Danner Cascade Crest review

If you've been eyeballing lumberjack-style hiking boots for a while now, we believe that the Cascade Crest is one of the best options in this niche. Here are a few solid reasons to choose it:

• its leather and craftsmanship quality make it hard to beat
• the boot can tackle a variety of challenging conditions be it on the trail or in the forest
• it has a spacious toebox and wide options (unlike most other Danner boots)

If you love the visual appeal of Danner boots but can't imagine spending $350 on a pair of boots, consider the more affordable options like the Danner Mountain 600 (if you plan a lot of hiking) or the Danner Jag (if it's primarily for casual wear and light trail walks).

Both boots are also notably lighter than the Cascade Crest - by 7.8 oz and 9.5 oz, respectively.

According to Danner, the Cascade Crest was designed with insights from the Oregon State Park Rangers. Considering the rainfall that the park receives throughout the year, we are not surprised to see a world-class Gore-Tex membrane on the boot.

This waterproof lining is paired with thick leather and nylon leaving the air no chance to pass in or out.

See how none of the smoke we pumped into the boot escaped through the upper. The materials are airtight and there are no perforations to help with ventilation.

Rating the Cascade Crest's breathability with the lowest possible score (1 out of 5), we do not recommend wearing it for temperatures above 55°F (13°C). Otherwise, things will get pretty toasty!

On the upside, the boot's capacity to keep water at bay is exceptional. Because Oregon weather is so unpredictable and promises above-average precipitation, we believe that a boot like the Casdace Crest will keep you great company.

If your hiking geography includes constant rain, deep puddles, and swampy patches - we can readily recommend this Danner boot.

And what a lovely bonus - its waterproof liner uses 45% recycled materials!

In this review, we are testing the boot's Grizzly Brown/Ursa Blue colorway which uses a mix of full-grain leather and nylon for the upper. Thus, its toebox durability is likely to differ from its more expensive all-leather counterparts.

In our lab, we make sure that the boot's upper can withstand regular scrapes and slashes from rocks and trail debris. We found that the quickest way to test this is by applying a Dremel with a sandpaper tip to the boot's upper material. In the case of the Cascade Crest, the tip fell 50/50 on both leather and nylon so we ended up testing both materials.

After 12 seconds of drilling the same spot at 5K RPM speed and 3.2N pressure, we were delighted with the result. Both materials showed excellent abrasion resistance with very minor scuffing. Thus, we rated the toebox durability of this Danner boot with a solid score of 4.

Now we can believe it when the brand says they have subjected this leather to six "rigorous quality tests."

Inside, most of the boot is lined with the Gore-Tex membrane and the top of the collar features soft leather for added longevity. Let's see if this part lives up to the expectations as well.

In most hiking boots, this delicate part rarely gets a durability score higher than 4 but the Cascade Crest chose the materials wisely and earned itself a 5 out of 5 for heel padding durability.

Another crucial characteristic of a reliable hiking boot is, of course, a sturdy and hard-wearing outsole that can go hundreds of miles before failing you.

Our hardness test showed a solid reading of 85.0 HC on a Shore C durometer. This is a positive sign of a heavy-duty outsole.

But we can't tell if the rubber is ready for some serious abuse until after it brushes with our Dremel.

And kudos to the boot's Vibram rubber outsole for standing up to the challenge! The compound remained in near-perfect condition after being drilled with sandpaper for 22 seconds.

We used a tread gauge to measure the depth of the dent and it returned as little as 0.7 mm. This is exactly on par with other high-quality hiking boots we've tested.

Finally, the amount of rubber on this Danner boot also predicts its long and happy life.

The outsole thickness of 3.1 mm (lug depth excluded) indicates a solid lifespan.

Danner is one of the few footwear companies that offers recrafting services for its products. Thanks to the Cascade Crest's stitchdown construction, its sole can be taken apart from the rest of the boot and replaced with a new one.

Of course this option comes with a price but it allows you to enjoy a favorite pair of boots for decades!

If this is your first experience with Danner boots, we must warn you of their notoriously heavy build. Unfortunately, being extra tough and made of high-quality leather results in a weight penalty.

Putting the Cascade Crest on our scale showed...oomph...26.5 oz (751g) in a men's US size 9. Among our lab-tested boots, that weight is only second to the Danner Mountain Light (28.3 oz/802g).

On foot, it feels notably heavier than the more athletic-looking models. But that's the price to pay for the brand's heritage style.

During our on-foot tests, the Cascade Crest made us feel pretty isolated from the ground. So we weren't surprised to see a higher-than-average heel stack in this Danner boot.

Its heel elevation clocks in at 41.6 mm which is about 5 mm above the typical boot stack. We assume that the state park rangers have nothing but appreciation for the added height as they trudge through puddles and muddy patches.

The forefoot portion of the boot's platform shows a more moderate stack of 24.4 mm (only 2 mm above the average).

We appreciated a more down-to-earth experience under the balls of our feet as it helped us be more careful with our footing.

The boot also has a piece of softer foam embedded into the forefoot section. We felt that it made contact with the ground less harsh.

The notable difference in stack heights resulted in a steep drop of 17.2 mm in the Cascade Crest. It is a few millimeters higher than the average drop.

