5 Best Cheap Hiking Shoes in 2026

How we test cheap hiking shoes

First, we go hiking and make sure to test the hiking shoes on various surfaces and in various weather conditions. We carry the backpack, do some fast and light sessions, assess the stability and support in technical sections, try scrambling or via ferrata, basically anything to better understand the shoe itself. 

Second, we take the shoes to the lab. We already have various protocols in place (ISO, SATRA). But given that we’re testing cheap hiking shoes, we’re specifically interested in what makes the shoes cheap. What did the brand do to make them more affordable? Is the traction worse? Are they using cheaper foams? Are the lugs and the outsoles thinner? Is the toebox ridiculously non-durable? We dig deep and answer using lab tests and lab data. 

Third, we publish all our findings on the website. We also have extra options to help you compare hiking shoes and filter them based on price. 

Features of budget-friendly hiking shoes

In order to understand why it’s possible for some hiking shoes to cost less than £100, we need to look at specific features. Do they offer less support and stability? Are they less protective? Less bouncy? What about durability? 

We’ll cover each feature separately below and present the lab data. We will look at traction, lugs, durability, weight, shock absorption, and energy return. 

Traction and lugs in cheap hiking shoes

Grip and traction are not as straightforward as one would think. That’s why we have to talk about lug thickness, placement (close together or with a larger gap), orientation and shape, and the rubber's stickiness and coefficient of friction. So. Many. Details.

We’ll start with the simpler things: the traction. Measuring the dynamic coefficient of friction is very straightforward because we follow the SATRA TM144 protocol. Given that this is a standardised test, you can use the results to compare hiking shoes and their traction: it is that simple. 

The higher the coefficient of friction, the better, and this should be prioritised if hiking in wet weather (wet, flat surfaces, like large rocks).

When the terrain is hard or hard-packed, you need a bigger contact surface, so shallower, tightly placed lugs are ideal. On loose terrain, however, it’s the deep aggressive lugs that will save you. And, if it’s not just dry soil, but mud or snow, the lugs need to be placed further apart too, to allow for good mud or snow shedding. 

For context, we can also look at the numbers: cheap hiking shoes have 3.4 mm lugs, while the average lug thickness across all hiking shoes is 3.7 mm. 

How durable are budget-friendly hiking shoes?

When discussing cheap hiking shoes, many hikers may rush to the conclusion that they are not durable. We’re here to check that and quantify things! 

For all our durability tests, we use a Dremel. The pressure against the surface (the toebox, the heel padding, and the outsole), together with the number of rotations per minute (RPM), and time duration, are all standardised. This means that every hiking shoe gets the same treatment. 

When testing the durability of the toebox and the heel padding, we look at the damage and assign it a durability score on a 1-5 scale, where 5/5 is the most durable. The toebox in the video above scored 5/5. 

On average, cheap hiking shoes score 3.1/5.0 on our toebox durability test, which is quite close to the average for all hiking shoes (3.3/5.0).

The average heel padding durability for cheap hiking shoes is 2.1/5.0, while the average score for all hiking shoes is 3.0/5.0. 

We then test the outsole; only this time, we don’t need to assess the damage because we can use a tyre tread gauge to measure precisely how deep the hole is. The deeper the dent, the less durable the outsole. 

The average depth of the dent in the outsole in cheap hiking shoes is 1.1 mm, while it’s 0.9 mm in all hiking shoes. 

Shock absorption and energy return in budget-friendly hiking shoes

Is it the cushioning that is hit the hardest when cutting expenses? Let’s find out. 

In our lab, we test the shock absorption and energy return at the same time, using the same test. Shock absorption is obviously much more important here, because it tells us how good the midsole is at absorbing the impact forces every time your feet hit the ground. When the shock absorption is very low, it means that your legs have to deal with the impact, and that means premature fatigue and maybe even pain. 

On the other hand, the energy return is not as important, because it’s walking only. It could be more important for hikers doing speed hiking with occasional running. Hiking on its own is too slow, which still does not mean that completely flat (low energy return) rides are welcome! 

The average shock absorption of cheap hiking shoes is 104.7 SA, while it’s 119.2 SA for all hiking shoes. Energy return, on the other hand, sits at 51.9% for budget-friendly hiking shoes and at 54.0% for all of them. 

Are cheap hiking shoes heavier?

On one hand, they may be using less tech, which would make them lighter. On the other hand, lighter materials are more expensive. Let’s have a look. 

Looking at the lab data, we can see that cheap hiking shoes weigh 10.9 oz or 308.3g on average. This is actually great compared to the overall average weight: 11.2 oz or 315.9g. 

Are there any cheap waterproof hiking shoes?

No, at least not with a Gore-Tex membrane. We haven’t tested any hiking shoes with a GTX membrane that cost less than £100. There may be other waterproof membranes that could cost less. For context,  

• The average price of waterproof hiking shoes is £160.
• The cheapest GTX hiking shoe we’ve had in the lab so far cost £110.
• The most expensive waterproof hiking shoe we’ve tested was purchased at £210.

Should you give up on your quest then? Of course not. Look for waterproof hiking shoes on sale! We recommend hitting our page dedicated to good deals: https://runrepeat.com/deals/hiking-shoes.