Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Hiking Shoe
Beatrix Gerke
As the summer hiking season approached, it became clear that it was time to buy a new pair of hiking shoes. This process is always made more difficult by the multitude of foot problems I have: long toes, wide forefoot (bunions), severe over-pronater, and size 14. So I started researching what was new on the market, to get started in the process.
I read a review in Backpacker magazine for the Adidas Terrex "Free Hiker" boots. Now, I have to confess that I went into this with a poor attitude. Adidas... yeah, they make soccer cleats and jerseys, and basketball shoes, and running shoes, and gym shorts. What do they know about hiking and backpacking??
So even though the Terrex sub-brand has been making inroads into the outdoor community recently, I still had a prejudice against the brand. But the review I read had phrases like "the wide toebox was so comfortable," which really piqued my interest, tempered somewhat by the shoes' $200 price tag. But when Adidas was having a 30% off sale, I decided to take a chance and order them up.
Fit: Fit is probably slightly more generous than what I am used to, but I like a roomy shoe so that's not a big deal. Because of the unique sock-like liner though, they have a comfortable glove-like fit. They are super easy to get on. Almost every hiking shoe/boot I've ever owned has been a pain to get into, but these stretch right back, and the foot slides right in. I always use an aftermarket insole in my shoes, and my custom molded Sole footbeds fit right perfectly.
Comfort: The construction of this boot is a little unusual. There is no traditional "tongue" under the lacing, but a stretchy sock-like knit upper. You still need to wear socks! But it creates a nice cozy, stable feeling when they are on. The toe-box is indeed, very big and comfortable, and even on steep downhills, my toes don't feel like they're getting jammed into the front of the shoe. They feel more like a trail runner than a hiking shoe, and I find that I can wear them all day with less foot pain than I have experience in other shoes. This is probably the most comfortable hiking boot I've ever tried.
Water resistance: These shoes are not waterproof, which is just fine with me. For summer hiking, I prefer ventilation over water resistance, as my feet tend to get pretty hot during the warm Sierra summers. I do wear a lightweight gaiter over the shoe (Dirty Girls!), which gives another layer of protection. But even tromping through flooded and muddy trails in late spring/early summer conditions, I have yet to have any water get into the boots. I wasn't sure how breathable the knit upper would be, but my feet haven't yet overheated on long days.
Support: The sole has enough torsional support to protect the bottom of my feet and keep me stable. But they are nicely responsive, and the springy TPA midsole gives a little bounce when you get into a good trail rhythm (they advertise this as "Boost").
Traction: I have to confess... I am a died-in-the-wool Vibram man. One of the first things I look for when buying new hiking shoes, is that Vibram logo. The Free Hikers come with a Continental rubber outsole, which I'd not seen on a hiker before. But, I've owned bicycle tires and automobile tires from Continental, and been happy with them, so hoped to get over my non-Vibram prejudice.
Holy crap! These soles are the stickiest and most stable I have ever hiked in. I have yet to stumble or slide on scree, sand, sloppy mud, wet granite, or anything else the Sierra throws at me. I have even tried a few times to push the envelope, and these soles stick like crazy glue.
Durability: The shoes appear to be very well made. I will be interested to see how the stretchy knit upper fares over time. I haven't really seen anything else like it, and it seems like it might snag in certain conditions (bushwhacking, desert walking). It has a nice solid toe-cap in front, which I think will help.
I have had these for about a month now, and have hiked in them multiple times. I have tramped through the foothills, and done a few Tahoe Sierra area hikes in late spring/early summer conditions, and so far, am loving these boots!
Just back from a five-day, 28-mile backpack trip at Mount Rainier, the circumnavigation of the Mother Mountain complex. This hike has major up and down every day, and was a great test for the Free Hikers. Happy to report that they fulfilled all of my expectations over the five days. And for the first time ever on a multi-day backpack trip, I finished with NO foot blisters (those who have backpacked with me before, know what a big deal this is). Traction was stellar on scree, boulders, mud, steep snowfields, sand, etc. So glad I picked these up!
Five years after I first got these: when I first reviewed these, I posed the question about how the knit upper would wear over time. Hundreds of miles later, the upper is still in perfect condition. The main wear is on the outsole, but the upper has fared beautifully.
