The Columbia Newton Ridge Plus II Waterproof is the best budget hiking boot on this page. It pairs a coated leather and suede upper and a waterproof membrane with 5 mm lugs, which is the lug height Merrell publishes for its far pricier Moab 3 Mid. It's also CleverHiker's budget pick.
A boot around a hundred dollars is built to a different set of trade-offs than one at twice that. Most of the savings come from the materials inside and underneath it, and most of these seven publish no arch shank at all. On a day hike with a light pack, most of that won't matter much. Carry a heavy load over rocky ground and the gap starts to show.
We ranked these seven on the upper first, because leather and suede usually outlast thin textile against rock and scuffs. Then came the outsole, the waterproofing and the weight. Review count didn't decide anything: the NORTIV 8 has the second-deepest rating pool on the page and still finishes last.
My dad and I haven't worn any of these seven boots. Everything here is research: each maker's published specs, the Amazon listings, and what CleverHiker, OutdoorGearLab and a couple of smaller boot sites have written about them. Prices and ratings were read on September 15, 2026, off one size and color of each, and every link goes to the men's listing.
If your budget can stretch, the usual next step is Merrell's Moab 3 Mid Waterproof. It lists at around $175 and adds Vibram rubber and a molded nylon arch shank, and it's OutdoorGearLab's Best Buy as well as the top pick on our main hiking boot guide. Timberland's Mt. Maddsen comes up a lot as a budget boot too, but it was selling at full list price when we checked, which put it above this page.
