The Danner Light II has all the look and feel of a classic boot, but is underpinned by tech designed to help it go further and for longer. 

Danner is a company which is proud of its heritage and you see that coming to the fore in its range of hiking boots. Showcasing the classic look of yesteryear with more modern touches, the Light II is a key member of Danner’s hiking range and aims to bring that rock-solid construction and rugged dependability that the Portland-based company is known for. 

Certainly, from the outside at least, the Light II is a boot which has been around since the late 1970s, and arrived as one of the very first waterproof hiking boots thanks to a newly-developed technology which is now very well known – Gore-Tex. Fast forward to the present day and the Light II remains a mainstay of the Danner range, alongside firm favourites like the Mountain Lights. 

How does all of this heritage translate into a modern-day hiking boot, though? We’ve been finding out. 

Sphere Score

For

• Feel sturdy and reliable
• Great sense of stability when on the move
• Recraftable, so you can keep them going once the soles wear out

Against

• Very expensive
• Heavy overall
• Some questions about build quality 

Tech specs 

• £460
• Available in brown, dark brown and black
• Full Gore-Tex lining
• Made in the USA
• Vibram outsole
• 1.7kg a pair

What does the Danner Light II have to offer?

The Danner Light II may still retain the same look as that original 1970s boot, but there’s plenty going on behind the scenes that can make a modern-day hiking boot feel worried. We’ve got a mix of pebble-grain leather and 1000 Denier nylon for the upper, giving you rigidity while cutting back on weight when compared with a full-leather.

Of course, there’s a Gore-Tex waterproof membrane to help keep your feet dry and warm, no matter the conditions while still retaining some level of breathability – Danner says that the Light II boots are best for warm to cool weather conditions. They’re not insulated, either, so you’ll need to go for your thickest socks to warm things up in the Light IIs. 

You’ve also got moulded polyurethane cups to aid heel comfort and arch support. Underneath, the Light II is founded on a Vibram Kletterlift outsole, which you’ll see used across many boots within the Danner range. As well as high levels of grip, this setup is designed to minimise the shock from impacts suffered when tackling tough terrain. A fibreglass shank sits at the very heart of the boot.

The good news is that the Light II is also completely recraftable, so once the soles have worn out, it’s easy to replace them. Danner even offers its own service for this if you’d like to keep things in-house. Oh, and Danner says that the boots are fully USA-made, too. Unlike others in the brand’s range which are part-assembled overseas and then finished off in Portland, the Light IIs are a through-and-through America-made product – or so the brand says. 

Wearing – what is the Danner Light II like?

Straight out of the box, you can tell that the Danner Light IIs are a quality item. The leather is strong yet has a soft feel to it, while the chunky soles underneath are robust and chunky. Even the box it all comes with feels sturdier than you might expect. 

As we’ve found with other Danner heritage boots, like the Mountain Light, for instance, the Light IIs require some commitment to break them in – though not quite as much as the MLs. A ‘day-on, day-off’ approach is great; wear them around the house and then leave them alone for a day, before working up in increments before heading out on a longer trek.

Initially at least, they were quite a struggle to pull on; the tongue of the boot is stitched quite closely to the uppers and so, to begin with, they felt tight and tricky to move around. 

However, we were quite surprised to find that the Light IIs became comfortable in not all that long and, in quite a short period, started to feel like a real go-to in terms of comfort. That on-off issue quickly subsided, too, and they soon became easy to slip on and off when you need to. 

The standard-issue laces that come with these boots do feel comically long, mind you, and you end up having to tuck quite a lot of the excess into the tops of the boots to stop them from waving around or loop them back around the heel. However, having three rows of lace hooks means you can get a really secure fit and adds a feeling of support around the ankles. 

We have, however, also noticed a small defect on one of the lace hooks, which has started to come away from the leather – not what we’d expect from a pair of boots retailing for well over £450. 

That said, in all other areas the Light IIs feel right on the money. For one, they’re not so outdoorsy that you can’t wear them in more urban or relaxed environments. Team them with a pair of jeans and they still look just as appropriate as they do when you’re heading off the beaten track. 

The good news is that these still stand up very much as a dedicated hiking boot. They are heavy, mind you, particularly when you compare them to a more modern design of hiker, but the Gore-Tex lining and rugged Vibram sole mean that you do have some genuine off-road prowess at your disposal. The lugs on the sole in particular provide great traction in the wet, sludgy conditions that you usually find in the UK. So far, we’ve no reason to question the waterproofing of these boots, either. 

For us, the standard width felt spot-on with enough wiggle room in the toe box. However, for those with broader feet, then Danner does offer a wide version which is a handy addition. Again, as we’ve found with other Danners, the sizing of the Light II didn’t quite line up with the rest of the range; so far we’ve been a straight nine in Light IIs, an 8.5 in Mountain Lights and a something in between the two for the Bull Runs – so make sure you try a pair on, if possible, to get the right fit for you. 

To finish

It’s nice to see that a company like Danner retains models in its range which remain true to its heritage. Like the Mountain Lights, these Light IIs maintain a link to the boots of yesteryear but still feel more than capable of keeping up with modern alternatives. 

They are heavy, however, and if you’re looking for something ultra lightweight or with additional ventilation, then you may need to look elsewhere. But for a pair of boots that’ll see you through for many years to come, it’s hard not to be swayed by the quality and feel of the Light IIs.