Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Lightweight hiking shoes are great for established trails, long hikes, and staying nimble on rough terrain. Namely, trail runners are the best lightweight hiking shoes, because they allow your ankles more mobility than a stiff hiking boot. Plus you don’t have to lug over a pound of leather, foam, and rubber on each foot, though you might sacrifice some durability. Our seven top picks are staff-tested favorites, survivors of Alaska backcountry guide Justin La Vigne’s torture testing, and recommendations from REI footwear specialist Kim Kelley.

How We Tested the Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes

Outdoor Life staff and La Vigne hiked, backpacked, and trail ran in all of these shoes, and more. These seven stood out as the best lightweight hiking shoes. Justin La Vigne took contenders into the harsh Alaska backcountry, while editor-in-chief Alex Robinson, staff writer Laura Lancaster, and associate gear editor Ashley Thess put down miles across the lower 48.  

We also called in the expertise of Kim Kelley, footwear specialist at REI. She has 15 years of experience with top brands, design trends, and how these shoes hold up over time. Even if you aren’t planning to run any trails, the best lightweight hiking shoes and trail runners will open up your hiking pace with lightweight, yet supportive materials.

Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes: Reviews & Recommendations

Best Overall: Oboz Katabatic

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 12.7 ounces (men’s), 9.8 ounces (women’s)
• Available Sizes: 8-14 (men’s) and 5-12 (women’s)
• Stack Height: 31/23 mm
• Drop: 8mm
• O Fit insole

Hikers rave about the brand, the quality, and the comfort, but the Katabatic Lows were my first foray into Oboz footwear. Are they worth the hype? Apparently so; I discovered out-of-the-box comfort and no rub spots after over 100 miles. The breathable mesh stayed comfortable on long treks and plastic rubber molds around the foot offer protection and support. “They are the only company that adds a molded hard plastic insole to their shoes for real arch support that will not quickly squish down under pack weight or a foot that habitually overpronates. It’s like getting aftermarket insoles for free in every pair,” Kelley says.  

While they don’t utilize a Vibram outsole, Oboz does have their own Trail Tread, which has an aggressive multidirectional lug pattern comparable to Vibram outsoles. I always kept my grip, even on wet, rocky, and rooted trails. The 8 mm heel-to-toe drop is on the lower end and gives a nice sense of stability. 

Green bonus: Oboz will plant a tree for every pair of shoes sold. — Justin La Vigne

Best Budget: Merrell Moab Speed

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 9.2 ounces (men’s), 8.5 ounces (women’s)
• Available Sizes: 7-15 (men’s), 5-11 (women’s), and kids’ sizes available
• Stack Height: 34/24 mm
• Drop: 10 mm

While prepping for my Appalachian Trail thru hike, I was on the hunt for the best lightweight hiking shoes that would give the most support and last the longest. The go-to brand that year was Merrell, and I put 1,000 miles on his first pairs of Merrell Moabs, followed by another 1,000 miles on a second pair. At that time, in 2011, they were in the lightweight category. Since then, the Merrell Moab line’s upgrades still offer the same durability and support in a lighter weight.

The newest rendition of the Moab Speeds steps up the game with its Vibram outsole that now relies on partially recycled rubber, as well as the 4 mm traction lugs. The bellowed tongue truly keeps out debris, a huge plus as most of my hiking in Alaska is through willows and alders where low-top shoes typically gather hitchhiking plants. 

They are often on sale, and at the time this article went to print, they were $40 off MSRP. But even at the regular price of $130, these shoes are an ideal price for the durability they deliver. Bonus: They are vegan, so now I’m wondering, can you eat them? — Justin La Vigne

Read Next: The Anatomy of a Shoe: What You Need to Know Before Buying Your Next Trail Runner or Hiking Shoe

Most Versatile: Hoka Speedgoat

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 9.8 ounces (men’s), 8.2 ounces (women’s) 
• Available Sizes: 7-15 (men’s and women’s)
• Waterproof (Gore-Tex) versions available
• Mid height options available

This is an excellent hiking and trail running crossover shoe. Hoka updated the Speedgoat last year with the new 6. It’s slightly lighter, has better durability in the upper, improved lugs and traction, and more responsiveness on the trail. Out of the box it might feel slightly less cushy than the previous model but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

Overall, this is a well-balanced shoe in terms of cushion and responsiveness. It has 5mm of drop — average for a long distance runner — and 38mm of stack height, on the higher end.

