I’m surprised at how hard it is to find nonleather hiking boots. You’d think vegetarians and hiking enthusiasts are two groups that would have a lot of overlaps. But when I went into the North Face on Newbury Street, the salesguy actually laughed at me. (The Eastern Mountain Sports salesman was much nicer, but still couldn’t help.) I’m looking for a high-ankled trail boot that isn’t too gigantic and heavy for me to walk around in for a long time and isn’t made out of animal skin. It seems like there are currently only two brands on the market that fit my criteria and I can only find them online: the Sabino Trail Mid GTX by Montrail and the Outbound Mid by Merrell.

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I’m not really a hiker, so this issue has never come up before. But Jason and I are planning on hiking Mount Katahdin in July, and I’m freaking out about it a little. I don’t want to break a leg because my shoes don’t have enough tread, or twist one of my weak ankles. And I want the stupid boots to get here in time for me to break them in a little bit before the 10-hour hike. Is that too much to ask?

Have you tried either one of the boots? Do you know of any other vegan hiking boots on the market? I’ve made my decision and I’m (im)patiently waiting for it to arrive, but maybe it’ll help the next person.