Patagonia’s P26 Mid GORE-TEX backpacking boot is lightweight, waterproof and ready to tackle difficult trails with moderate loads. A full GORE-TEX bootie and leather construction combined with the flexibility and cushioning of a running shoe keep your feet dry and comfortable on long day hikes or a weekend backpacking trip. The P26 is extremely light and flexible, making it a very versatile boot. Patagonia’s internal support construction design wraps and secures the mid-foot for optimal support and their Deep Dish Helium Light foot frame cradles the heel of your foot for better stability and fit. The P26 is available for men and women and they have similar features such as a gusseted tongue, and there is also this Airmesh cushioning on the inside, it’s very light weight, absorbs sweat well, dries quickly and offers some great comfort around the ankle of the boot. Under foot you’ll find a TPU arch shank to protect and support the bottom of your foot from the impact of roots and rocks, as well as Patagonia’s Air Cushion+ for shock absorption. A dual density outsole is made from a variety of recycled rubbers including Eco Step and Vibram rubber and offers excellent traction and durability on a variety of surfaces. A rubber toe bumper and a full leather rand around the edge of the boot increase durability and over all foot protection. A speed lacing system at the ankle of this boot allows for quick lacing and fit adjustments and the triple stitched webbing eyelets hold up well and help to reduce the overall weight of the boot. Let’s take a closer look at Patagonia’s deep dish heel cup. The outside of the shoe here, looks like you’ve got quite a platform that your standing on but in actuality, the inside of the boot where that heel cup is only comes up to about the top of this gold color on the sole. So your heel is sitting down inside the shoe, inside of this heel structure so you get some really rigid, great support out of that. On top of that you’ve got this nice leather rand that they’ve built. It’s giving you even more support and structure and the whole platform is very lightweight.