VJ SpeedHiker Review: One Rockin’ Boot

The Intro

JOHN: Higher, baby (Ahhh); get higher, baby (Ahhh); get higher, baby, and don’t ever come down VJ. I’m fired up for this review because the VJ SpeedHiker is, well, I’m just going to say it — a bear on cocaine. It’s big, it’s tough, and it’s so aggressive it would make 80s action stars blush. I tested this beast on a combination of surfaces, including mud, gravel, and some sandy stuff, on short hikes in rural Culpeper, VA, during the week, then, as the grand finale, took it on a big trip to Old Rag. It did not disappoint.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand VJ let me tell you it has a reputation for making some rugged shoes. The VJ SpeedHiker is based on the VJ Ultra 2’s foot shape and sole. I came across VJ while running more technical ultra-marathons and looking for a trail shoe hard enough for Manitou’s Revenge, a race held in the rugged Catskills. VJ is known for its grip, stability, and protection, so hearing about the SpeedHiker, I was all in from the start.

VJ boasts that it has the “best grip on the planet,” its words, not mine. The VJ SpeedHiker has a 6 mm drop with highly aggressive 4 mm lugs. Between the lugs and solid rock plate, you’re probably not going to fall in this shoe unless you’re doing something highly dangerous (and if you are, please tell me what it is because it sounds amazing, and I want to try it).

This shoe is fully waterproof and boasts VJ’s Performadry Membrane. I tried to look for as much water as I could when testing this shoe, even hiking in the rain, but my feet stayed dry. The lowered backside for better ankle mobility is great, giving your ankles the comfort they need to move. The Butyl-Rubber outsole is tough, too. VJ straight-up packed more muscle into this shoe than an Expendables movie.

I picked Old Rag to really test it. I’m good at getting myself into dumb situations repeatedly, and my feet still felt incredible after I finished my loop. A cool feature of the VJ SpeedHiker is the Durable Ripstop upper, made from 100% recycled materials. It’s tough but unbelievably comfy. The Strengthened Rubber Toe-Cap allows you to basically kick rocks out of the way like soccer balls without feeling anything.

When you put The VJ Speedhiker on your foot, it fits right on, like in T2 when Arnie uses the grenade launcher. It even makes a similar sound as your foot slides in easily. Once you lace up and take a few steps you feel a similar cushion to trail shoes. It’s not at all clunky like a traditional hiking boot but feels like a souped-up trail shoe. Just for perspective, weight-wise, it’s about 0.8 oz. heavier than an Altra Olympus. For $170, this is a solid value for a revved-up hiker that you can take on some serious adventures.

The Good

JOHN: I felt like my US M11.5 size was perfect. I had just enough room with no issues. The weight will feel heavy if you’re mainly using trail shoes these days, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you probably are; however, compared to other hiking boots, VJ has done a great job of making something that finds a happy middle-ground.

Even if you’ve sworn off hiking boots and want nothing to do with anything that resembles a boot, you have to respect what VJ has done. It’s unapologetically engineered a tyrant here that not even a rocket launcher with infinite ammo can put down.

The Speedhiker is ambitious. It’s battle ready for nightmare trails and has as much protection and comfort as possible to help you succeed. The VJ Ultra 2 is a tough shoe, to begin with, and VJ has built off of it to make it even tougher, which is why you may say its performance is like a bear doing cocaine. It’s crazy, and I absolutely love it.

The Bad

JOHN: It was very warm out when I tested the SpeedHiker, and it did make my feet sweat, which is a reasonable tradeoff for being waterproof and so comfy and protective. I should point out, though, it wasn’t as bad as a traditional hiking boot. I feel like this wouldn’t be bad at all for me in cooler temps. The VJ SpeedHiker is interesting as it really tries to go directly in the middle of the heated debate of hiking boots vs trail shoes.

The all-black is pretty awesome, you can’t go wrong with it, but I’m not going to lie; it definitely gave me boot camp vibes. I kind of wish there was some red splashed in there. It would make the shoe even more metal than it already is.

VJ SpeedHiker Conclusion

JOHN: I feel like VJ hasn’t even come close to its potential yet with the SpeedHiker. That’s saying a lot also because while it’s great, it has much room to improve by adding aspects of both hiking boots and trail shoes and making an even better hybrid.

For people who use traditional hiking boots, this is a refreshing spin. It’s not as clunky but still has all the toughness and stability. For people used to trail shoes who want something tougher for going on thru-hikes, etc, this has a trail shoe vibe but all the additional benefits of a hiking boot.

I love the hybrid concept of this shoe, and I feel like VJ is going to do even more to improve it as well. The nutjob in me wants to attempt using it on a technical 100-mile race.

Anyone considering The VJ Speedhiker should definitely check out the review on the Saucony Ultra Ridge GTX review while they’re here. The Ultra Ridge is slightly lighter, you could make the case a cooler-looking shoe, but slightly more expensive. I experienced the SpeedHiker when the temps were warmer, which lead to my feet feeling slightly overheated, but Sam also experienced this with the Ultra Ridge GTX. I have not tried the Ultra Ridge, but I’m not sure it goes harder than the SpeedHiker (or anything else for that matter). As I mentioned earlier, VJ kicks harder than Van Damme, leaving no doubt it has some serious power behind it.

I respected the hell out of VJ before testing the SpeedHiker, and I’m in absolute awe of the brand now. If you are planning a serious adventure that requires more firepower than trail shoes, but you need to be more nimble than the average hiking boot, then you should, by all means, give the Speedhiker a try.

You can pick up the VJ SpeedHiker for $170 from VJ Shoes using the buttons below.

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