AKU Alterra GTX
+ price; weight; toe rubber rand; outsole lugs; soft ankle cuff
less durable upper – AKU‘s Elica Natural StrideSystem design naturally supports the foot for less fatigue. The upper is suede leather with stretch fabric around the tongue and ankle cuff, and there’s a Gore-Tex waterproof lining. You get a rubber rand at the toe, which is also stiffly reinforced. Underfoot, there’s a Vibram sole with deep, well-spaced lugs and a heel breast. The weight is particularly impressive for the design. 4/5
Men’s sizes range from 3 to 13, while women’s are 3 to 8. The boot fits well with a wider forefoot area than some others, but with a slightly narrow toe. The ankle cuff is a similar height to others, but is much softer. The tongue fits very neatly and does not bunch at all. All in all, it’s a very neat fit. 5/5
The lacing runs really smoothly through the eyelets and the tongue material is slightly stretchy, resulting in uppers moulding closer to the foot than other designs. The ankle cuff is particularly comfortable, due to stretchy fabric. The sole flexes smoothly with no bunching of material. Overall this appears to comfortably hug the foot more than other designs. 5/5
The fit and comfort are top-notch, and walking along level paths is a joy. The outsole lugs give grip on softer ground, with enough stiffness to easily cross rocky ground. My concern is that the stretch fabric may prove to be less durable than other designs if used on too much rough ground. But for trekking and hill and mountain walking on paths, this is excellent. 4/5
This is very well-priced for its fit, comfort and trekking performance, as long as you don’t need even more durability. 4/5
Fantastic for trekking on paths, walking over hills and mountains, scrambles and via ferrata-style rocky ridges, but others have benefits on the 4.4/5 roughest of rock routes.