Danner MTN45 Mid GTX Review: Climbing My First 14er With No Break-In

Disclosure: This is not a technical shoe review. I always offer my anecdotal experiences with gear and try to provide the information that I specifically look for when I’m reading other reviews. How does it feel, how does it compare to similar products I might have used. Especially with shoes, where everyone’s feet are different and personal preferences are even more important, I like to present my opinion with caveats and as much context as possible. 

For years, I got away with climbing mountains and going on long hikes with whatever shoes I happened to have in my backpack at the time, since I was always traveling. If I was lucky, I’d actually have a pair of trail runners with some traction still left on.

Before hiking the Narrows in Zion National Park, I grabbed an old pair of Icebug Mist trail runners, from my bygone mud-racing days. It had been sitting untouched for like 8 years in a closet, but they were the best water draining shoes I’ve ever used and would be perfect for the Narrows.

It worked fine for the approach, but as soon as we got to the ankle deep water, the entire outer sole on one shoe basically fell off, hanging to the heel by the last bit of dried-out glue. I ended up using my friend’s hair tie and the conveniently too-long laces and McGuyver-ed the shoe together for the next 5 hours of trekking through the waters.

In Morocco, I agreed to do a hike to ‘Toubkal’ with my friend, only to find out when we arrived the day before, that ‘Mt. Toubkal’ at 13,671 feet was the 2nd highest peak in Africa. I asked the guide if my Onizuka Mexico 66 slip-ons would work. He didn’t even acknowledge my question and just asked what size I wore. The next morning, he returned with a chunky pair of steel-toed boots that I could ‘rent.’

Let me tell you something. You do not want to hike for two days and summit a snowy mountain with a pair of old work boots that weigh nearly 5 pounds, before the cramp-ons, but beggars can’t be choosers.

So, I guess with age comes a bit of wisdom, risk-aversion, and self-preservation.

Which brings me to the Danner MTN45 GTX boot, the closest I’ve come in years to something stiff enough to provide my ankles and toes with some proper protection. I’m a Colorado resident now, so it’s time for a new round of proper outdoor gear.

Of course, the universe has a sense of humor, and turned a spontaneous and easy camping trip with friends, where I was planing to use my new shoes for the first time, into a ‘let’s do our first Colorado 14er.’ Whatever.

I was hoping to break-in these new leather boots on something shorter, but I guess I’d be testing them out through 7 miles and 3,500 ft of of rocky elevation gain to the top of Quandary Peak.

Where the MTN45 Mid GTX Fits In?

For me, on one end of the hiking spectrum are trail runners, like the Altra Timp 5 or Nike ACG Zegama. Light, flexible, and fast. And they offer a bit more protection than just wearing socks. On the other, classic leather hiking boots like the Vasque St. Elias or Danner Mountain Light give you full weight-loading structural support and surface protection at the expense of weight and maneuverability.

The MTN45 Mid looks like a hybrid of both, if you took the leather upper half of a hiking boot and fused it to a wider cushy foam sole and threw on aggressive traction.

The Low model came first and was not something that really interested me. I like the agility of a low cut shoes (knock on wood, but I’ve been very lucky to have good ankle mobility), and I like rugged leather uppers, but just not together for a trail runner.

The new Mid version added 2 more inches of collar, making it a proper ankle-protecting boot as well as adding Gore-Tex waterproofing. That made it something that was different enough from my go to lighter Nike Pegasus Trail GTX or Zegama that I usually wear for hikes.

At 40 oz, the MTN45 Mid GTX is not exactly light, sitting atop the mid-weight boot category range, but you’re getting all the latest shoe tech for the same weight as one of Danner’s most popular hiking boots – the Mountain 600.

Danner MTN45 Mid GTX vs Danner Mountain 600 EVO

When I think Danner, I immediately picture the iconic Mountain Light, with its vintage styling that wears just as well in the city as the mountains, where it was designed to live.

The Mountain 600 is the successor that retains the classic look, while updating it with lighter and more modern materials like lightweight rubber and Vibram soles. The 600 EVO kept innovating, and looked even closer to the original.

For me, the MTN45 Mid GTX is practically the 600 EVO leather upper with an upgraded foam midsole and a new polyurethane-coated mud guard.

