Danner, a well-known name for military and uniform boots, also has a range of lighter footwear such as this N45 Mid GTX shoe, writes Mike Gormley.
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After many years on my ‘wish list’, I have at last been able to try out some Danner footwear. Looking back very many years, Danner Boots were a bit of a ‘holy grail’ for those in the UK military who could afford to buy their own boots and were allowed to wear them. These days there is, of course, a huge range of footwear to choose from but Danner has not been asleep on their pedestal. They now have a significant range of both military and civilian footwear to choose from to suit the majority of end-users.
Over past months I have been wearing these Danner N45 Mid GTX shoes. The term ‘shoe’ somehow doesn’t seem quite right for these as they are closer to a boot really but, this said, the N45 model sits in the middle. These have been on many and varied trips with me and are well-suited to multi-tasking; from fine dry walks on the coast, to trips to the pub as well as for general travel. They coped very well indeed in the frozen north, where I regularly transited from hard dry surfaces to ice and packed snow. For this they did very well with the grippy softer compound rubber of the Vibram Traction Lug soles with well-spaced tread. These outsoles extend up the toes and heels to grab that bit of grip on steep ascents and descents.
Inside there is the EnduroFoam nitrogen-infused foam, which helps to absorb shock and so adds to the general comfort. This can be seen on the section between uppers and soles, and the benefits are clearly noticeable on heel strike. There is a TPU Rock Plate under the instep to offer added protection and the soles in this area are ribbed to reduce the risk of sliding off sideways on edges.
The uppers of these N45 Shoes are made from a nylon and polyester blend and offer a lightweight element to the overall design. A GORE-TEX Invisible Fit membrane is used to provide full waterproofing and breathability to these boots.
The ankles are well protected with additional padding in those crucial areas. The overall design of these boots gives a slightly wider front area so good for those who, like me, have wide feet; especially when under load and for longer periods on the go. The top two lacing eyelets are easy run-through but not open-hooked, so give quick and easy adjustment without having the type of hooks that might catch or catch on passing foliage or obstructions.
There are a lot of design features in these to help the wearer to have a comfortable and safe trip – wherever that might lead to. And on those travels you will not have to carry much additional weight. According to Danner these tip the scales at only 29oz a pair (presumably for the shoe industry standard sample size US9 / UK8 / EU41.5) which works out at 410g per shoe in metric units.
There is a variety of styles and colours to choose from in the Danner N45 range, both Mid-height as here and Low, with or without GTX membrane.
[images © Jean or Mike Gormley]
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