Here’s something you’ve never heard from us before, so read it carefully. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your hiking style is, you need to try these boots out. Period, full stop. Read on for why…

Is this an entirely new paradigm for hiking boots?

When we saw the Xero Xcursion boots at this summer’s Outdoor Retailer show in Denver, we immediately wanted to try them. They check off a lot of our boxes; for starters, they’re insanely light for a mid height boot, at 13 ounces per boot in our size 11. For any sort of fast and light work, that’s a huge bonus over almost any other boot in our stable. Second, they’re fully waterproof; in the East, we pretty much consider that a necessity. Third, they’re reasonably priced, at a $160 retail (better prices can typically be found online, of course). Fourth, they have a ridiculous 5,000 mile sole warranty; ultralight boots typically have a very short sole life. Now, we’re not sure how they calculate that…we don’t log our miles that accurately. We did see noticeable wear on the boots that got the most wear (likely in the 300 mile range, with a mix of backwoods and pavement). But functionally, it means that they’ll guarantee these for a whole lot of miles, and a whole lot of time.

But on top of that, they use a zero-drop sole design. We’ve tested those before, and found that we tend to get very good traction and “feel” of the trails with them in general. With the Xero Xcursion having such a thin sole, we figured they’d be a great scrambling boot, with enough protection for our ankles that we’d enjoy Eastern granite summits more than with low-cut lightweights. Add all of that together, and they seemed like a good fit for a lot of our activities with a daypack or less. And we were right…but we were also wrong.

First Things First: Watch The Fit

So, when you try on a pair of Xero Xcursions, you may well make the same fit mistake we made. The forefoot and toe box are wide and open and feel loose; we felt the 10 1/2 was true to size, and perhaps a little large. Until testers got out in the field and found they were getting a lot of toe bang on steep downhills. Don’t let that open toe box fool you…the Xcursion actually runs slightly on the short side. Our testers bumped up to an 11, and were fully happy with the result.

BUT, and it’s a big one…you have to get used to the boot not being snug over your entire foot. It isn’t, it never will be, and based on our experiences it isn’t necessary or even desirable (unlike with other boots). Because the sole is so flat and thin, as long as our heel is held well, we had no loss of stability from the free floating forefoot. What we DID have was a lot more comfort; long days without being footsore, and when our feet did the typical late afternoon swelling, there was plenty of room for them. No pressure, no hot spots, no discomfort.

The only other fit issue was around the shin. The top of the boot is quite open, and a tester with “spindle shanks” had trouble tightening it down around his leg. For most people, it won’t be a big issue, but we’d like to see Xero move the speed eyelets a little farther back. That would resolve the problem, and if they moved the lower one back a bit more than the upper, it would help keep your heel planted better (it’s very good now, but any skier who has used a Full Tilt/Raichle/Dalbello 3-buckle boot will understand what we mean).

One more minor concern that we had; the Xero design uses a nylon webbing piece that goes around the heel, down to the sole, and back up to become one of the eyelets. Pretty cool design, pulling all of those areas together to help pull your heel back into the pocket, but it IS exposed. With Eastern Granite, we could see that strap becoming frayed. It appears to be easily replaceable, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t fail while you’re in the middle of nowhere.

Next: Ditch Your Preconceptions

Here’s where the fun really began…using the Xero Xcursions. Immediate feedback was that they were so light and comfortable, testers weren’t just using them for hiking; they were wearing them grocery shopping, to PTA meetings, pretty much everywhere. Breathability was exceptional, so long, warm days weren’t an issue (we have to wonder if that loose fit is a factor, allowing more air to flow in and out).

Hiking, though, proved that the Xcursion isn’t just a novelty. On trail, off trail, scrambling up and down rocky summits, they surprised us with their comfort and control. We had concerns about how well the “chevron” sole would grip, but found it was much better than we expected, except on slimy, wet, algae covered rocks and logs. Those are tough on any sole, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. Overall, we were more impressed with the grip than we expected to be.

The biggest surprise, though, came when we used the boots while carrying a pack. The first time, a tester went out with a roughly 35 pound pack, and expected to find that the boots felt overmatched…and he was wrong. His notes contain things like “just crossed a sidehill, felt totally planted,” and “on the way back out, I forgot I was testing boots and just hiked, never noticed them” (although it was an early morning breaking of camp, and limited coffee may have been a factor).