I picked it up in Bone Brown.

Materials: Breaking Down The MTN45 Mid GTX Tech

This is about as technical as I’ll get, along with my layman’s attempt at explaining the shoe tech.

The UPPER is made from a premium Nubuck leather. If you’re not familiar, Nubuck is full-grain leather that’s been sanded and buffed down for a softer look and feel. To me, it resembles suede, but is easier to maintain and clean.

The WATERPROOFING comes from a very of GORE-TEX Invisible Fit material bonded directly to the leather upper. Traditional GORE-TEX was basically a bulkier waterproof sock added to the inside of a shoe. The Invisible Fit, feels better, lighter, and offers more breathability.

The FOOTBED is a removable OrthoLite insole, that’s supposed to be long-lasting, breathable, and moisture-wicking.

The MIDSOLE is made from EnduroFoam+, a nitrogen-infused foam designed for higher energy return and shock absorption, akin to what you’d want in good pair of trail running shoes.

Wedged in between is both a TPU rock plate for protection and a TPU shank running from the heel to ball, to offer greater support and keep the boot from bending, while still having some flexibility unless traditional boots.

Note: The original Mountain Light used heavy fiberglass, the Mountain 600 used nylon before the upgraded EVO model switched to TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) for better durability and weight-bearing. 

The OUTSOLE is a Vibram N45+ rubber made exclusively for Danner with their Megagrip and Traction Lug tech for better grip on wet surfaces. We all know Vibram.

Recraftability: Making A Long Lasting Boot Last Longer

One new feature that Danner has moving towards is designing their shoes so they can be recrafted. In other words, when the soles wear out on your Danner, you can send them in to be resoled or rebuilt at their Portland facility.

The website quotes $100-$140 for a resole and $280 for a rebuild. To be fair, most of Danner’s line cost less than $280, so unless you attached to your particular pair of shoes, I’d find it hard to justify the rebuild.

In the case of the MTN45 GTX Mid, it looks like the entire midsole can be taken out and replaced. I’m hoping that falls closer to the $100 price-point, which would make potentially an attractive proposition.

The turnaround time is supposed to be around 4 weeks, so here’s a random thought.

You go through 4-5 pairs of shoes for something like the Pacific Crest or Appalachian Trail. Maybe it’s possible to just get a couple of pairs, swap one out to get resoled when worn, and send it ahead to the next swap-out point. Rinse and repeat.

First Colorado 14er: The Quandary Peak Challenge

So after making camp and going for a 11 km hike at Staunton State Park, one that I did in my street shoes, since it wasn’t really a ‘full hike.’ Our friends then suggested that we do something bigger the next day – one of the 14ers. Colorado has 53 mountains with a summit over 14,000 ft, that they’ve collectively named the ’14ers.’ Coloradans make it a thing to climb as many of these as possible, almost to a point where people talk about it as casually as checking out a new craft beer spot.

As a new resident to Colorado, they also make it sounds like it’s just another hike, with lines like, ‘ just remember to hydrate,’ ‘we like to be at the trail head by 4:30 am,’ and ‘you’re fine as long as you’re below the tree lines by noon.’

Whatever that means.

Quandary Peak, at 14,272 ft, is Colorado’s 11th highest mountain. I’ve only been a higher a couple of times, notably the Thorong La Pass (17,769 ft) on my Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal, but that took weeks and many days of acclimatization. This was just my 3rd day back from a couple of weeks at sea level in Los Angeles, unless you count the Matterhorn Bobsled at Disneyland.

Had I known ahead of time, I would have worn my new pair of MTN45s on that 11 km hike the day before. I’m not new to hiking, so I know you need to break-in a new pair of leather boots slowly and over time.

I didn’t really have a choice here, but I was also comforted knowing that one of the main raison e’tre for Danner’s Mountain 600 and these MTN45 is to have a leather boot that wears like a trail runner you don’t really have to break in.

How The MTN45 Mid GTX Performed, Sizing, Fit + Post-Hike Assessment

I hated the hike. Damn, that altitude hit me.

Despite being in great physical shape, walking at a slow enough pace to keep my heart rate below 145 bpm, taking lots of breaks and hydrating, I was struggling the last couple of hours that felt even longer with the false summits.

