Wolverine Compass Review

By Court Rye | in Gear | Tags: Clothing, Footwear

Wolverine Compass Hiking Boots

I recently got a pair of adjustable hiking boots by Wolverine called the Compass. These come with an adjustable insole that provides comfort, stiffness, inward or outward support based on settings you choose right in the boot. These boots are mid tops with metal hardware and built in Gore-Tex to provide water proofing along with breathability and they are good medium range boots (for 10ish mile hikes with a light pack).

I’ve been experimenting with the “compass” gel dial that’s built into the heel of each boot (check out the video to see the compass up close) and I’ve come away with mixed results. I do notice a difference when the dial is turned from one setting to another and these are some of the spongiest boots I’ve got but sometimes I feel too high. The double insole setup means your foot is boosted up a bit extra compared to other boots and that can feel sort of unstable at times. In many cases it’s fine and actually good to have that extra height and cushion but I wouldn’t want to twist an ankle or something as a result of not getting used to it. The medium height lacing options and soft flexible outsole really help to offset what might otherwise be an unstable platform. The excellent grip and soft toebox on this boot take flexibility and comfort one step further so all in all I quite enjoy the different feel these boots provide.

At the start of this overview I mentioned that these are short to mid range boots and I want to reiterate that here. The soft, flexible and well cushioned nature of these boots makes them great for standing in and taking medium hikes with light packs. I’d skip these in favor of something stiffer for long hikes and any time you’re carrying a heavy pack though. I actually really like the Wolverine Compass for day to day walking and standing like at the fair or riding the train, and I think they look cool so I don’t mind wearing them around town.

Keep up the innovative ideas Wolverine! As someone who has to spend a lot of time finding the right shoes to support my knees and semi-wide feet these are really cool. The fact that I can change the feel is neat and something I haven’t seen on other boots.