That led us to push even more, with one tester carrying a load of over 75 pounds for several miles…and no sense of insecurity! Our take was that by letting our feet “roam” inside the boot and coupling that with the flat, minimalist sole, we had a better connection with the ground and less opportunity to slip. And, when we DID slip, it was more of a skid than a roll. As in, the boot slid out, but we didn’t have a significant ankle roll; there again, having our foot so low to the surface means less leverage against our ankles. No matter the cause, regardless of the pack weight or the terrain, we had exactly zero (or perhaps “Xero”?) ankle twists.

Be Careful About Break-In; You, That Is, Not The Boots

The final “major” test came when one tester used the boots for a multi-day backpacking hunting trip in Southern New Hampshire. He averaged almost 15 miles a day in extremely rugged terrain, steep and rocky, carrying roughly 30 pounds, almost none of it on trails, and all of it without the added security of trekking poles. A lot of the terrain required side-hill edging, and while the sole of the Xcursion doesn’t look like it would handle that well, he found the footing more secure than with his favorite hikers. And although a lot of the hiking was literally granite boulder to granite boulder, the lack of cushioning didn’t lead to being footsore at the end of the day (a huge surprise to all of us). When all was said and done, he felt that he’d been able to push more for longer days thanks to the weight and secure footing.

He also, thanks to where he was hiking, had a lot of opportunity to test how effective the waterproofing was, and it was simply flawless. No moisture entered the boots even when wading across wide, shallow streams, and as mentioned before the breathability continued to be excellent. One note about that, though; the gusseted tongue only comes up to about your ankle bone, so deeper water WILL come in over the top.

However, he did find the one “flaw” in the boots; his own Achilles’ tendon. Here’s the problem…if you’re used to “regular” boots with a heel, your Achilles will have shortened slightly (it’s something often discussed around women wearing high heels; this is the same thing, but to a lesser degree). And tendons don’t like to stretch. By the end of day 2, he was definitely feeling inflamed in that area, and on day 3, it was definitely worse, particularly going uphill.

Bizarrely enough, he got some relief by letting the sole go flat while climbing, rather than staying on his toes. After a few days of rest, though, the pain was gone, and further efforts in the boots bothered him not at all. We’d highly recommend doing a whole lot of calf stretches as you prepare for using the Xero Xcursions for long days.

Thinking Outside The Box: Enhanced Stability For Seniors

Here’s where we really move beyond traditional uses for boots. One tester has a father who is 85, was always an outdoorsman, but is now getting a little less stable, so doesn’t get out in the woods much. Since they have the same foot size, he had Dad give the Xero Xcursions a try, and the difference was shocking. Dad motored up and down trails that he hadn’t felt comfortable on, with ease, and started going back out in the woods more.

So…well, there’s Mom, too. She’s not an outdoorsy type, but she HAS had balance issues; three falls in the past year. We put her in a pair of the boots, and as she walked around, we could see her face light up. She even went out and took a walk in the woods and came back beaming; she felt perfectly safe. THAT’S something new!

The Big Question: Is The Xero Xcursion Right For You?

There’s always that bottom line with any outdoors product; nothing is perfect for everyone. The kicker here, though, is that the Xero Xcursion met needs for every single person we had try them out, and THAT is unprecedented in our experience. It’s why we’re making the recommendation that every single person give them a try, and give them more of a chance than you’d dream of (one of our friends picked one up, looked it over, and explained all of the things wrong with it for hiking…of course, in actual testing, we found out he was utterly wrong about all of them).

Our greatest regret? The Xcursion has no insulation at all, making it a limited partner for winter in the Northeast. That said, we have spent time wearing them in the snow and cold and yet again, they’ve outperformed our expectations. We’ve worn them at 25 degrees in 4 inches of fresh snow for the better part of an hour without anything other than minor coolness in the toebox. One female tester took them out for a long walk in subfreezing temperatures against her better judgement, and came back prepared to use them judiciously through the winter. Our best guess is that the loose fit allows more blood flow than we typically get with a more tight fitting boot, but whether it’s that or something else, we’re impressed to the point of being shocked. That said…Xero, how about an insulated boot for the Northerners so that we can wear them in ALL conditions, all year long?

For us, the Xero Xcursion is a permanent fixture in our hiking life…well, until Xero brings out something better!