Stripped-down light hikers can leave weekend adventurers craving a little more of everything. But, just like my pre-ramble, all-you-can-eat Southern breakfast, the Eclipse XCR fills the plate. Balancing strength and flexibility, this waterproof Gear of the Year winner made a meal of Alabama’s rugged Pinhoti Trail in a hard winter rain.

1. Ankle sprains are the Achilles’ heel of low-cut footwear, but the Eclipse XCR fights back. A high inner cuff stabilizes the joint to discourage it from rolling inward, while a rigid leather strip lining the outside of the upper cuff kept me secure on the scree.

2. Many load-bearing hikers have overbuilt heels that impart a ski-boot gait—not pretty when you’re negotiating a crowded pub with a full, apr猫s-tramp pint. However, the back of the heel on the Eclipse swoops upward, for sneaker-like strolling.

3. Smallish tongues can shift, often leading to chafing at the intersection of ankle and foot. To reduce slippage, Garmont equipped this hiker with a broader tongue that extends down toward the ankle on the inboard side of your foot.

4. Even after shouldering a 30-pound pack, the plastic web in the cushy midsole kept my feet in the game. I could feel the material working like an in-shoe backbone, supporting my soles and lessening fatigue without compromising flex.

5. You won’t slosh around in these bad lads, thanks to a Gore-Tex XCR membrane, which functions like a pair of rubber galoshes. But watch out: XCR can choke in high temps; my toes felt damp after trekking through steamy ravines in the soggy Chattahoochee National Forest.

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These wafer-thin socks rule for high-mileage jaunts in close-fitting shoes. With 69 percent merino, the fabric feels cool as cotton, while a dose of nylon hugs the arch like a second skin. smartwool.com

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ONE TOUGH CUSTOMERThe Breeze Low keeps its cool in warm weather with ultrabreathable nylon mesh, deployed here on both side panels and tongue. But the Breeze is no featherweight: Bands of leather cradle the scuff-prone mesh, shielding it from abrasion, and a plastic armor plate below the midsole guards against bruising rocks.

Bonus: Steep-angled outsole lugs grip like a mountain goat.

Bummer: Those with wide feet may yearn for a touch more adjustability in the laces.

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Don’t settle for socks that go flat. The X-Hale Trailhead has double loops of thread at the ball, heel, and ankle, so high-impact areas won’t get crushed by miles of impact. bridgedaleusa.com

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SPEEDY HYBRIDVector charts a course that’s swift, stable, and true. The reason? Hi-Tec injected the shoe with a hypodermic needle full of running-shoe DNA—it’s very flexible and weighs only 13 ounces. But like a heavy-duty hiking boot, the Vector proved surpris-ingly water-resistant.

Bonus: A closed-mesh upper and tongue let my feet breathe from above.

Bummer: The shoe isn’t that rigid side-to-side, so weak ankles may suffer.

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Butter. That’s the best way to describe the feel of these socks, which blend soft merino and alpaca fibers. Wicking channels at the forefoot move moisture up to the ankle, where it evaporates more easily. dahlgrenfootwear.com

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MUCK BUSTERStylewise, the most I can say about the Renegade is that, well, it won’t exactly upstage your Gap khakis. But performance is what counts, and, with a full-grain leather upper and a stiff, three-quarter shank planted beneath the polyurethane midsole, these sturdy mud-lovers hand a whuppin’ to slick roots, scratchy underbrush, and heinous descents.

Bonus: A modest toecap—as opposed to a full rand—won’t make you look like Paul Bunyan waiting for Babe.

Bummer: All-leather shoes take forever to dry in clammy conditions.

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Get socks that’ll outlast your shoes. These seem like they were forged rather than knitted. After a two-month pounding, the merino/nylon/Lycra socks look good as new. darntough.com

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1. The Gore-Tex XCR–lined Sandstone has a strip of airy mesh along the tongue (where it can best release the foot’s heat) and leather/tightly woven mesh along the sides, where durability is key. The upshot: No sweaty feet or blisters—even after four back-to-back 12-mile days—and no blowouts.

2. Adjacent lugs are positioned at opposing angles. When the shoe strikes the ground, the lugs deform slightly, absorbing energy throughout the heel-to-toe motion. Sportiva calls it the “impact brake system.” We call it regenerative braking for humans—our legs felt better than expected at day’s end.

3. That spring in your step? It’s actually an arc of TPU plastic that runs along the sides of the shoe. In addition to transferring energy from heel to toe, it prevents your foot from rolling on rocky terrain. Compared with other reinforcement materials, molded TPU is less clunky; it doesn’t stiffen your stride.

4. A typical toe bumper made of thick rubber can make a shoe feel cumbersome. So La Sportiva sprayed a lightweight mixture of sand, glue, and rubber directly onto the Sandstone’s toe box. The stuff saves weight, and its low profile and tacky grip afford an approach-shoe feel when you’re scrambling.

5. The Sandstone ages better than Mick Jagger. After weeks of abuse, the rubber-reinforced midsole was as springy as on day one, while the rock-solid upper showed only the slightest (and most superficial) signs of wear. Or as one tester more bluntly put it, “It’s a tough bastard of a shoe.”

sportiva.com

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These eco-socks are made with 65 percent corn-based fiber. And they work. The fabric over the toes is knitted like mesh to release heat, while a flat toe seam eliminates irritating hot spots. foxsox.com

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