I spend most of my weekends in the outdoors, so I know there is nothing more important than your footwear. The shoes you wear need to be able to cushion your feet on challenging terrain and also to help support you if your backpack is heavy. Having on a pair of the best hiking boots can make the most challenging expedition 10 times easier.
From more challenging mountain hikes to muddy trail walks, I have taken the Icebug Rover 2 RB9X GTX shoes out on all of my adventures for the last month (after spending a while breaking them in). They have held up extremely well and are the only shoes I reach for now when I'm heading out.
Eco-conscious
The Icebugs are designed with the environment in mind. This is a real win for me as I want to do everything in my power to protect the natural world. Icebug has prioritized using recycled and naturally biodegradable materials to ensure there is as little impact on the environment as possible. This makes me feel great when I head out hiking in them.
The midsole of the shoe is made from 20% bloom foam. This is made from a type of algae that experiences overgrowth in some parts of the world, so harvesting this algae can help to restore balance in waterways, increasing biodiversity in the areas.
Other components of the shoe, like the bottom outsole, prioritize using recycled and natural rubber, while the inner heel and toe reinforcements are made from recycled plastic. And 11-12% of this plastic is made from recycled nylon fishing nets.
Totally water resistant
As we turn into the winter months and the weather starts to get wetter, there’s going to be a lot more rain to contend with. And that also means facing extreme mud.
Luckily, these shoes are fully waterproof with a GORE-TEX lining membrane. So I was free to splash through all the muddy puddles I liked and keep my socks dry in the process. Of course, if you encounter a particularly deep puddle, some water may sneak in through the top.
The lining is also snag-resistant, and no matter how many thorny bushes I encountered, there were no pulls in the shoes, and they still looked good as new after wiping away any remaining mud.
BOA fit system
The shoes have a BOA fit system, which was a new feature for me. Upon first glance, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the “lace up” tech. But once I used it, I was hooked and now pulling on hiking shoes without it would feel like — pardon the pun — a backwards step.
It works by tightening the laces with a knob on the outside of the shoe to the desired fit and then pushing down the knob to lock it in place. It’s a very easy and simple system that would also work well for anyone with dexterity issues.
But what struck me about this technology is that the laces didn’t become looser at any point. The fit was secure throughout my whole walk, and I never had to stop to tighten. With my regular hiking boots, I need to stop at least once on any hike to make sure I retie my laces at least once; having the BOA fit certainly saved time.
These are my new go-to weekend adventure shoes, but make sure that you dedicate some time to breaking them in, as they are stiff to begin with. You can also find out more about my experience testing the shoes in my full Icebug Rover 2 RB9X GTX review.
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