12 Years of Hiking with Meindl Boots: The Ultimate Review
I bought my Meindl hiking boots in 2009, right after graduating from high school before starting college. At 17 years old, I started taking hiking a bit more seriously and was starting to plan lots of hiking adventures with my friends. These boots have been my companion on many hikes, and backpacking trips over the years. They have gone with me to beaches, rainforests, mountains and deserts, and many different states. After 12 years of hitting the trails, these amazing boots walked their last mile with duck tape holding the bottom of the boot that was falling off together. It was enough to get me home from backpacking Rachel and Rampart lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I thought I would share some of my likes and dislikes about these fantastic hiking boots.
Likes:
- Extremely Durable
These boots had a lot of use. There were several backpacking trips where I was hiking over 35 miles over very rugged terrain and some scrambles and these boots worked great. They lasted 12 years before falling apart with lots of hikes over the years. In the beginning few years, I was only a day hiker but did do several hikes each year. In the later years, I got into backpacking, started doing more aggressive hikes, and hiking year-round which started to really accelerate the wear and tear of the boots.
- Waterproof
Mendel uses Gore-Tex waterproofing on their boots and it definitely worked. I loved how waterproof these boots were. Often when snowshoeing or hiking in the rain or snow, all my friends would have soaking-wet cold feet while my toes were nice and dry. When I crossed or stood in streams no water would get in below the laces. They only started to lose their waterproofing in the last 5 years but I didn't do any maintenance on them. If I could do it over again, I would buy a bar of wax to rub into the boots to help re-waterproof and do some maintenance work.
- Comfy
These boots fit great! They were very comfy and even in snowy winter conditions, they kept my feet warm and dry. My brother had to replace the sole insert in his hiking boots that were a different brand several times over the years and I never had any problems with mine. We would often hike around the same amount of miles.
- Great Ankle Support
There were many times when I am convinced that if I was not wearing these boots I would have hurt my ankle. The above-the-ankle design of these boots gave me lots of support and my ankles felt very stable even on rough terrain.
- Grippy Tread
I loved how secure I felt in these boots. The bottom tread was extremely grippy and allowed me to have the confidence to leap from rock to rock. I feel stable on slick surfaces with running water over them. The traction on these boots is amazing.
Dislikes:
- Heavy Boots
My biggest dislike about these boots was how big and clunky they felt. Each foot felt extra heavy when hiking up mountains but eventually, I got used to it. I feel that these boots were really secure on rocks but when hiking up 5,000 plus elevation gain in a day, it felt tiring lifting my foot up each time. This was the only factor that led me to consider another brand when purchasing my next set of boots. But I was still extremely happy with these Mendil boots.
- Pricey
I believe I paid around $250 to $300 for my boots. It was a huge chunk of money for me at 17 years old but I was super excited to have my first pair of well-made hiking boots. Price is definitely a barrier to getting good boots when you are short on cash. But on the other hand, these boots last a long time and you definitely get your money's worth out of them.
Overview:
Great boots that last many years. If you only do occasional hikes and don't do big backpacking trips into rough terrain these boots should last you a long time. The main downside is the heaviness but these are very durable and stable boots and is a great option to consider if you are in the market for hiking boots.
The exact model of Meindl boots that I bought 12 years ago has either been renamed or discontinued. Looking in stores and comparing them, I gathered together a few Medil boots below that seem pretty close to those I got back in 2009. All 4 of the boots below have that above-the-ankle hiking boot design that I love and have grippy tread and Gor-Tex waterproofing.
Meindl Boots on Amazon:
- Meindl
- Highest quality Shoes / Boots
- Outdoor Shoes / Boots for actives
- on the mountain, in the desert, nordic walking or for outdoors; the very best footwear
- alpinists, hiking, climing, walking, adventurers
Shop on Amazon Click Here
Meindl Vakuum Lady Ultra Shoes
Upper Nubuck leather. Lining GORE-TEX. Performance Comfort Footwear. Footbed b-dynamic Vakuum Sole Meindl Multigrip rubber tread sole with PU wedge. Weight approx. 620 g
- nubuk leather/ GORE-TEX®
- Meindl
- Highest quality Shoes / Boots
- Outdoor Shoes / Boots for actives
- on the mountain, in the desert, nordic walking or for outdoors; the very best footwear
- alpinists, hiking, climing, walking, adventurers
Shop on Amazon Click Here
- Women's trekking / hiking boots.
- Upper material: sil-nubuck leather / lining: leather.
- Meindl AIR-ACTIVE insole.
- Non-slip Vibram outsole.
- Please order half a size larger.
Shop on Amazon Click Here
Meindl Men's Kansas GTX Trekking and Hiking Boots
- 100% Leather
- Rubber sole
- Shaft measures approximately ankle from arch
- Country of origin: KH
- Model: 2892
- Color: Brown Dark Brown 46
Shop on Amazon Click Here
Other Blog Posts You May Like:
5 Reasons to Buy LOWA Women’s Renegade GTX Mid Hiking Boots
Snowshoe Snoqualmie’s Gold Creek Pond Trail
A First-timer’s Guide to Snowshoeing at Mt. Rainier
High Rock Lookout – Hiking in Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Backpacking Upper Lena Lake – Olympic National Park
Milk Lake: Beautiful Hidden Gem in Olympic National Park
5 Reasons You Should Visit Mt. Rainier in the Fall
How to Successfully Do A Sunrise Hike Up Mt. Townsend
What to Pack for a Sunrise Hike
The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Mailbox Peak
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What boots did you end up buying to replace your meindl boots?
Hi Joyce! I replaced my Meindl’s with the LOWA Women’s Renegade GTX Mid Hiking Boots. So far I am really liking them. They are much lighter than the Meindl’s so they are not as heavy on my feet while hiking. My mom got her Lowas 5 or 6 years ago and she only occasionally hikes usually one snowshoeing trip a year then easy hikes when the weather is nice mostly mild dirt trails under 5 miles with one or two 7 or 8 mile rocky terrain days during the summer and hers are still in pristine condition and my dad got the men’s LOWAs and uses them daily as his work boots doing Construction for the past two years and his boots still are working great. I’ve now had mine for a few years and they are holding up good with going on big hikes over very rugged terrain. But now after an all day hike in the snow or rain they are starting to absorb some water where I’m going to rub some waterproofing wax on them soon. I do not think I’ll get 12 years out of them with how much I hike now, but I am very happy with the Lowas they take a lot of the similar things I liked from the Meindl’s but is a more lightweight version which helps when hiking a lot of miles. My mom wrote a blog post on her Lowa’s a few years ago if you want to check that out: https://www.adventurehiketravel.com/5-reasons-to-buy-lowa-womens-renegade-gtx-mid-hiking-boots/
Hope this helps 🙂