I had just agreed to lead new sober walking tours with Airbnb when I found out that Danner was introducing a new hiking shoe. And it was vegan! I’ve long associated Danner with sturdy, well-built leather goods. So I was excited to be offered a new vegan shoe to try out, the Danner N45.

Danner N45 specs

The new N45 is designed to be a lightweight shoe that goes from casual city hiking to wandering the desert, jumping from rock to rock. Living in the muddy, slippery Northwest, I love a good sole. The N45 offers a Vibram sole and traction lugs. People who care about making their gear last will appreciate that the soles are also recraftable, adding to the life of your shoe.

Most hikers appreciate a lightweight shoe. A pair of N45s weighs 19 ounces for a women’s size 7 or 22 ounces for a men’s size 10.

Trying out the Danner N45s

As I prepared to be a hiking guide on Portland’s own extinct (or maybe dormant?) volcano Mount Tabor, I was happy to have these lightweight shoes. They were comfortable right out of the box. I wanted shoes to match anything I might want to wear, so these black hiking shoes were perfect. They’re more stylish than beige or brown boots, but more versatile than my loud pink and orange pair. The N45s also come in earthy shades of gold, off-white and green.

So far, so good with my Danner N45s. I predict they will be durable and I won’t need that recrafted sole for a long time. I hope this brand so well known for leather will continue to introduce new vegan-friendly products. Check out their list of Danner vegan shoes available now.