Imagine hiking for endless miles with a pack that is 20% of your body weight, rock climbing during the breaks, forging huge streams, digging trenches to collect geologic samples during lunch, and performing a dance concert as the evening entertainment. This was a snapshot of my seven year old daughters first day in the canyon. As anyone who has backpacked with a young one knows, their definition of a rest break differs from the “collapse in a lump and don’t move until absolutely necessary” mode that most adults employ.

Now imagine the abuse that the footwear of this constantly on the go girl takes. Other than an occasional nap and a good nights rest, her feet are always doing something. Whether its walking, climbing, or attempting to kick a rock across Phantom Creek, the boots are taking a beating. When planning our trip to the Grand Canyon, footwear for my daughter was a concern. Until this point, regular sneakers have been adequate for our wilderness adventures. The mileage had remained pretty tame, and she has not needed to carry anything more than her teddy bear across tough terrain. This trip was different.

The long miles and brutal terrain demanded a boot that would support and protect her feet. A waterproof boot was important as the trails in April are often muddy, and the stream crossing were ripe for little wet feet. Children’s boots of these specs are a contradiction in terms. My daughters feet grow at an astonishing rate. Buying a pair of boots that are bullet proof (i.e. expensive) is a waste of money and resources, as they will not fit in 4-months, yet the dilemma of protecting and supporting her feet remain.

Hi-Tec offers up the Renegade Trail WP Jr. that come close to being the ideal boot for young adventurers. This mid-high waterproof light hiker provides a stiff shank for support when hauling appropriate loads with a seam sealed waterproof upper that does not need extensive break in time. After receiving a pair from Hi-Tec, my daughter bopped around town whenever she could, including a high mileage day at Disneyland, and reported them comfortable out of the box.

The boot performed well in the Grand Canyon. With a pair of wool socks, they kept her feet dry, blister free, and relatively comfortable. She did have some issues with her toes hitting the fromt of the boot after 51/2 miles and 3/4 miles of elevation drop. We spent some time airing out those tootsies, and retying the laces to secure the boots a little better. This may have helped a little, but soon the sore toes were back. I am not certain if this was a fit issue, or just the fact that trying to secure the boots with the limited hardware that  fit on such a small space is next to impossible. In any case, the soreness was temporary, and dissipated after a short rest in camp, and did not bother her during the accent.

The boots took a beating in the four days of backpacking in the canyon. Wear and tear was apparent on the outside of the boot but did not affect the performance. My girl managed to demolish what looked like a very rugged toe rand in the first two days of the backpack. The boots were very travel worn at the end of the trip. They did remain dry to the last stream crossing, and supported her feet until the last tired step out of the canyon.

The Hi-Tec Renegade Trail WP Jr. boot are a great value for those looking to protect and support little feet for demanding hikes. They are comfortable, waterproof, and durable enough for most situations. They performed very well for my daughter during a very demanding 4-day hike through the Grand Canyon. While they show battle scars, they held up reasonably well for a pair of childrens boots that will be outgrown in a few months.