RRP: £149Weight: 330g (Women’s size 5.5) The first thing you notice about this approach shoe is the snug fit. The inner is made from an almost seamless 3D-knitted stretchy “sock” – luckily there are pull ties to help ease them on. I’ve been testing them both on easier day walks and tougher hill-walks for the last few months. So far the sock design seems to prevent any rubbing where the toe flexes – something that often causes a problem with walking shoes. Initially I felt the fit was on the narrow side but, having adjusted the low-profile laces to their maximum and…

RRP: £125 (currently available at just under £100 in many places) Weight: 750g per pair (size 5.5) I’m a big fan of lightweight trail shoes, particularly for summer walking, so was happy to see whether this sturdier waterproof trail shoe from Berghaus would carry those lightweight benefits through to enable them to be worn for a longer season. The shoe is very traditional looking with a brown nubuck upper, small mesh panels and a traditional tongue and lacing system on top of a vibram sole. The construction is robust with no signs of wear at the flex point at the…

RRP: £100 Weight: 300g (per sandal size 5.5) Keen are no strangers to making comfortable footwear designed around the actual shape of people’s feet. The Evofit is no exception providing a high level of comfort and support making them suitable for longer walks in hot weather than you might normally associate with a sandal – think of them more as an trail shoe with extra ventilation. The Evofit has a substantial sole with a lot of arch support, fitted with Keen’s trademark rand going all round the front toe box. This means there’s less issue with grit and sand getting…

Recommended Price: £135 Weight: 365g per shoe (men’s size 11) If you think all trail shoes look pretty similar, check out the appearance of th Salomon Outpath GTX. Though not quite as strange looking as their space-age boot version cousins (the Outpath Pro), these are still pretty unusual shoes. The quick laces are in two parts, ending in loops on the lower shoe, whilst the striking one-piece ‘seamless sensifit’ uppers (also available in grey if you are feeling less brave) are made of a thin but surprisingly rigid synthetic material that sheds water well but has a tendency to crease…

Recommended Price: £155 Weight: 555g per boot (size 11) Teva are best known for their sports sandals, so I was interested to get the chance to test out these leather boots over the spring. Teva say the Arrowhead Rivas are ‘built tough and technical for the most rugged terrain’, so I was suprised when I first tried them out to find that they are both very lightweight and extremely flexible for leather boots. I put Teva’s claims to the test by wearing them on long multi-day trips to both Knoydart and the Fisherfield Forest – taking in some of the…

Recommended Price: £215 Weight: 1.98kg (pair, UK size 12) Raichle was a well respected manufacturer of rugged mountain boots for many decades, before being absorbed into parent brand Mammut in 2009, but these boots – which still have a Raichle logo on the tongue – show that their tough pedigree has been retained. The boots are constructed of full grain leather and have a high cut, with a softer Nappa leather on the cuff and tongue. The uppers feel very stiff when new, but do develop a flex after wear. The tough construction is softened with memo foam inside, which…