Home Gear Review: adidas Free Hiker 2.0 Low Gore-Tex Shoe

Review: adidas Free Hiker 2.0 Low Gore-Tex Shoe

A really great, high-performing shoe for a super wide variety of activities.

Feature type Review

Read time 4 mins

Published Mar 07, 2024

Mark Bullock Mark is a passionate climber, whose dream days are spent soloing easy routes in the big hills, dashing down at last light for pizza. He’s a writer, qualified Mountain Leader & Climbing Instructor, and has even won a few photography awards.

OUR VERDICT

A really great, high-performing shoe for a super wide variety of activities.

£165 from adidas

FEATURES

Continental rubber sole, boost midsole, Gore-Tex membrane

Pros

Continental rubber outsole
GTX membrane
Regular fit and abrasion resistant mesh upper
Boost (their most comfortable midsole)

Cons

If ‘generalist’ use is a con then that would be about it

WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR

I wanted it to be something I can wear pretty much every day, unless I was going on a more specialist adventure that needed a dedicated approach shoe, or a fell run etc. I wanted a shoe I could wear for most of the time, for most of my days, for as long as possible. Quite a tough ask when it comes down to it.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

When I took these out of the box my first thought was that they were probably a bit too stylish for the hill (and for me for that matter)!

They have a nice urban aesthetic appearance that looks quite cool and I can imagine younger wearers might get away with rolling their trousers up to show them off a bit more. Ahem.

Having said that, they have an impressive spec. I am a huge fan of Continental rubber outsoles having loved various other TERREX trainers over the years. A GTX liner was a welcome addition (for how I wanted to use these, I would never buy a pair of Gore-lined trail running shoes), and the overall comfort was instantly apparent.

the overall comfort was instantly apparent

THE TEST

I’ve worn these more or less constantly since they arrived. I wear them to and from the gym, to the bouldering wall, to my mates’ houses, and when I’m just knocking about town doing errands and chores.

I’ve worn them for walking to my local crags with a crash-pad and bouldering gear and they’ve never felt out of place. I’ve also worn them on Sunday morning trail walks with friends, and (cringe) on mid-evening power hikes around my town trying to get my 10,000 steps in for the day.

WHO IS THIS ITEM FOR?

I think these are for almost anyone who lives an active outdoor lifestyle. You can properly go from the crag to the high street in these and not feel out of place in either location.

WHAT STANDS OUT?

Design/Styling

They look cool and stylish.

Performance

The rubber outsole is the best compound on the market, so they genuinely excel when you’re on trails and rough ground.

Build Quality

The GTX liner is perfect and helps keep your feet dry from downpours and puddles in town, very nimble bog skips or squelchy ground on the hill.

Comfort

The boost midsole is super comfy.

they genuinely excel when you’re on trails and rough ground

VALUE FOR MONEY

Hand on heart I think these represent good value for money. Buy cheap buy twice etc etc

In the long term they’ll save me buying three more slightly diverse pairs of shoes.

BASE BOTTOM LINE

When I first got into ‘the outdoors’ I very quickly started to adopt the uniform of the outdoor enthusiast. I remember buying my first hardshell – a Rab Latok Alpine – and promptly wearing it to the supermarket with my girlfriend on the food shop. Over the next few years various additional outdoor garments made their way into my everyday outfits. Sometimes this practice would work the other way: bouldering in summer on Dartmoor I would catch myself wearing flip flops, cotton t-shirts, and being way too casual for a day out in a National Park.

This is a long-winded way of saying that the adidas Free Hiker Low 2 GTX is the perfect shoe for an outdoor enthusiast who doesn’t want to change shoes after they’ve been bimbling around the woods or coast path, when they get back to their car and need to pick up some food, or grab a drink in a bar.

They’re functional enough to manage long walks or scrambling over boulders, as well as that technical dash through torrential rain between the car and Sainsbury’s. I actually love that these shoes can do it all (pretty much) and so they’re the first pair I reach for on the shoe-rack every morning.

Ready to hit the trails?