Informed by women-specific insights and tested alongside one of the largest women-only hiking communities in Europe, the shoe allows female hikers to connect with nature in comfort. Alongside the shoe, adidas launches an all-new apparel range.
With these insights in mind, the team created a number of potential female-specific lasts and gathered the thoughts on these from a selection of members from the Munich Mountain Girls, a community of over 24,000 mountain-loving women, who connect and empower women, digitally and in real life. Their invaluable insight allowed the team to assess which placement of cushioning and support provided the most effective hiking experience, as well as tracking durability between prototypes.
Leveraging these unique insights, the adidas TERREX WMN Hiker Mid Rain.Rdy was formed making it the perfect shoe for women looking to enjoy the outdoors, from casual walks to weekend hike trips. Key features of the shoe include:
Launching alongside the adidas TERREX WMN Hiker Mid Rain.Rdy is an all-new women-focussed adidas TERREX apparel range, ensuring hikers are equipped with the latest technology from head to toe. The apparel range is all made in part with recycled materials and features:
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The adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Gore-Tex hiking boots are said to give you the build, comfort, and support of a hiking boot with the lightweight design of a hiking shoe. Even though the shoe is incredibly light, adidas included a Gore-Tex membrane to help keep out water and any elements you may find while hiking. And despite having some Gore-Tex hiking boots that lack breathability, these hiking boots help keep your feet sweat-free on your adventures. The ankle portion of the boot is soft and comfortable while still providing support. And the best part? The adidas Terrex Free Hikers are made in part from recycled materials!
It's very cushioned and comfortble. Its structure is as stable as it gets. Its grip is superb. Its Gore-Tex membrane works like charm. And that's why we choose the Adidas Terrex Swift R3 GTX as the best overall hiking shoe from Adidas.
While it scored a perfect 5/5 on the torsional rigidity test, which means that it is very stiff and almost impossible to twist, even a little bit, this hiking shoe is actually rather flexible. It's actually 6.7% more flexible than the average hiking shoe. We needed a force of 34.1N to bend it to 90 degrees on our flexibility test, while the average force needed for hiking shoes is 36.4N. This translates to a more natural ride and we loved how the shoe flexed with our feet, especially on more demanding hikes.
On the bottom of the shoe it reads "Lugs 4.5 mm". In the lab, our caliper measurements confirmed this, they are indeed 4.5 mm thick. They are not just thicker than average but their bite is very secure. We appreciated that especially when going downhill.
With a heel stack height of 36.6 mm (the average is 33.5 mm) and a footbed that's 18% softer than the average, this is a very comfortable hiking shoe. We noticed that our feet experienced much less fatigue after hikes, especially the longer ones. We definitely attribute this generous cushioning and stability.
The Terrex Trailmaker is by far the most lightweight shoe in the Adidas hiking shoe range. Popping it on our scales in the lab, it clocked in at a slight 12.7 oz (361g). 1.2 oz (34g) lighter than the average hiking shoe, it even manages to shave 12% off the weight of the Terrex Swift R3 GTX! This shoe is perfect for long day hikes when every ounce counts.
Measuring 30.6 mm, the heel stack is 3 mm lower than average, while the forefoot is around the average at 21 mm. With a lower-than-average drop of 9.6 mm, hikers who enjoy the sensation of the ground passing beneath them will appreciate the additional ground feel that this slimmed-down midsole provides. Protection is still present - our durometer measurements showed the midsole measures 29.5 HA, only 4% softer than average. On our hikes, our feet still felt supported and protected from sharp objects, whilst enjoying the soft cushioning to the max.
The Adidas Terrex Trailmaker looks after wide feet. At the widest point, the forefoot, we measured the shoe to be 3.7 mm wider than average, and it gets better the further forward we go. Instead of narrowing quickly around the toes like many shoes, the Trailmaker remains 3.2 mm wider than average at the big toe. We enjoyed the extra wiggle-room for our toes, especially on hot days!
A hiking shoe that can do a little bit of everything, feels very secure, loves biting the softer ground and even has some recycled elements? And it retails at $90? Of course, it must be our best budget pick in the world of hiking shoes from Adidas!
The price is what dreams are made of. This makes the Adidas Terrex AX4 30% cheaper than the average hiking shoe. But when we took it to multiple hikes and cut it in half in our lab: that's when we realized why this is such a great budget hiking shoe.
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