Just over two years ago I wrote a review on a new pair of hiking shoes I’d gotten: The BLACKHAWK Tanto Light Hikers. I was impressed with them after a couple weeks of wear, but it’s been two years now. I thought about that as I pulled them on yesterday and decided to give them a quick inspection prior to wearing them again.

As I examined them I remembered that I’ve replaced the laces twice. The shoes originally came with an elastic/bungee set of laces with a cordlock system and I wore the laces out about six months into ownership. One of them frayed through. Unable to find a similar set of elastic, cord-locked laces, I settled for using typical tie-laces for about a year. Then one day I was in Dick’s Sporting Goods store and saw a replacement pair of elastic laces that weren’t bright white (the only thing I could previously find). These were black and cost about $4. I bought two sets. At home I immediately laced up my Tanto Light Hikers and was delighted to have my “slip on” hikers back in action.

The author's BLACKHAWK Tanto Light Hikers are still going strong two years later.

The soles show little signs of wear even though there are a lot of miles on these shoes. They (obviously) no longer look new, but I’d guesstimate that I have another couple years’ worth of wear left in them before the soles become a problem.

I took a close look at all the seams and stitching, especially where the suede and nylon mesh upper sections came together. I couldn’t find any frayed stitching or places where the various suede and mesh panels were separating.

I examined the joint between the soles and the uppers, including a careful look where the sole joined the rubber covered toe and the toe joined the suede upper. Again, I could find no points where the materials have separated.

Finally I took a close look at my replacement laces – having had them in place only a couple months – to see if I could find any frayed spots. “No luck.” They stil looked intact and strong.

Slipping them onto my feet I snugged up the lacing system and tucked the excess into the lace loop closest to the toe. Standing in them I paid attention to the arch support that made such a strong impression on me two years ago and realized it was just as supportive today as it was then.

Satisfied that my Tanto Light Hikers were still quite serviceable, I decided to do this update but wondered if the price tag had changed. I can’t even remember what they debuted for those years ago, but today, on BLACKHAWK’s website, the MSRP is $99.99. That’s not a bad price for a pair of quality hiking shoes but I hate to pay more than I have too. I did a Google search for “BLACKHAWK Tanto Light Hiker” and found some for as low as $62.50 plus shipping. THAT’S a far better price (more than 33% below MSRP!).

So, if you’re in the market for a new pair of hiking shoes, check them out. The reviews on the BLACKHAWK webpage for them ar majority positive and my own experience tells me that they are worth the $$.

Happy Trails!

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