Softstar Shoes Switchback Hiking Boots – A Full Review

I need to give a pre-disclaimer of slight fangirling on these boots. They’re created and marketed as barefoot shoes hiking boots, but they have a distinct combat boots feel that I really dig, especially in this darker color. Softstar Shoes has put a lot of thought into the material, shape, and look here, so read on to see how they perform too, and if they’re right for you.

Disclaimer: The Softstar Shoes Switchback was sent to me for testing and review, but all thoughts are my own. If you choose to purchase through blog links, it will cost you nothing extra but a small portion will go to support reviews like this and is much appreciated.

Technical Specifications

• Upper: Superfabric Shell with Leather Trim
• Lining: Wool
• Insole: Glued-down but replaceable wool and foam
• Midsole: 3.5 mm
• Sole: Vibram MegaGrip, 6 mm
• Available in Slate (dark grey with blue laces, pictured here) and Sandstone (light with orange laces)
• Sizes 5U-13U
• Regular and Wide (Primal Friendly) Widths

Company

Sofstar Shoes cares about every aspect of their shoes, from the materials used, to the designs, and their construction processes. They produce well-thought-out looks and listen to customers. These boots were built based on a mound of customer feedback and are designed with us in mind. All their shoes are handmade in Oregon (USA).

Appearance

You will instantly think rugged when you see these boots. They give a big statement that they are ready for whatever you want to do with their knobby, strong fabric, thick sole, and dark styling. I pulled them out of their delivery bag and put them right on, tag still attached.

I particularly like the detailing:

And they have the sole to match:

So you can get ready to get dirty:

But you can also wear them purely as a technical/combat boot style choice:

• 

• 

I ain’t sad about it.

Because I can’t help but see them in this light, I went a step further with them and darkened the look by changing out the blue and black laces to all-black laces, which is what I am sporting in most worn pictures in this review.

I got the 57-inch length, which is slightly longer than the 54 inches that come with the boots, a choice I made because of my wider calves. The exact laces I got are here (affiliate link), and they came with 2 pairs for that price. I went all-black for the vibe I wanted, but they come in allllll the fun colors.

Fit

Being modeled after their Primal line, as a general idea, these have a very, very wide toe box. It’s the wide splay we need (especially in this Wide version) and has good height as well.

Things do get more snug when you hit the tongue. At the base of it is where I feel things tighten down on my high-volume feet.

The heel is medium-to-wide inside and noticeably wider than my Primal Sawyer model, which is probably a mix of the larger size and a different model. If you have an especially narrow heel you may need to rely on the laces for security as there is not a grippy material inside these boots. The shaft defaults narrow, which should help, but can also expand well and covers my wider calves well.

And as a comparison to Primal models:

The left is the Primal Merry Jane (review here), the middle is Primal Sawyer (review here), and the right is the Switchback. The construction between Primal Sawyer and Switchback is similarly stitch-down, leaving the most delicate shoe, the Primal Merry Jane as the one with the most space inside, even though the PMJ and the Sawyer have the same basic sole shape.

Sizing

Softstar Shoes uses an internal sizing system that tracks fairly close to men’s sizes, but fit can vary across models to some degree, and the width options in different models can mean very different things.

For example, my size in Primal Merry Jane and Primal Softstar is 10U Regular (vs the alternative Narrow option) which offers an extra-wide toe box. My normal men’s size is a 10 or 10.5, and this tracks.

In Ballerine, however, I went with 11U (was on the fence between 11U and 10U Wide).

In Switchback, knowing it’s lined, I went up a size from my Primals to the 11U, and chose the Wide Width, which is noted as Primal Friendly. I tell you all that so that you know Regular in Primal models is the widest, but Regular in these is not – you will want Wide. It’s not 100% the same shape of the Primals, but it has the same intent.

The Sizing Guide is linked on every product page and that affords you 2 methods to get your size: either the green boxes at the top to check with measurements or the white boxes a little further down to use a printable template. My favorite method is measuring and they have great tips on that page, but do be sure to add extra space for good big toe movement.

Important notes:

The material here Does. Not. Stretch. so if you normally have some stretching and breaking in with your Softstar Shoes, go up.

If you’re between sizes, go up.

If you plan to wear extra thick socks, go up.

The lining is not especially thick, but it does take up space and, considering the above points, I think you should frame your personal sizing question as “Do I have any reason not to go up?”

How do they feel?

There’s a lot to unpack here.

