One of the things that annoy me most about top end adventure gear, whether that be coats, jackets, pants or shoes, is that while they’re all functional, durable and likely even waterproof, they’re often not that stylish. You can’t imagine how many sporty watches and clothing were pitched to us this holiday season that albeit would be great for an active outdoor trip, are often just too plain Jane or ugly to look at.
The same goes for sports shoes and boots. We were introduced to Treksta this fall, a line that makes active footwear for both men and women, and so, we decided to put them to the test. My favorite of the women’s line (although there are so many great choices) are the WN’s Sync MTN GTX. While the model may sound a bit geeky, there’s a good reason why — the technology behind the shoe is significant, so much so that you actually FEEL as if there was a research and development team behind the design. And, guess what? There is!
Their Edition leather series combines many of the Treksta technologies and Nestfit anatomical design as I mentioned above, into a solid every day shoe that you could also wear for some of your adventure activities. For avid travelers, what we liked about this model was how adaptable it was — the nice chocolate brown color means that you could wear them while trekking around a city all day or for trail hikes and is still appropriate to wear to dinner. You can wear a conventional shoe lace with it but like the durability of the other Treksta shoes, it is GORE-TEX and has the fabulous IceLock technology on its HyperGrip Soles. That results in about 20% more traction on ice for the winter travelers among you.
The material is a waterproof oily nubuck leather with oily split suede and DM Mesh upper fabrics. One of the other more sophisticated hiking shoes we liked from the woman’s line is the WN’s Granite. Classic but sophisticated muted colors that will make you stand out on the hiking trails but in a subtle elegant way. These are built for rock solid protection — they use Oily Split Suede with HyperGrip’ Super Sticky Outsole.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