To be perfectly open about it, the labored breathing hurt my ego and while the view was beautiful, it didn’t change much, and I was begrudging the mountain for it.

That’s when you know you’re feeling the early effects of altitude sickness.

Mental fog aside, I did enjoy it at the top, feeling better on the descent, and when we finally got back down and stopped in Breckenridge for ramen.

What I am truly grateful I didn’t have to deal with was a pair of shoes that was uncomfortable. I distinctly noted that the toe box was wider than other boots I’ve used in the past. Not as toe-freeing as my LEMS Chelsea Tuff Boot (they’re purposely designed that way), but nice enough.

Sizing

For walking shoes, I am usually a 8 or 8 1/2 in US sizes (41.5 in EU sizing). For running shoes, I usually were a 9 in US sizes (42.5 in EU sizing).

I usually buy my shoes based on the EU sizing, as I personally find it more accurate.

With the MTN45 Mid GTX, I got a 9, which was actually a 43 EU for some reason. The 8.5 (42 EU) felt just a bit snug. In other words, it was pretty close to what normal shoe size and expectation and that .5 difference in the EU size (for some reason) works out for me because I usually wear thicker socks with boots anyway.

Fit

I don’t have wide feet, but it leans a bit that way and I’ve learn to appreciate and look for a slightly wider toe box (I definitely wore the wrong size and fit for way too many years of my life).

I’ve tried on the Mountain 600 EVO, but never hiked with it. It did fit similarly size-wise, but felt a just a bit tighter in the toe box. I felt good about the MTN45 fit almost immediately, especially with the toe box. The heel area felt secure with the lacing system and there was no rubbing in the achilles area for me.

The synthetic laces and metal eyelets had good friction and tension hold. During the entire 7 hours on the mountain, the laces stayed tied, without a double knot. It was also easy to make micro adjustment in one area without loosing tension elsewhere. I like to loosen the laces just a bit above the mid-foot, while keeping the other parts snug.

The tongue is a soft foam-core fabric with perforation that prevented the top of my feet from getting too hot.

While the toe box was wider than other boots, a leather upper means there isn’t as much give when you raise your toes. So the top of the toe box felt a bit stiffer, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just something I have to get used to, since I mostly wear lighter shoes.

Traction and Protection

Not much to say here. It was very grippy, to the point where I never even thought about the grip or traction going up or down. Most of the hike was rocky, with a good amount of loose and off-balanced stones and bits of gravel. Movement wise, I felt confident stepping over every stone without worrying as much about foot placement as I normally would with trail runners.

The protection from the boot also added to that confidence since I also didn’t have to worry about stubbing my toes or anything like that.

I didn’t get to test out the waterproofing, but the breathability of the GORE-TEX was something I only thought about afterwards since the shoe never really got that warm.

There were no hot spots, which was the only thing I hated about my North Face Back To Berkeley Redux boots, an old favorite that I kept around for a long time just because I really loved how it looked.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but the boots look better in person than in the photos, even my own. That suede-like texture handled the dust and a subsequent water wipe-down very easily.

In my personal shoe line-up, this is the one I’ll grab for any kind of dirty or wet conditions, and with a thick pair of socks, will probably be my winter boots in Denver, since it won’t get as cold as the mountains.

For me, weather conditions aside, I’d like to use it for hikes under 10 miles and for any kind of backcountry camping trips, where I’ll have a heavier load. For longer ones, I’d probably default back to one of my lighter trail runners.

At $270 retail, it’s in line with Danner’s other boots. I might have balked at that years ago as a younger backpacker, but again, with age, I look back at how long I’ve kept some of my other outdoor investments and I don’t regret any of the big purchases. Especially when you only make certain purchases once every few years.

Where To Try It On?

I think fit is important, so I advise trying it on before buying. Two convenient options are REI and Amazon. REI carries the MTN45 Mids here online and in some of their stores. REI Members get 10% back. Amazon also has the exact model I have, with their fast shipping and easy returns, so that might be an option if you’re going to pick up a couple of sizes at once to try out.

Danner has retail store finder, so you can find them in both Danner stores and many outdoor retailers like Sportsman Warehouse, Bass Pro Shops, and Boot Barn.

Updated on October 26, 2026