The sole has moderate flexibility, almost exactly like the Bedrocks I’ve reviewed and love. This means you can deal great with terrain, but you’re not going to have a ton of groundfeel. I’ve compared different sole roll/folds on Instagram, if you’d like more information on the differences.

The upper is flexible, but has no stretch. This means that over time they can feel a little stiff, even while they don’t feel restrictive.

Sometimes people say that wool is temperature regulating, implying that you can wear it in any weather, but I have to say that these boots are instantly warm. That may be due to a combination of the lining and the Superfabric shell. So far, I instantly get warm in them.

As mentioned in Fit, the toe box here is great! I have no problems with any restriction.

There is no break-in with these boots, which means that a) nothing will rub and b) the way they fit on day 1 is pretty much how they’re going to fit in the long run. The only place likely to change is the insole compressing over time, especially with serious wear. Thankfully, those are replaceable.

Hiking Boots Performance

The Switchback is designed as a hiking boot, and here are some of the common concerns in this area:

Water – the shell is designed to be waterproof and the seams are sealed, but the tongue is not gusseted. The thick sole is going to push most water out of your way for small puddles, and splashes just roll off the top. The problem comes though when you get into water for longer periods. If you are doing a trail with a lot of water, water can noticeably seep in, even if it’s not high enough to top over the tongue opening. My advice: move through water quickly and avoid anything deep.

To be clear: step in water when you need to in these, but don’t stand in water. I purposely tested them for immersion (below tongue level) and that’s where I get some intrusion. How an immersion test relates to your personal hiking zone is something only you can judge. What I haven’t been able to test yet, because the weather is too clear, is rain. I will have to come back to share if there’s any intrusion from rain.

Traction – Vibram Mega Grip is one of the best options for traction and does not disappoint going up or down hills, dealing with mud, or walking on leaves. The lugs on these go in multiple directions, giving you a boost whatever way you’re walking. However, note that the inside is quite smooth, so on major inclines, especially if you have more narrow or low-volume feet, you have the potential to slide, particularly when going downhill.

Uphill, though, I was able to climb a steeper incline in my own yard than trails typically offer (something my kids spider-crawl up) with zero slipping. This sole has serious gripping power – it was quite wet on top of the incline, and I had no issues at all.

• 

• 

• 

Feeling After Long Wear – the flexibility but low-to-no stretchability could pile up on a long hike. You’re probably going to want to have some high socks or pants legs between you and the boots to blunt this for extended use. I have had jeans between mine and my legs and that felt good.

Dealing with Trail Rocks, Roots, and Other Debris – with a 6 mm sole and 3.5 mm midsole, you have a lot of buffer here. If you’re looking to feel everything, you likely won’t, but your feet may thank you in the long run for the extra protection. Still, there’s plenty of moldability and you will feel the larger objects.

• 

• 

• 

Cleaning and Care

The fabric of the Switchback boot is a very special material called Superfabric that is waterproof and the seams have been sealed. The trim is leather, and you may want to wax the leather, but know that this may greatly change the natural look of the boots, at least in the short term. I chose Otter Wax as my waterproofing and you can browse several different options on this resource page. Here’s a close-up look at the next day, before taking them out to get them dirty. The black hoodie outfit pic was taken just after this:

The material is puncture-, stain-, and slash-resistant, so you don’t have to be gentle with it, but the leather is more likely to be scraped up and would be best to be more gentle there. If you protect it well, it shouldn’t need too much deep work anyway.

Never machine wash or dry these boots.

I managed to get them dirty pretty quickly, which is easy to do with the level of grip in the MegaGrip sole.

• 

• 

Softstar Shoes has an extensive care guide on their website, divided by leather type, for most products. For these, the only care recommendation is:

Switchback boots are very easy to clean! Simply use a damp cloth to wipe off any dirt or stains, then let air dry.

Voila!

Purchasing and Returns

Softstar Shoes Switchback is purchased directly from their website. If you want these for a specific adventure, be sure to plan ahead. They cost $240 and may not ship out for 4-6 weeks due to the initial crush to get pairs. If you’re a new customer, you can save 15% with the code WELCOME. You must be logged in for this to work.

Softstar does accept returns on untreated and unworn products.

Final Thoughts

I am really excited to get these out in the woods and report back. I already know I’ll wear them as a non-hiking style choice, but think they’re really going to perform well in nature with the protection needed and the minimalist qualities we all want. These boots look and feel like they are meant to last and will perform optimally under a wide range of conditions.

Want more reviews?

Check out All the Barefoot Shoe Reviews for more in-depth looks.

Love color or need a specific type of shoe?

Check out the BIG lists here.