www.trezeta.com | £80
Italian shoe manufacturer Trezeta has been around since the 1920s, when it was founded by a guy called Vittorio Zizola. Since then the company’s been gaining a good reputation across Europe for manufacturing quality shoes and boots. The Chinook Low, which shares its name with a helicopter and a tribe of Native Americans, is a solid hiking shoe designed to offer protection, support and stability while out on the trail. It features Trezeta’s own Waterstopper membrane, a quality Vibram sole and a ‘natural’ ventilation system to keep your feet cool.
As soon as you take these shoes out of the box it’s clear to see that they’ve been made to support and protect. The Vibram sole feels almost bomb-proof, making it great for hiking over jagged rocks and tough terrain, and the midsole’s rigid enough to provide a great amount of lateral support and stability.
Like a lot of other Trezeta shoes and boots, there’s a neat little ventilation point on the side of the sole. This allows air to flow into the shoe while you’re walking to help keep your foot at a cool temperature, preventing, or at least minimising, sweating and overheating.
The toe box and heel cup also provide a lot of protection, and the toe box has been reinforced with a hard-wearing fabric and an extension of the sole to make a bumper; this helps protect both the shoe and your foot from knocks and scrapes. The heel features Trezeta’s Ergonomic Shell which helps keep your foot in place to prevent rubbing and blisters.
As a hiking shoe for rough terrain where you’d need support and protection, the Chinook performs well. It’s also got enough rigidity to be used on a via ferrata or for scrambling, and the reinforced areas of the boot mean that your feet will be kept protected from most of the conditions you’ll encounter. As well as that, the Chinook feels like its been built to last, and for £80 you can’t go far wrong.
Trezeta Chinook Low Verdict
Great value, tough hiking shoes that’ll last.