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Good: Nothing stops them. Bad: Not enough colors. Check Latest Price
A pair of boots is one of those things that, for some, is deeply personal. A favorite brand, a favorite pair, a specific style, a type of lace, they all inform our buying decisions. Danner, the famous purveyor of boots, essentially took all of those variables and said, “What if we made the best damn boot out there and put everyone else on notice?”
Danner’s Mountain 600 Insulated hiking boots are the results of that question. Featuring full-grain leather, 200 grams worth of insulation, a tread pattern that gives you Big Horn rock crawling capabilities, and an absorbent rubber sole for impact resistance, Danner’s Mountain 600 Insulated boots have, on paper, the answers to every question and every challenge.
How, then, do they stack up to reality? I’ll answer it this way. If you ever try to take my Danners away, I’ll cut you. Let me explain what provokes such a drastic reaction.
Our Initial Reaction to the Danner Mountain 600 Insulated Boots
I’ve had just about every type of boot imaginable across the manufacturing spectrum, and the Danner’s immediately impressed me. These boots are built beautifully, durably put together, and they feel as if Danner could be charging twice what the company is asking of consumers.
I got my Mountain 600s a year ago and my initial reaction was one that’s held up to this day: astonishment. From that first outing in negative 10-degree Montana weather, I was amazed that my feet were not just warm and cozy, but practically sweating when I returned from my hike. It’s a trait that’s held up to this day.
Getting After It With the Danner Mountain 600 Insulated Boots
From day one, I’ve treated these boots how I treat all my boots: like hell. I’ve walked through frozen tundras, stomped through mud and muck, used them as work boots pulling out a pier, walked a couple thousand steps, climbed mountains, and trudged through the waters of the Colorado. They’ve never let me down.
Through my travels, and frankly my horrid abuse of them, my tootsies have stayed perfectly dry, wonderfully warm, and free from harm. In one stretch of my test, I spent three weeks hiking the banks of the Colorado River fishing for trout. This was just as the seasons were turning from fall to winter. But while the outside air temperature hovered between 50-68 degrees most days, the waters were icy. Falling in would be horrendously uncomfortable. And spending any amount of time with wet and cold feet, especially for how many miles I had hiked away from home, would be downright dangerous.
What was Danner’s retort to these conditions, you ask? “Hahahaha, try something harder.” I stomped through the half-frozen mud, put my feet into nearly ankle-deep water, and just kept hiking without ever encountering a single instance where my feet became cold or even uncomfortable. And they never, ever, got wet.
What’s Great About the Danner Mountain 600 Insulated Boots
One of the best things about the Mountain 600 Insulated boots is that they fit true to size. I’ve had so many boots that don’t, and pulling them on and fitting perfectly right out of the box was such an added benefit. The ringed lace holes are tough as nails, just like the rest of the boot’s construction. I’ve bashed them against rocks and timbers and everything, there’s nary a scratch or chip on them. They’re also pretty damn good looking!
What’s Not To Like About the Danner Mountain 600 Insulated Boots?
Not much. Aside from the price being somewhat steep for the average consumer who isn’t marching through one of America’s most wild rivers, you’re still getting more than what you bargained for. I would say that Danner could offer a few more styles and colors for the Mountain 600 Insulated boots, though. It’d go a long way to diversifying the product lineup.
The Drive’s Verdict On the Danner Mountain 600 Insulated Boots
Two words: Buy them.
Danner knocked it out of the park with the Mountain 600 Insulated boots. I’ve never had a pair of boots that just gets after it and shows no sign of stopping. I’ll never part with these and will wear them until I grind them into dust, though given how much abuse they’ve already taken and show no signs of real wear, that will likely be a very long time from now.