The Thorogood website describes the new Crosstrex Mid-Hiker as “Nothing slows you down—bad weather, tough jobs, or difficult terrain. These lightweight, waterproof hikers take you where you need to go with the comfort of an athletic shoe and the grip of a quality uniform boot.”.  That’s a bold statement in my mind, having worn uniform boots for half my life.  Usually you get one or the other and these are claiming to have the whole package.

When the boots arrived at the house, I couldn’t wait to open the box and try them out for myself.  The first thing I noticed when I pulled them out of the package was the weight of the boots.  I held them in one hand and my regular daily boots in the other and the Crosstrex appeared to be significantly heavier in my mind.  Therefore I put the boots on a scale to confirm my thoughts.  One Crosstrex boot weighed 22.10 oz.  One boot from my regular rotation only weighs 16.57 oz.

That doesn’t seem like a huge difference, however when you’re on your feet all day I thought that 6oz would really add up over time….. It didn’t.  At the end of a long day of wearing them, my feet and legs weren’t any more fatigued than when I wear my lighter boots.  The Crosstrex are obviously put together very well, they are sturdy but not uncomfortable at all.

According to the Thorgood website, the construction of the Crosstrex is:  Leather/mesh; BBP Waterproof; Removable Single-density Polyurethane Footbed; Composite shank; Crosstrex 360 outsole; Cement construction.

I decided to wear these boots almost everyday at work while in a variety of different functions to truly test the versatility of the Crostrex in real world situations.

Everyday wear.  My normal daily “Uniform” is a collared shirt, tactical pants and boots.  Since wearing the Crosstrex, I’ve been very comfortable while in the office doing all those mundane paperwork and computer tasks.  The look is great with the mixture of mesh and leather, and in the event that I had to run out and do something physical, I felt I was prepared for anything.

Duty use.  Since these boots are considered a Hiking Boot, I wasn’t sure how they would visually hold up as an on-duty boot.  Those in Law Enforcement know that the majority of daily duty boots now are made with breathable mesh and these are no different.  The soft-leather material on the toe area isn’t polishable and the scuffs tend to show without being able to cover them up.  They worked out very well for normal duty use, however I wouldn’t wear them for any sort of Class A wear.

Training.  I spend a good amount of time on both an indoor range and an outdoor one at the police academy in the Arizona heat.  Normally, it’s easy to get fatigued standing ar

ound for hours on hard concrete or very hot asphalt while teaching and shooting all day.  The Crosstrex are very comfortable and feel almost like an athleti

c shoe in these conditions and kept me from getting too tired during the long days in the sun.  The sole is thick and the heat doesn’t penetrate from underneath like a lot of other footwear does.

Cleaning.  Obviously boots get dusty and dirty while you’re out and about, especially here in Arizona.  I was a little worried about how well they would come clean with all the mesh on them.  Since they are advertised as 100% waterproof  I decided to just run them under water and wipe them down with a towel and see what happened…. They turned out great!!  They stayed completely dry on the inside and very clean on the outside!!

Summary:

Cost – Four different online retailers sell the Crosstrex for between $90 and $100 dollars.  Great price for the quality and compared to most boots that cost a lot more, these are well worth the money.  5

Comfort – These are very comfortable and their description of comparing it to an athletic shoe is spot on.  5

Durability – The boots still look almost new after wearing them almost daily for several months.  I am looking forward to seeing how they hold up after several more months.  5

Functionality – The Crosstrex have functioned as well as I could have asked for.  I would put these boots up against any other leather/mesh tactical boots.  5

Weight – As mentioned earlier, these are a little heavier than my other tactical boots but

Overall rating – 24.5/25.  These boots have performed better than I could have imagined and have continued to be my primary daily wear, even after my evaluation of them had ended.  They still look almost new and the sole has not worn down and are still as sturdy as the day I took them out of the shipping box. the weight has not made a difference after wearing them day in and day out.  4.5

Material Disclosure

I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.

*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.

Crosstrex Series – BBP Waterproof Mid Hiker