I’ve put more than 100 miles on my pair of Speedgoat 6s and have found that they fit me nicely and I’ve never had issues with blisters or rubbing. Most of those miles were slow trail runs in the five to 10-mile range. Living in Minnesota, that also means a lot of running on snow and ice. I found the Vibram Megagrip lugs to provide plenty of traction when I needed it most.

I also hiked in these shoes for a few days on the rocky Pacific Crest Trail, where they performed admirably. Plus, I did a handful of runs on pavement (including one early morning down the Las Vegas Strip). In other words, these shoes have proven to be the picture of versatility for me. 

My Speedgoats are still in good shape, though they did suffer some tears around the midsole during the PCT hike. If you are planning on tackling a lot of super rocky, technical terrain, or if you have wide feet, I would recommend a different option. 

For everyone else the Speedgoat 6 is a great do-all trail shoe to have in the rotation. — Alex Robinson

Best Zero Drop: Altra Lone Peak

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 11.15 ounces (men’s), 9.3 ounces (women’s)
• Available Sizes: 7-16 (men’s) and 5.5-12 (women’s)
• Stack Height: 25 mm
• Drop: 0 mm
• Improved outsole
• Updated midsole

There was a time where any trail runner or ultralight hiker you saw was wearing the Altra Lone Peak. Even Kelley claimed based on REI’s trends, these were the “hottest trail running shoes” out there. This cult following stems from a simple and effective approach to trail runners: Make shoes shaped like feet. Altra’s roomy toe box, minimal arch support, and zero drop (your heel is level with your toes) unlocked more miles with less pain for a lot of hikers and runners.

Altra’s feet-shaped footwear shares some similarities with the barefoot shoe movement, but there are important differences, too. While barefoot-shoe-believers value foot strength above overly-engineered footwear, strengthening your feet is just like building muscle anywhere else on your body: hard, and takes time. The Altra Lone Peaks are a happy middle ground with a moderate 25 mm of cushion to absorb shock as your feet fall, while still allowing your toes to splay naturally and zero drop from the forefoot to heel. Hikers and trail runners achieve a mid or forefoot landing, which encourages a more stable gait and connectivity to the ground.

However, in our in-depth review of the Altra Lone Peak 6, four staff members provided extremely mixed reviews. For the Hoka-lover, the shoe lacked cushion, and for the barefoot-believer it was too much. It’s hard to please everybody, but Altra’s latest iteration, the 9th Lone Peak, is trying. While keeping the same stack height as the 6, the 9’s foam has been updated to absorb more shock. These feel less like a transition to barefoot shoes, and more like our most comfortable pick, Topo.

Plenty of Altra lovers have made the switch to Topo’s Terraventure, but not for more cushion, for a longer lifespan. Durability is a concern with Altra, and anyone putting down serious miles should expect to re-up more frequently than you’d like. Though, the 9 has improved the upper mesh and outsole for durability. A wear-point on the 6 was where my big toe pressed against the mesh and rubber, but the 9 features heartier toe protection along with a thicker upper and deeper lugs. It’s also a bit heavier, but through continued testing I will find out how many miles this lightweight hiking shoe will actually last. — Ashley Thess

Read Next: Altra vs Hoka

Most Comfortable: Topo Ultraventure

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 10.4 ounces (men’s), 8.2 ounces (women’s)
• Available Sizes: 8-15 (men’s) and 6-12 (women’s)
• Stack Height: 35/30 mm
• Drop: 5 mm

Similar to Alta, Topo is another company making some noise in the lightweight hiking and trail running community with their low heel-to-toe drop and wider toe box. A testament to their cushion, comfort, and support, New Hampshire tester Kristen Coats has a neuroma in her foot, but said with Topo’s larger toe box, her nerve tissue does not get inflamed. 

“After trying a dozen other brands, and finding some that worked, I tried the Topo brand and haven’t looked back,” she says. “I can finally run on trails and roads pain-free, and have bagged many peaks all over the world with Topo. In fact, I recently ran my best half-marathon and 5K race in my Topos.”  

Associate gear editor Ashley Thess loved the Ultraventure 2’s plush 30/25 mm stack height and roomy toe box. The updated Ultraventure 4 raised the stack height to 35/30 mm, which was noticeable. Thess felt the increased height while backpacking a rocky creek bed, rolling her ankle a few times on the smooth, uneven rocks.

