The Columbia Escape Pursuit waterproof walking shoe absolutely nails the ‘do it all’ brief. It’s exceptionally comfortable to wear all day, the sole offers more than enough grip for day to day use as well as light hiking duties but care needs to be taken on wet terrain. They deliver in the looks department too, sporting an athletic look that doesn’t look out of place walking the dog or scrambling up a hill.

Rummage through a keen outdoors persons cupboard and you’ll find more gear then you (and they know what to do with. Multiple coats, endless baselayers, more trousers than a single person can ever possibly need and don’t even get us started on shoes. Raise the question of ‘why do you have so many shoes’ and they’ll start extolling the virtues of summer versus winter boots and explaining the intricacies tread designs.

4.5/5

£110 | Buy from Columbia

 Positives

• Exceptional comfort

• Outdry Waterproof membrane works well

• Grippy on majority of surfaces

• Sporty looks

 Negatives

• Laces can dig in if not careful when lacing up

• Midsoles showing signs of wear

The Lowdown

• Waterproof and breathable membrane

• Navic fit system

• Techlite+ midsole

• AdaptTrax Sole

Options, options, options

Having a fleet of boots for all occasions is great, but what do you pick out for the everyday, the walk with the dog or walk to the pub with friends. Time and time again, I reached for the Escape Pursuits from Columbia; I’ve been wearing them all summer for everyday duties and less technical walks up and down the country, from the hills of the Trossachs to the beaches of Cornwall.

There are times when a full walking boot is complete overkill, but a running trainer doesn’t offer enough support and this is a no man’s land that I find myself stuck in more and more these days, so when the Escape Pursuit walking shoes arrived on my doorstep, I was excited yet intrigued; could this be the shoe I’d been looking for?

Initial impressions of the shoes were great, I felt the dark blue with red detailing was suitably understated yet welcome departure from either all black or retina searing fluoro that many brands seem to have adopted. They’re also available in grey with orange detailing if blue isn’t your colour.

Columbia Escape Pursuit Design and Features

The thickness of the sole is something that immediately caught my eye, there’s a lot of material on the bottom of the shoe, 28mm to be exact.  Columbia have employed their Techlite+ technology here, which they claim offers a faster and more durable ride. I can’t pick any holes in their claims because I found the Escape Pursuits to be fantastically comfortable over a huge range of terrain and environments without feeling heavy or cumbersome.

The tread design employs Columia’s Adapt Trax technology which uses 4mm lugs with angular orientations which I found offered plenty of grip over loose surfaces. The lugs aren’t long enough to get a huge amount of purchase on truly sodden and waterlogged terrain, but I didn’t look like Bambi on ice at the first hint of a slippery surface. The rubber used in the sole was a happy medium in terms of softness. I found no issues with traction on slick rock but felt they were durable enough to last a good few seasons.

Dry feet, happy walker

The upper uses Columbia’s excellent Outdry waterproof breathable construction which means the Escape Pursuits are fully waterproof, a factor that I loved when crossing rivers or generally mucking about on the beach.

The seamless mesh construction offered excellent support without being too hot and sweaty. The overall fit of the shoe is something that certainly deserves a mention. The heel cup is quite slim, and I found it offered excellent levels of support in terms of locking my heel into place. Coupled with the roomy toe box, I never felt like my feet were confined which added to the all-day comfort.

My only gripe was the laces, Columbia have opted to use flat laces which I wasn’t a huge fan of because they required bit of prep to make sure they were flat side down rather than the thin edge cutting into my foot. This happened on a few occasions and required a bit of tweaking but otherwise the lacing system was excellent, offering a snug yet flexible fit. I also noticed the highly cushioned midsole was showing signs of creasing after a couple of weeks of wear. I highly doubt this will affect performance but it’s a shame to be seeing signs of wear after a relatively short time.