These shoes are made for walking and that’s just what they’ll do!
Being due to head on a hike up Snowdon, I knew I would be able to really test the Haix Black Eagle Adventure shoes. As it turned out, we didn’t quite get there. While new travel restrictions due to COVID 19 stopped us traveling to Wales, we still took advantage of a long weekend getting out and about.
Testing the Haix Black Eagle Adventure while geocaching
For weekend walks we are trying to go to different places to keep it interesting. A friend recently introduced us to geocaching, so we often find a loop or a series to follow and off we set.
A little about geocaching: I describe it to people like a treasure hunt (although there is no treasure as such). We have an app and navigate to find ‘caches’, which are containers with a log inside, where you add your name and date and tick it off on the app.
These sorts of walks mean we have no idea where we are going, how long we will be walking for, or what the terrain will be. With the recent weather being what it has been, we normally resort to footwear that is suitable for walks off the beaten track. We are very often on trails, climbing up trees, jumping across ditches, following public footpaths (which are very often across or down the side of fields) and steep ascents and descents. It is regularly muddy and wet and definitely adds something interesting to our normal dog walks!
And this is where good footwear comes in!
The importance of good hiking shoes
With all the different terrain, you want something comfortable, sturdy, with good grip, that can hold up against the elements and is waterproof. There is nothing worse than trying on a pair of walking or hiking boots and feeling immediately they will need to be worn in. A long walk or hike is not exactly the time you want to be doing that.
I picked the colour of my Black Eagle Adventure shoes from the women’s range. When they turned up I will admit that I laughed! Not because of the shoes, but because I knew they would stay that colour for all of about 5 minutes. It was true. They were soon covered in mud, but that was ok as my feet were still warm and dry! This was not surprising as the inner lining is Gore-Tex so waterproof and breathable.
A comfortable fit
When I put the shoes on they were instantly comfortable. At no point did they feel like they were rubbing or uncomfortable at all. The style of laces (elastic smart lacing) on these shoes is something I much prefer compared to normal laces that are tied. They have a pull to tighten and a little material flap to tuck the excess lace away, which was a nice touch.
Non-slip tread
The tread was good, and I didn’t slip despite many miles in thick mud. I didn’t lose a shoe to the mud either! I am always a little cautious going downhill and do need to trust the shoes I am wearing, but these were great. After a quick hose down the light upper material was slightly discoloured but the mud washed straight off. Nice and easy and dry again for the following days walking.
Final thoughts
I am really impressed with the Haix Black Eagle Adventure 2.2 and would definitely recommend them. These shoes are certainly going to get a lot of wear during the coming months!
Find out more
The shoes are £124.90 and can be found here.
Follow Haix on Instagram @haixdeutschland
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