TreeLineBackpacker

The Danner MTN 45 hiking shoes are built to perform in rough, rugged conditions. They are constructed with a combination of leather and synthetic materials, placed upon a wide, robust footbed. Stradling the line between the agility of a shoe but the footprint of a boot, just how do they perform in the real world? This is my review:

I’ve been testing the MTN 45 from Danner for about three months now. I’ve had them on dirt, concrete, mute, water crossings, and even frozen valleys. After hundreds of miles and hours, I’ve found that they are indeed rugged shoes.

The MTN 45 are constructed with a full nubuck leather upper that is mostly devoid of any type of seams or glue. It is mostly one large piece of leather with a single seam along the inside arch of the foot. They feature a thick and grippy Vibram outsole with wide spaced lugs to emphasize grip on wet and muddy conditions. They feature synthetic laces, metal eyelets, and a relatively breathable mesh interior. The shoes are re-craftable too, meaning they can be repaired by Danner and include a one year warranty. They retail for $220, come in three colors, and are available now.

When it comes to fit, I found the MTN 45 to be slightly wider and bulkier than other shoes I’ve tried recently, and in my mind this is positive change. Shoes have been getting more and more narrow, and while this is fine from an aesthetic point of view, this causes problems on the trail. Bunched toes and crowded toe boxes translates directly into pain when on challenging terrain. The MTN 45 thankfully provide plenty of room in the front for the toes to spread out and shift, avoiding painful toenail injuries and friction. The shoes still fit snug around the ankle, heel and the top of the foot, so overall they feel really great.

On the trail itself, the MTN 45 perform really well for a shoe. They have thick soles, chonky lugs, and a somewhat robust upper that does an excellent job of absorbing the beating of the trail. Rocks and roots are softened well, providing plenty of arch support for fast and light hiking, while the upper provides a low friction point of contact that has left me blister free, with the appropriate socks. The Vibram soles have large lugs that are soft and pliable, which allowed them to stick to muddy rocks, slick roots, and hard packed surfaces alike with no issue. Traction on pavement was also excellent. The toes of the shoes are only lightly re-inforced, so I have felt rocks or roots punch through on occasion. So careful with the toes when stepping through rock and debris. I also noticed the heel of my foot could slip up and down against the back of the shoe on steep climbs, which isn’t unusual for a shoe. It wasn’t a huge issue but would be worse for users with a looser fit/in between sizes fit.

Weight wise, the MTN 45 are a bit heavier than their fully synthetic counter parts (like the N45) and that weight penalty is felt on the trail a bit. While I wouldn’t call them fatiguing, the heavy soles in particular are quite notable as it almost feels like a boot at times. Still, the payoff is more traction and much better impact protection than most trail shoes offer, which means less soreness in the feet. It’s a tradeoff that I have happily made and really only noticed when I first put the shoes on.

Let’s talk durability. So far the shoes are holding up really well. The leather upper should prove to hold up long term per usual with Danner boots and shoes, and if they don’t they can be repaired. The treat is wearing out somewhat quicker than I would prefer, but this is owed to the softer rubber compound that allows for better traction. The one point of concern is in the heel where the same synthetic wrapping is used inside the shoes, which wore out on my N45s that I tested a while back. This is after hundreds of hours and they’re still fine to wear, but I would probably prefer if they swapped this meshy material out with something more robust in the future.

Overall

I quite like the M45 trail shoes by danner. They’re rugged, provide excellent traction, and feel really nice on the trail paired with a lightweight pack. I’ve used them hiking, camping, walking, and even biking, and they’ve held up rather well in every scenario. I adore their ability to be “recrafted” which should keep them on the trail even longer, and the bill of materials is overall an excellent choice. They are a touch heavy and box for a modern shoe, but I think this is one aspect of modern shoes that needs to be re-evaluated anyway. If a lightweight hiker that can do double duty on the streets is the goal, this is fine option.

Highly Recommended

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