A question that people are asking more and more lately is whether or not Blundstones are good for hiking. After hours of research and trying out I feel pretty confident in saying that I have the complete answer for you.
Blundstones are not made for hiking, they lack ankle support and they don’t fit well enough to prevent your feet from moving around within the shoe. On top of that, they are not breathable at all. This will lead to blisters and a poor hiking experience.
So does that mean that Blundstones are absolutely terrible for any type of hike? Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say that. It is true that I would not recommend them for longer trips, they might make up for a decent alternative if you don’t have any dedicated hiking shoes. Now, if you are planning of hiking 10+ miles, I would already make the investment and buy a good pair of hiking shoes. Even if you would barely use them. Remember, if you know where to look, you can get decent hiking shoes for a really cheap price.
Also, the quality of Blundstones have gone down in the past years. It used to be an indestructible work shoe, but now it has become more a fashion shoe than anything else. They used to be produced in Australia, since they’re manufacturing switched to the USA, the overall quality took a heavy hit.
All that being said, I do like Blundstones as “travel shoes”, where you would use them for an occasional short hike. The shoes have a lot of good qualities, just not the ones we would want for performing longer hikes. Let’s take a more detailed look at some of Blundstones qualities and shortcomings.
Fitting
One of the first really big issues with using Blundstones as a hiking shoe is that they will not fit you as a hiking shoe is supposed to fit. A Blundstone does not have laces, this might be convenient for everyday use, but this also means that your shoes will not fit tightly around your feet.
Why is this so important? Well, this will create friction between your feet and shoes, and this is exactly what causes blisters!
For shorter hiking trips, you probably won’t even notice this. However, once you commit to a longer hike (+10 miles) or even a multiday hiking trip, you are surely going to regret this.
So if you ask me if Blundstones are good for hiking? I would already say not really, only based on the fact that they don’t fit like a hiking shoe should.
Traction and grip
When it comes to traction and grip, the Blundstones may outperform a regular sneaker, but they are once again no match for a real hiking shoe. Even the cheaper hiking shoes perform a lot better when it comes to traction.
Is a good grip absolutely necessary in a hiking shoe? Unless you would limit your hiking to very easy hiking trails where you just don’t need any traction I would say yes, a hiking shoe needs a good grip.
Ankle support
In terms of ankle support, the Blundstone gets once again outperformed by a real hiking shoe.
That being said, the Blundstones will usually take the win when competing with a traditional sneaker.
The Blundstone doesn’t perform terrible, but simply not good enough for hiking.
Durability
Blundstones and durability, there are a lot of misconceptions here. Most people claim that Blundstones are indestructible. However, there is something that most of these people have in common, they all have old Blundstones.z
See the quality of Blundstones have decreased a lot in the last years. The people who claim that Blundstones are fantastic are the people who are still using a very old version of the shoe, since you know, they were (almost) indestructible, so they could last many, many years.
However, once the manufacturing of these shoes shifted from Australia to the USA, the quality became pretty poor. All of a sudden, the awesome durability shoes couldn’t live up to their name anymore.
Breathability
Another feature where Blundstone isn’t scoring good points when it comes to hiking is breathability. The shoes are not breathable at all and if you are hiking for a couple of hours (or a lot less in warm weather) you will start to sweat. Not only is this an uncomfortable and unpleasant feeling, this will also result in blisters.
The shoes are pretty warm, this can be a good or a bad thing. However, a warm shoe that is not breathable will definitely result in sweaty feet. On the other hand, these shoes are not warm enough to be used on a cold winter hike either.
So are Blundstones good for hiking? Well, it’s getting pretty clear that the answer is a simple no. Except for short or mild hikes of course.
Price
Blundstones come in many different shapes and sizes, this also means different prices. However, you will definitely be spending more than $100 for a pair of Blundstones.
If you are spending this money with the idea that you are getting a good all round shoe that could also be used for hiking, you should really reconsider.
You can get a solid hiking shoe for a fraction of the price of a Blundstone. Once again, you are paying for the brand and the fashion aspect more than anything else.
My recommendations when it comes to cheap hiking shoes can be found in this article: The best budget-friendly hiking shoes.
Where to buy Blundstones?
If you are still interested in buying Blundstones, you can usually find the best price on amazon: Blundstones.
I used to recommend going to store and make sure to fit properly before buying an expensive shoe. However, these days, it’s very easy to return a shoe when you buy it from amazon. Therefore, I wouldn’t even bother with going to an actual store.
Keep in mind that prices are constantly changing, and it’s almost impossible to keep up. If you want to make sure you get the best price for this product (and any other product for that matter), make sure to use Honey. It’s an extension that will automatically check for the best price online and apply all possible coupon codes. I have been using it for a couple of months and has saved me quite some money already! You can sign up by clicking here.
Conclusion
So let’s come to the conclusion are Blunstones good for hiking, or not? Let me put it this way: If you came here asking yourself whether or not you should buy Blundstones for hiking purposes the answer would be a clear no. However, if you already have Blundstones and you are wondering if it’s okay to start hiking in them, you can definitely try as long as the hike isn’t too long or hard.
Once your hike will be more than 10 miles, I wouldn’t even try to use Blundstones, look at a good hiking alternative instead.
All in all, Blundstones simply don’t have the qualities to be a good hiking boot. They aren’t even as durable as they once were. That being said, they are still getting praise for being a solid work shoe or a solid regular shoe.
That wraps it up for this article, do you have any experience with Blundstones? Or do you have any questions? Feel free to contact me through the comment section below, thanks!
FYI, I recently wrote about a similar question: Are Timberlands good for hiking? Which actually had a more positive response.