Hanwag Alaska GTX, 150 Mile Review

Overview of the Hanwag Alaska

The Hanwag Alaska GTX is constructed of waxed nubuck leather with a waterproof Gore-Tex membrane and an aggressive, Vibram sole. It will stand up to multiple years of demanding use. This 9-inch boot is relatively stiff and will provide excellent ankle support with a heavy pack on uneven terrain. Other features include a full rubber rand for added durability, heel shock-absorption, crampon compatibility, and air circulation technology. The Hanwag Alaska GTX fits true-to-size, is comfortable, durable, and versatile. To date, this is the best boot I’ve owned.

Hanwag Alaska Details

I bought these boots in spring 2020 to replace my previous hiking/hunting boots after I tore the uppers apart after three years. To date I’ve put on 150 miles in these boots. I’ve worn them through deep spring snow drifts, 90 degree summer days, autumn rains, rocky slopes, steep climbs, tedious blowdown, thick brush and heavy packs. As someone who tends to be hard on boots, I purchased these because it appeared they would be able to stand up to the rigors of multi-season hunting in rugged terrain.

While the Hanwag Alaska GTX is a little heavy (coming in at around 3.5 lbs per pair), they are durable and provide excellent ankle support. Out of the box the Hanwag GTX provided a comfortable fit for me. I did a few 5-mile hikes to break them in and never had any blisters. At first I had some hot-spots flare up, but those were fixed as I figured out how tight to lace the lower and upper boot areas. The midfoot lace clip locks the laces, allowing you to lace the lower and upper portions of the boot with different tightness. This lace clip is a little difficult to lock, and even after 150 miles and many many lace-ups, there are still days it takes me two or three tries to get the laces locked in. To me this is a minor issue that could easily be fixed by Hanwag with some different lace locks. The boots fit true to size for me. Most other reviews have come to the same conclusion that these boots fit true to size for most folks.

What I like about the Hanwag Alaska

My pair of Hanwag Alaska boots have already seen some tough miles and they’re holding up great. I’ve treated them following the manufacturer’s recommendations two times. The leather has a few scratches, but no tears or holes. They’ve been scratched on lots of blowdown, sharp rocks, stumps, and branches without showing much sign of wear. I expect these boots are going to last for over 1,000 miles of off-trail use.

Hanwag has done a great job designing these boots to be comfortable in a wide range of temperatures. I’ve worn them in conditions ranging from 25 to 90 degrees (Farenheit). My feet have never been cold. I wear light to medium weight socks, and even at 30 degrees my feet were comfortable (the boots can be a bit toasty in warmer temps, more on that below).

The Hanwag Alaska GTX provides superb stability and comfort. I packed two thirds of a bear up 1,000 vertical feet in a half mile, sometimes over loose rocks, and was never concerned about rolling an ankle. I never even developed hot spots. Later that year I packed two thirds of a deer down a steep ridge and through a nasty creek bottom. Again, boot stability was never a concern. There’s not a lot of flex in the boot, so you loose a little bit of feel, but I think the confidence from the stability more than makes up for that. Spring bear season took me to some of the most rugged country I’ve hunted and this boot handled it all in stride.

The Vibram sole is about what you would expect. The lugs grip well on most surfaces. As with any boot, be careful on wet rocks and wet wood. It seems that no matter the sole those surfaces are always slippery. After 150 miles the sole shows almost wear. The Hanwag Alaska GTX can be resoled if the sole wears out before the boot. I don’t image that will happen for me.

These boots fit me really well. I consider myself to have “normally-shaped” feet. The Alaska is just wide enough that I can wear switch to a thicker pair of socks in cold weather, but not so wide that my foot slides around with a thin pair of socks. I wear a size US 10.5 and the Alaska fit just right.

What I don’t like about the Hanwag Alaska

Overall, the Hanwag Alaska GTX has a lot more going for it than against it, but there are a few things that could be improved upon.

First, the midfoot lace locks don’t lock well. It requires some strength the get the laces to actually lock. Once they lock they do stay. I’ve had other boots that locked much easier, so different lace locks would be a nice touch.

I also find the foot bed on the Hanwag Alaska GTX to be a little hard. It’s not uncomfortable, it’s just made from hard materials. The insole is thin, so it doesn’t provide much padding. Even though the foot bed is hard, most of the impact shock is absorbed by the boot and not transferred to the foot. At the end of a day with lots of mileage my feet do seem to notice the hardness a little bit. This could easily be remedied if I purchased some different insoles.

On warm days my feet sweat quite a bit in these boots. They breathe quite well, so much of the moisture was wicked away. However, I did end up with damp socks. If you wear wool socks this shouldn’t be a problem for you. With wool socks I didn’t experience any blisters or hot spots. My feet were just uncomfortable from the temperature. Once the temperatures dropped below 75 or 80 degrees the boots were quite comfortable.

Summary

If you hunt rugged country in multiple seasons the Hanwag Alaska GTX would be a great option for you. After putting them through the rigors of tough country and tough conditions for 150 miles I recommend them. I would buy these boots again.