GoLite Discover Lite Shoe : For Trail, Travel, and Town

Today I am going climbing, and then I'm heading to town to shop at Home Depot, grab a beer, and enjoy the Reel Rock Film Tour at the Boulder Theater. Guess which shoes I'll be wearing all day: GoLite's Discover Lite trail shoes. These kicks are built for everything and beneath their casual shell is a high performance hiker waiting to hit the dirt.

For the last week or so I've used these shoes for a few light hikes, an arduous approach to a local crag, some serious hamburger eating at a backyard barbecue, a little nature photography, and even a small remodeling project. The ultra light Discover Lite shoes have left a great impression - next time I'm traveling and can only have one shoe, this will be it.

While most high performance shoes look a little out of place at a bar, GoLite's Discover Lite shoe looks pretty good. It's plenty casual, but with a hint of toughness. I like that. The uppers are full leather (nubuck), so I plan to coat them with some waterproofing material and wear them daily when I move to Norway this winter.

When I first put them on, I immediately liked the wide toe box. My toes had some room to wiggle and move around, but the fit wasn't sloppy at all. If my feet had a little less volume, I would have opted to use the included PreciseFIT system--a set of inserts that allow you to customize the size. This system jives with the versatility inherent in the Discover Lite shoe.

On the trail, these shoes flat-out perform. I really like the aggressive sole. Like another pair of shoes I recently tested, the lugs are big and widely spaced so they perform well in wet conditions and don't get bogged down in mud. On the flip side, they work well in dry conditions, too. The sole is made of GoLite's Grip Stick Rubber, which is fantastic when I'm scrambling around on rocks and boulders in the backcountry. The shoes also have a heavy rubber toe bumper, so I don't break my feet when I bash them into rocks or tree roots.

I also found the GoLite Discover Lite shoe to have a good deal of lateral stability. That's a good thing for me. I don't like rolling my ankle, and I do it too often. I think the width of the shoe, and the big flat platform under the heel, combine to help keep me upright.

Available in men's sizes 7-14 in Black or Brown. GoLite also makes a similarly styled shoe for women.

Bottom Line: Lightweight, all-purpose hiker and casual shoe that fits every bill.--N.W. (Sep ‘10)

BUY ONLINE: $110-120, on sale at Amazon, click to shop at Altrec.

Manufacturer's Site: www.golite-footwear.com

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