Support & Stability

Our testers found the Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoe to have a very good level of support and stability. The shoe’s tall ankle shaft and high-riding, amply-padded tongue combined to provide solid ankle support. While the Moraine’s molded midsole inset offered amped up arch support and heel grip that kept feet in firmly in place, reduced arch collapsing on steep downhills, and limited twisting. A wide Vibram Dynatech 3 outsole, with interspersed 4 millimeter lugs gripped well on most trail surfaces, but was less effective on steeper trails than some of the other shoes contained in this test. Additionally, we found the rimmed design of the outsole lugs to sometimes be an issue on muddy trails, where the enclosed design constricted the release of mud, and thus traction. The shoe’s flexible outsole allowed an energetic ride and allowed the feet to bend as needed along off camber trails.   

Quality & Construction

Hats off to Scarpa for its environmentally friendly use of recycled, or easily degradable, materials in many parts of its outdoor footwear line. The mesh panels, abrasion resistant synthetic leather upper, PC lining, laces and rubber outsole in the Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoe are all produced using anywhere from 29 percent (mesh panels) to 100 percent (laces) recycled content. Additionally, the shoe’s midsole incorporates an EcoPure EVA additive to promote degradation in landfill conditions. In our tests, the Moraine’s various components all held up well to repeated use on a variety of trails – ranging from soft, moist surfaces to rocky and dry. The shoe’s Gore-Tex liner did a great job of keeping feet dry in damp conditions. The shoe’s thick outsoles and compression molded dual density midsoles showed minimal wear and tear after miles of hiking. We found the density of the Moraine GTX Women’s synthetic leather uppers to be thinner than some of the upper materials used in the other shoes in this test. This thinness did lead to some side-of-foot sensitivity and susceptibility during rugged hikes. The shoe’s textured laces stayed tied nicely, but are thinner than some of the other shoes tested, so may be prone to faster wear.  

Comfort

The Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoes were very comfortable. The last used in the shoe’s construction is built to the anatomical specifics of the female foot, resulting in an appropriately sized toe box and instep volume. A slightly higher cut ankle shaft and tongue provided bumped up protection, but our testers found that these components took a couple of wears to soften and conform. The ample padding around the ankle cuff and under the tongue offered a nice degree of cushioning during hikes, and kept laces from digging in. And the gusseted tongue kept trail debris out. The Moraine’s supple synthetic leather uppers were very comfortable right out of the box, but were a bit thin. This lead to some side-of-foot trail sensitivity during rugged hikes. The Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoes offered great breathability. Their well-placed side and top panels did a great job of allowing moisture to escape during hot hikes while their Gore-Tex linings managed to keep moisture out in wet conditions. Overall we found the Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoes to be a relatively light, comfortable and flexible shoe, appropriate for walking or hiking on a variety of trail types.

Protection

We were impressed with the majority of protective elements built into the Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoes. A triple-layer, structured toe box of suede, rubber toe rand and rubber toe cap did an excellent job of protecting feet against front impact with rocks or other hard surfaces and diffusing the blow. A multiple density, cushioned rubber heel guard, protected the feet from back impacts as well. This back heel guard was smaller than that on some of the other women’s hiking shoes tested, but ample for hiking just about any trail. The shoe’s wide Vibram outsole provided great stability but we did notice some level of sole-to-trail sensitivity and foot fatigue when the Scarpas were worn of very rocky hikes. The Moraine’s internal arch support inset helped to hold feet firmly in place, protecting them from bruising due to forward or backward sliding. The one area where we were less impressed with the Moraine’s protective attributes was in the thinness of the synthetic leather upper. This left feet more sensitive to side impacts on rugged trails.  

Weight

The women’s Scarpa Moraine GTX Women’s hiking shoe fell within the middle weight range of the hiking shoes included in this test. At 12.7 ounces per shoe, it felt very light on the feet, and allowed for a highly comfortable hiking experience. Although fairly light, the Scarpa Moraine GTX retained a high level of protective qualities including: a formidable toe guard, protective mid and outer sole, and cushioning support around the ankle. 

To accurately assess the performance of a women’s hiking shoe, a number of testers put each product through rigorous hiking, on over 20 miles of varied terrain. During these hikes the testers pay close attention to the level of product performance across six factors most affecting a hiker’s foot comfort and risk of foot or ankle injury on the trail.