PFC-free and the bottle is made from Ocean Waste Plastic too.

A paste that uses beeswax to protect leather. Easy to apply and very effective. This product is PFC-free and Bluesign approved.

Nikwax is the other brand that you should use for cleaning and treating your outdoor gear. This handy kit includes footwear cleaning and proofing sprays, in addition to waterproofing wax and a brush. Like Grangers, Nikwax products are PFC-free.