Last week, Adidas dropped the new Ultraboost 19, one of the year’s most anticipated new running shoes (an earlier version of the shoe released in December 2018 sold out almost immediately). What makes the Ultraboost 19 so buzz-worthy? Better fit, more support on longer runs and a new look. But despite these upgrades, it’s another of the brand’s shoes that’s received the most hype this year, and it’s not a sneaker — it’s a new hiking boot called the Terrex Free Hiker.
The excitement is coming from two distinct groups. The first, perhaps obviously, is hikers. Adidas has developed a merited following among trail trekkers for its performance-oriented boots, shoes and trail runners. (The Terrex Fast Mid GTX is one of our favorite hiking boots available.) The Free Hiker is Adidas’s first hiking boot to use its proprietary, energy-returning Boost foam, but that’s not the only innovation it brings from running: there’s also a Primeknit upper for a close and breathable fit.
Adidas married these two features together in the Free Hiker with a style that’s decidedly outdoorsy, and right now, that aesthetic has the attention of groups that don’t necessarily hike and camp. Websites including Highsnobiety and KicksOnFire have been covering it from announcement to release and fostering awareness; music producer and DJ Diplo promoted the hiking boot in a recent Instagram post. All this is to say that the Free Hiker will likely be as commonly seen wandering sidewalks as backcountry trails (even though its Continental rubber outsole is better suited to the latter).