This week’s race
Salomon leads; Hoka climbs 10 spots.
Power ranking
Who leads this sub.
The reviewer check
The machines rank these brands. We checked their products against the people who filmed them.
Every score is distilled from independent YouTube reviews of the products the AIs name here — then set beside the AI rank.
This week?
Merrell holds the top spot for the eighth week running in hiking shoes, a position built on consistent answers to buyer questions across the category. Topo Athletic made the week's biggest move, climbing seven places to number thirteen from twenty, while Adidas Terrex gained five spots to settle at twenty-one. Timberland fell six positions to twenty-four, and the broader Adidas line dropped four places to fourteen. Two newcomers entered the rankings this sweep: On at twenty-five and Hanwag at thirty.
The questions?
These rankings answer 5 buyer questions. Open any one for the head-to-head.
The subcategory score is an aggregate. Each question has its own AI ranking, reviewer check and weekly movement — that's where the picks actually come from.
Act one
Where the machines rank them.
Three AI models rank every brand in this sub — who just arrived, the full board, the lineups each fields, and who owns each trait.
Newcomers
Just arrived.
new · Jun 2026
#37 · in best lightweight hiking shoes
new · Jun 2026
#60
new · Jun 2026
#55
new · Jun 2026
#48 · in best hiking boots for winter
new · Jun 2026
#29 · in best hiking boots for winter
new · Jun 2026
#40 · in best hiking boots for winter
new · Jun 2026
#58
new · Jun 2026
#57
new · Jun 2026
#65
Full ranking
Every brand ranked.
as of June 15 · vs June 16 · 5 intents?
Brand portfolios
What each brand fields here.
Brand price map · Hiking Shoes
4 brands, one price line.
as of June 16 · 4 brand medians · Google Shopping?
Brand price ladder · Hiking Shoes
Who plays at which price.
as of June 16 · 4 brand medians · Google Shopping?
Act two · ★ new
What people & press say.
Where the AI ranking and the reviewers part ways — and which of these brands are making news right now.
AI vs the reviewers
Where the machines and the room part ways.
Most of this sub is calm agreement. These are the picks where the AI ranking and the people who filmed the product disagree the hardest.
The Salomon XT 6: Fashion’s Favorite Hiking Shoe But Is It Any Good?
Corbin
The Truth about Hoka hiking boots - Kaha 2 GTX
Rose Anvil
Clifton 10 is HOKA’s Best-Selling Shoe… But Is It Any Good? (100% honest review)
Ben Parkes
Hoka Kaha 3 vs Merrell Moab 3 | This Was Surprising..
Mountaineer Journey
DON'T Buy Hiking Shoes Until You Watch This (2026 Review) - Merrell Moab vs. Salomon X Ultra
Up on Top
Whhy?! Keen #1 work boots VS Made in USA Keen - Cincinnati vs Liberty
Rose Anvil
In the press
Which brands are making news.
6 brands in Hiking Shoes drew coverage in the last 30 days — the mood skews positive.?
SalomonPositive
Salomon receives mostly favorable product coverage and celebrity endorsement news, with several factual announcements about retail openings and promotional sales.
via WWD, GearLab, Hypebeast · 8 stories
MerrellPositive
Merrell receives strong product-focused coverage highlighting its hiking boots as trusted and stylish options, with frequent mentions of sales and endorsements from outdoor experts.
via Women's Health, Wells Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Travel + Leisure · 8 stories
HokaPositive
Hoka receives uniformly positive coverage dominated by praise for its Clifton 10 shoe and rare sales promotions, with no critical coverage detected.
via EatingWell, RunnerSpace.com, NJ.com · 8 stories
AltraPositive
Altra receives predominantly positive coverage focused on product reviews praising its zero-drop running and hiking shoes, with neutral mentions of releases and corporate leadership.
via Trail & Kale, Solereview, WIRED · 8 stories
La SportivaPositive
La Sportiva receives strong positive coverage dominated by favorable product reviews of hiking and trail footwear, plus recognition of its president's design award.
via Climbing Magazine, GearLab, Treeline Review · 8 stories
ObozPositive
Oboz receives uniformly positive coverage focused on new leadership, product expansion into trail running and climbing, and strong reviews of its waterproof hiking boots.
via Outdoor Sportswire, Shop Eat Surf Outdoor, SGB Media Online · 8 stories
as of June 4 · 6 brands?
Act three
How the models think.
Where each brand actually competes across the buyer questions, and the running ledger of what just moved in this sub.
Intent dominance
Where each brand actually competes.
as of June 15 · 5 intents?
Ledger?
What just moved in this sub.
- ▼ fall#21 → #66
- ▼ fall#29 → #56
- ▼ fall#22 → #31
- ▼ fall#11 → #19
- ▲ climb#28 → #20
- ▲ climb#19 → #12
- ▼ fall#6 → #13
- ✦ debutdebut at #23
- ▼ fall#4 → #10
- ▼ fall#26 → #32
- ▲ climb#7 → #2
- ▲ climb#14 → #9
- ✦ debutdebut at #25
- ▲ climb#9 → #5
- ▲ climb#25 → #21
- ✦ debutdebut at #26
- ▲ climb#18 → #15
- ▲ climb#27 → #24
- ✦ debutdebut at #27
- ▼ fall#30 → #33
about hiking shoes
Pick by what you need
- buying intents · in products →
- Best Hiking Shoes for Beginners
- Best Waterproof Hiking Shoes
- Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes
- Best Hiking Shoes for Wide Feet
- Best Hiking Boots for Winter
interesting facts from hiking shoes
Hiking shoe brands split into camps. Salomon and SCARPA come from mountaineering. They build for steep ground and rough rock. Merrell and The North Face chase the wider market. They want hikers who walk on trails and camp on weekends. Altra runs its own line. They believe in wide toe boxes and minimal drop. Danner and Asolo hold to old methods. They make boots that last seasons, not years. Brooks and Hoka bring running shoe speed to the dirt.
A buyer picks what the ground demands. Steep rock and scree need a different shoe than rolling forest. Know the trail first. Then match the boot.
The brand rail stops here. For the individual products inside this sub, switch to the product view.