Most people never notice how their feet are positioned inside the boots (unless they have issues with the Achilles or other tendons) and they should be fine with this Danner boot. The higher heel helps to alleviate pressure from the Achilles, especially when you carry a heavy load.

But a small percentage of wearers are very particular about having low-drop or even zero-drop (flat) soles in which their heels are level with the toes. This setup is supposed to promote more natural biomechanics but it doesn't work for everybody so consulting your podiatrist would be wise.

Even though the Cascade Crest packs a lot of midsole material, the boot is far from feeling cushy or plush. It is a very FIRM boot.

Pressing our Shore A durometer against the boot's primary cushioning foam returned 33.9 HA. That is 22% harder than the average we've measured in hiking boots. Together with the other Danner boots, the Cascade Crest makes up the firmest-feeling bunch.

But as the flip side of that coin, the Cascade Crest doesn't get much firmer in freezing conditions.

After spending 20 cold and lonely minutes in our fridge, the midsole of this Danner boot only firmed up by 9.6%.

Despite the hardness of its platform, the Cascade Crest kept our feet padded with the help of a cushy OrthoLite insole.

The footbed is sufficiently thick with 6.5 mm of foam in the heel area and it is ergonomically contoured for added comfort.

We were also pleased to find out that the insole is made of recycled rubber and Bio-Oil (+1 point for sustainability).

The Danner Cascade Crest kept our steps planted and stable even as the ground started to get hilly. From the bottom of the sole to the tip of the collar, this boot felt reliable and supportive even on the more technical terrain.

You might think that Danner's stitchdown construction is only there for looks but it actually contributes to stability! It made our feet feel as if they were firmly strapped to two sturdy platforms. Never once did we feel off-balance in this Danner boot.

The level of boot stiffness is often linked to its ability to maintain a stable ride on the trail. The harder it is to twist the boot itself the lower the chance of twisting your ankle.

Our manual test showed that it takes quite some force to bend and twist the Cascade Crest. The boot's hard sole with a stiff shank resisted the sideways motion quite a bit! This earned the boot a high torsional rigidity score of 4 out of 5.

Further contributing to the boot's secure lockdown is a stiff and sturdy heel counter. Our push-and-squeeze test revealed its above-average rigidity.

So much so that we rated the heel counter of this Danner boot with the highest stiffness score - 5 out of 5!

It created a real death grip around our heels and ankles eliminating any play inside the boot.

A nice and wide landing area completes the boot's stability ensemble.

Measuring the distance between the most extended contact points of the sole, we got 118.9 mm on our caliper. That's over 7 mm wider than average!

At 89.3 mm, we also found that the heel of the Cascade Crest is a couple of millimeters wider than the industry average.

It is common for all heritage-style boots to be stiffer than average. But it's not the case for the Cascade Crest.

Bending the boot with a force gauge in our lab stiffness test, we found that it takes 46.1N to get the Cascade Crest to a 90-degree angle - nearly the same as the average.

But in low temperatures, this Danner boot stiffens up just like its counterparts.

Twenty minutes of freezer time resulted in a 17.8% change in its stiffness, according to our force gauge.

We are happy to report that the Vibram Traction Cascade outsole of this Danner boot delivers on promise!

First of all, our caliper confirmed a 5-mm lug depth in the Cascade Crest which is toothier than the average of our tested hiking boots.

Considering that the boot was designed with state park rangers in mind, its tread pattern proved to be capable of handling various types of terrain. From sandy beaches to wet and boggy areas to even some ice and snow - anything you might encounter in the vastness of America's state parks.

If it occurred to you that the Danner Cascade Crest looks kind of big on our feet, you weren't wrong. In our regular men's US size 9, this boot runs about a whole size large!

Our experience was confirmed in a caliper measurement which returned a whopping heel-to-toe length of 278.9 mm. Even though Danner claims the boot to fit true to size, we recommend sizing down for the Cascade Crest.

Outdoorsy folks in search of extra toe space finally get a Danner boot that meets their needs!

Not only is the Cascade Crest available in two widths (D medium and EE wide) but it's also built on a DPDX last which offers more room for comfort and toe splay.

For context, it is the same last as the one used for the Mountain 600 and it is more spacious than the 650 last of the Danner Mountain Light.

Measuring the widest part of the boot's toebox also proved this to be true showing 103.7 mm on our caliper. This is by far the widest toebox measurement we've recorded among Danner boots!

However, the Cascade Crest does taper towards the front showing a narrower-than-average width of 74.3 mm at the big toe.

Thus, if you have wide feet, it may be worth getting the EE version to avoid cramping.

The tongue of this Danner boot is fully integrated into the upper and its side panels are nearly as tall as the collar. That way, even deep creeks and puddles won't be a problem for the Cascade Crest.

The boot features tough round laces that remained securely tied the entire wear test.

The topmost eyelet is a lace hook that makes on-and-off faster and easier.

An alternative pair of laces of different color also comes along in the box.

At 8.0 mm, the tongue of the Cascade Crest is a bit thinner than we've come to expect in hiking boots. But it gets the job done just fine - no lace bites for these feet.

A fabric loop at the back is nice and handy for slipping the foot inside the Cascade Crest.

If you need more space inside the boot or want to wear a custom orthotic, the stock insole is easily removable.

Danner boots normally don't have any reflective elements due to their vintage style. But the Cascade Crest has some reflectivity in its finger loops at the back.