Hi-Tec Oakhurst Trail WP JR ~ Kids Hiking Boot
A few years ago we purchased some Hi-Tec boots for our (then 3 year old) daughter. They performed beautifully, and are now being worn by her little brother. So I recently approached Hi-Tec and asked to test out one of their newer styles of kids hiking boots: the Oakhurst Trail WP JR.
Here’s how they fit and performed.
Hi-Tec Oakhurst Trail WP JR ~ Kids Hiking Boot
Kids grow so fast. It can be challenging to keep them in all the different *types* of shoes that they need, in their rapidly changing sizes.
While we’ve debated on the merits of purchasing hiking boots for our children to use (vs having them wear their tennis shoes), we’ve come to a middle ground that I’m quite comfortable with. We buy a nice, gender neutral pair for the older one… and we eventually have both kids get use out of them.
I selected the Oakhurst Trail boot specifically because of a very cool feature it has: Big-Fit system, made up of two insoles. When the kids begin to outgrow the shoes, you can take both insoles out, reinsert the green insole… and they will gain about 2/3 of a size, giving them an additional 2-3 months of life. What an awesome idea!
I’ve found my kids do better on the trail in a true hiking boot. That has definitely proved true, watching my daughter wear the Hi-Tec Oakhurst Trail boot on our hikes. The excellent tread gives them much better traction, to help navigate terrain more safely and with additional agility.
The interior cushioning makes these boots much more comfortable for her to wear hiking, than tennis shoes would be. Translation: If your kids are wearing comfortable hiking boots, you can hike longer!
Although they look quite beefy, this is actually a surprisingly light boot. Made with a full grain/nubuck leather upper, they weigh in at 9.5 oz.
And my last favorite feature, and strong argument for hiking boots over tennis shoes on the trail: waterproof bootie construction. You never know when you’ll encounter water. Whether said water could be easily by-passed or not is irrelevant for most kids… water means jumping in it (or at least walking through it)! Keeping your kids feet dry and protected, without any soggy socks or chafing, will definitely add to their enjoyment of the hike.
And as if all of that wasn’t enough, the Hi-Tec Oakhurst Trail hiking boot comes with a 60 day comfort guarantee, and a 1 year warranty. “We guarantee our consumers will be completely satisfied with our products.” I like a company that stands behind their products.
These boots are a tiny bit stiff, making them a little hard to pull the laces tight. This is due to the solid construction, and leather upper material used. We have not used them long enough to truly break them in, however, and I believe they will become more supple with use. My daughter is really happy with them, and says they are very comfortable… so it’s probably a non-issue.
Overall, this is quality hiking boot for kids, with some great features. We would definitely recommend Hi-Tec kids hiking boots to others. You can find the Hi-Tec Oakhurst Trail WP JR on their website.
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I received a pair of Hi-Tec Oakhurt Trail hiking boots at no cost, for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.