Best for Trail Running: La Sportiva Prodigio

Key Features

• Weight Per Shoe: 9.5 ounces (men’s), 8.1 ounces (women’s) 
• Available Sizes: 38-49.5 (men’s) and 36-43 (women’s)
• Stack Height: 34/28 mm
• Drop: 6 mm
• Rocker bottom

La Sportiva packed everything you need for speed — a snug and stable fit, responsive midsole, grippy outsole, and a rocker bottom — into the lightweight and breathable Prodigio. The mesh upper allows your foot to dump heat and sweat, or dry quickly after a stream crossings. Thess wore these lightweight hiking shoes on a packrafting trip in Colorado. They’re so well ventilated that she transitioned from paddling a soggy boat to hiking through desert rocks and sand without issue.

However, where these shoes really shine is trail running. The mid-foot is snug, for a secure fit, with a narrow toe box that lets you effectively navigate class three scrambles. The rocker bottom is designed to propel you forward. Thess felt sure and powerful in these running downhill. She has low arches, and the Prodigios felt neutral underfoot, with minimal arch support. While the fit is snug, these are far from constricting. La Sportiva recommends sizing up a half size for a less technical fit, and while Thess is religiously an 8 (39.5), the 8.5 (40) fit perfectly.

If you’re looking to bomb downhill or plan on scrambling up rough terrain, these facilitate a fast and sure stride. The outsole features a more durable rubber on the heel with a softer, tackier compound on the forefoot to maximize the lifespan of the shoe, without sacrificing grip. Thess is keeping the Prodigios in her quiver, but for most maintained trails or long hikes, prefers a wider toe box and no rocker bottom. — Ashley Thess

Key Features

• Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Stack Height: 5mm
• Drop: 0 mm
• Removable 3mm insole

The Vivobarefoot Primus ticks all the boxes for a barefoot shoe: It has a great foot shape, a low stack height, and is surprisingly robust. I’ve worn the Firm Ground version of this shoe (my pick for the best minimalist shoe for hiking and trail running) over 800 miles for thru-hiking and trail running, and it was just as serviceable at the end of that time as it was at the start (even if some of the lugs had worn down smoother than I would have liked).

The shoe is narrowest at the heel and fans out toward the toe, with a slope at the front that starts at the second toe. If you have a fairly standard foot, you’ll probably find this shoe’s fit is perfect. But if you have an unusually shaped foot — high volume or wide — then it may feel tight in certain places. (my sister, who helped evaluate the best hiking shoes for wide feet, wears the men’s version of this shoe.) If this shoe is just a hair too tight, try taking out the insole, which increases the interior volume.

They are more expensive than comparable models. One benefit of going with this higher-priced shoe is getting access to Vivobarefoot’s “Barefoot Fundamental Course.” This online course teaches you about your feet and exercises to strengthen and stretch them, and which was recommended by pedorthist, Scott Socha. Also, in my experience, these shoes’ durability justifies their price tag. You’ll easily surpass the 500-mile mark that is standard with cushioned running shoes; Lancaster has gotten up to a 1,000 miles out of some pairs. — Laura Lancaster

Read Next: Best Barefoot Shoes

How to Choose the Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes

Drop

The heel-to-toe drop is the difference in the height from the forefront to the heel. So a greater drop means there is a steeper angle and less stability. A zero drop means the heel touches the ground at the same time as the forefront, which offers a stable landing and ideal connectivity with the ground. 

Weight

We are not talking in pounds when we reference lightweight hiking shoes; we reserve that for hiking boots. But certain features of shoes can add to the weight, like the outsole and weather protection (like waterproofing). Most of these lightweight hiking shoes offer a waterproof and non-waterproof model, and you can see a difference in their weights.

Outsoles

Usually, every outsole looks different. The shape, size, direction, and depth of the lugs are what assist in traversing mud, dirt, rocks, ice, and snow. Vibram is the most common (and best) material, but there were a few different compositions in this test. 

Insoles

Most boots are made with an EVA foam insole. It is a soft material that absorbs some of the impact of your step. It sounds great in theory, but most of that foam is very thin and actually absorbs very little impact. The flimsy factory insoles break down quickly and tend to get dirty and smelly. In most cases, La Vigne upgrades his insoles with an aftermarket brand, to better cushion and cradle your feet with zone-specific areas that offer superior support and comfort. The Oboz Katabatics and Hoka Speedgoats were the only shoes where he didn’t feel the need to upgrade.

FAQs

Final Thoughts On the Best Lightweight Hiking Shoes

We continuously test the updated versions of these shoes, and other options from different brands. If you’re ready to ditch some of the heft of hiking boots, and embrace more mobility, this list of the best lightweight hiking shoes is the place to start.