Oboz Katabatic Wind Hiking Shoes are burly hiking shoes with the DNA of trail runners. They have breathable mesh uppers with fine pores to keep out sand and dust, a highly rockered (curved) forefoot, and excellent front protection to keep your toenails intact on rugged hikes. Multi-directional rubber lugs provide good grip and braking on wet surfaces, with a carbon fiber rock plate, and thick foam midsole provide advanced comfort and protection from below. If you are on the fence about switching to trail runners and want a lightweight pair of hiking shoes that are going to last longer and provide better foot protection, Oboz’s Katabatic Wind Low are worth a serious try.

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• Gender: Men’s (Women’s available)
• Wide Toebox: Yes
• Cushion: Medium-Maximum
• Drop: 8 mm
• Sole: Oboz proprietary rubber
• Waterproof: No
• Weight: 24.6 oz/pair
• Wide widths: No
• Fit: True to size but narrow in the mid-foot

Toebox

The Katabatic Wind Low shoes have a solid toe kick protection up front,

The Katabatic Wind Low Hiking Shoe has a wide toe box that lets your toes splay out and relax. The front of the toe box has a moderately wide toe kick to protect your toe and toenails, while reinforced bumpers help eliminate the abrasion that rips up the side of many mesh trail runners and hiking shoes. I found the length of the shoes to be true to size, giving me plenty of space in front of my toes.

Drop

The Katabatic Wind Low has an 8 mm heel-to-toe drop, which is similar to many street shoes and reduces the acclimatization time it usually takes for people to adapt to a zero-drop trail runner. That means you can use these shoes for hiking out to the box without stretching and retraining your Achilles tendon or calf muscles, a process that can take a month or more. While many people swear that zero drop shoes have cured their feet, the jury is still out on whether they’re the silver bullet for everyone. For me, the most significant innovation delivered by train runners was a widened toe box, now adopted by many manufacturers, providing enhanced stability, comfort, and better trail feel.

The Katabatic Wind Low has an 8 mm drop and is soft enough to wear out of the box without any break-in.

Midsole

The Katabatic Wind Low midsole and outsole are where the rubber hits the road with these shoes. The midsole has several layers, including soft rebounding foam that puts some spring into your step and a carbon fiber rock plate from the mid to forefoot that protects the bottom of your feet from being bruised on sharp and rocky surfaces. I’d rate the cushion in these shoes as somewhere between medium and maximum, and while they’re very well padded, they still provide good trail feel and agility.

The midsole and front of the shoe is curved (rocketed) upwards requiring less effort to walk forward.

The shoes are noticeably curved in the forefoot, called rocker, requiring less effort to walk quickly forward. This is beneficial when you want to set a fast pace. Rockered soles are also good for people with less ankle or mid-foot flexibility because they offset the strain on joints.

Outsole

The outsole of the Katabatic Wind Low hiking shoes is made with a soft rubber compound that is proprietary to Oboz and used on all of the footwear models they make. The soles have forward and rear-facing lugs, the latter designed for braking, which are pretty standard on hiking shoes, regardless of type. Their grip on rocky or wet surfaces in excellent, which you’d expect given their softer rubber lugs.

Multi-directional lugs provide excellent traction on wet or irregular surfaces.

There’s also a “gaiter channel” instead of an arch at midfoot, so you can wear a traditional pair of gaiters with them that have a strap running under your shoe. Unfortunately, the shoes don’t have a gaiter trap behind the heel so that they can be used with Dirty Girl Gaiters, but the surface of the heel is flat enough that you should be able to attach an adhesive velcro patch to prevent your gaiters from riding up.

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Recommendation

Oboz Katabatic Wind Low Hiking Shoes are well-cushioned and lightweight hiking shoes that benefit from many of the material and design innovations introduced by trail runners over the years. Where they differ is in fit, drop, protection, and durability, which are important factors to consider if you intend to hike with them in rugged terrain. Despite being lightweight, they’re also quite stable shoes with a slightly flared heel that resists pronation and the dreaded ankle rolls. Breathable but not waterproof, they’re an excellent option if you prefer the added support of a hiking shoe over trail running shoes.

Disclosure: Oboz donated shoes for review.

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