Nuestra conclusión

New Balance found a sweet spot with the Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX as it's more than just a high-collared running shoe but less than an overbuilt trekking boot. It packs a ton of ultra-plush Fresh Foam X cushioning while keeping its weight to the minimum and stability to the maximum. We thoroughly enjoyed the Hierro's immense comfort and versatility as it effortlessly transitioned from the city streets to the rocky and dirty trails. Even though the boot has its limits, it is a very well-rounded day hiking offering for a wide range of outdoor scenarios.

Pros

  • One of the softest hiking boots
  • Generous cushioning for long miles
  • Much lighter than average boot
  • Excellent stability and lockdown
  • Flexible forefoot
  • Effective waterproofing
  • Durable upper and outsole
  • Grippy on varied terrain

Contras

  • Gets notably firmer in low temps
  • Low flood level
  • Not for technical terrain

Veredicto de los usuarios

N/A
Aún no hay reviews suficientes

Who should buy

Don't sleep on the Hierro Mid GTX if you are after the following:

  • an uber-soft, well-cushioned hiking boot for light and moderate hikes
  • a lightweight running shoe-based boot for the trails
  • a stylish and versatile boot that feels at home on the trail and in the streets

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX review

Who should NOT buy

Skip this New Balance boot if you need a more technical option for off-trail adventures and challenging multi-day trips.

For these scenarios, we recommend looking into the Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GTX, the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX, or even more rugged and expensive backpacking boots.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX lab test

Amortiguación

Altura de la suela en la zona del talón

If you ever tried New Balance's Fresh Foam running shoes, you will find the familiar cushioned goodness in this mid-cut Fresh Foam X Hierro.

The boot packs a generous heel stack of 35.4 mm which is on par with the category average. However, the Fresh Foam X's cushy nature makes it feel even thicker than that! The foam maintains excellent impact protection for hours of hiking.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Heel stack
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 35.4 mm
Media 36.3 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
26.2 mm
Altura de la suela en la zona del talón
46.9 mm

Altura de la suela en el antepié

The balls of our feet also felt pampered thanks to the above-average forefoot stack of 25.3 mm. The boot's thick-foamed platform devoured every bump, root, and rock we stepped on during the wear test keeping us reasonably isolated from the trail.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Forefoot stack
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 25.3 mm
Media 22.8 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
17.0 mm
Altura de la suela en el antepié
30.7 mm

Drop

New Balance built the Hierro Mid on the basis of the Hierro v7 trail running shoe which explains similarities in their stack heights and heel-to-toe drops.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX vs Hierro v7

Based on our caliper measurements, the Hierro Mid's drop comes in at 10.1 mm which is slightly higher than the brand's stated 8 mm (granted, NB claims their drop measurements to be approximate due to variances in the development and manufacturing process).

A 10-mm offset is slightly lower than the average of hiking boots but should feel nice and balanced for most hikers. It puts the heel in a moderately elevated position to lessen the strain on the Achilles.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Drop
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 10.1 mm
Media 13.5 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
2.6 mm
Drop
20.9 mm

Suavidad de la mediasuela

We are happy to report that New Balance is not joking about the cushioning softness of the Hierro Mid GTX. Its Fresh Foam X midsole showed a record-breakingly low reading on our Shore A durometer!

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Midsole softness

At only 14.7 HA, it turned out to be the softest hiking boot midsole in our lab to date! Followed by the Boost foam of the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 (15.4 HA).

The Hierro Mid essentially feels like a plush running shoe underfoot. Our steps felt well-cushioned, smooth, and effortless, even on hard-packed terrain. Not to mention that the post-hike fatigue felt as minimal as it can be.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 14.7 HA
Media 27.8 HA
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
14.7 HA
Suavidad de la mediasuela (de blanda a firme)
51.6 HA

Rigidez de la mediasuela en frío (%)

Unfortunately, the boot's Fresh Foam X midsole comes with a drawback - it loses nearly half of its softness in cold weather.

To mimic chilly conditions, we kept the boot in the freezer for 20 minutes and repeated the durometer measurement. The latter showed 21.0 HA which is 43% firmer than the one we took at room temperature.

So if you're camping overnight and the temperature drops to 30°F (0°C) or below, expect the Hierro Mid to feel notably firmer than the day before. It will take some warming up to break it back in.

But the good news is that even in its frozen state, the Hierro Mid feels significantly plusher than the average hiking boot at room temperature.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Midsole softness in cold (%)
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 43%
Media 19%
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
4%
Rigidez de la mediasuela en frío
50%

Grosor de la plantilla

At 4.7 mm, the boot's insole turned out to be thicker than that of the Hierro shoe (3.0 mm) but thinner than the average of hiking boot insoles.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Insole thickness
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 4.7 mm
Media 6.1 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
3.7 mm
Grosor de la plantilla
8.0 mm

Tallaje y ajuste

Talla

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX son un poquito pequeñas (10 votos).

Si tienes estas zapatillas, ¿qué opinas de su talla?

1 talla más pequeñas ½ talla más pequeñas Tallan bien ½ talla más grandes 1 talla más grandes
En comparación con 35 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
½ talla más pequeñas
Tallan un poquito pequeño
Tallan bien
Tallan un poquito grande
½ talla más grandes

Anchura de la parte delantera - zona más ancha

Trying the Hierro Mid GTX in a standard D medium width felt exactly on point for our medium-width feet. But how does it compare to the other hiking boots? We poured a gel mold of its toebox to find out.

When the replica was ready, we measured its widest part with a digital caliper. At 92.6 mm, it turned out to be a tad narrower than average but not enough to tag it as narrow.

And yet, folks with wider feet will be glad to know that the NB Hierro Mid GTX is also available in wide and extra wide options.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Toebox width - widest part
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 92.6 mm

Anchura de la parte delantera - dedo gordo

With a standard width of 70.4 mm near the big toe, the boot's toebox is very mildly tapered. It offers sufficient wiggle room and doesn't squeeze the toes.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Toebox width - big toe
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 70.4 mm

Altura de la parte delantera

The boot's vertical space is slightly limited because of the dense toebox leather. At 26.1 mm, its toebox height is a couple of milimeters lower than average.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Toebox height
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 26.1 mm

Estabilidad

Prueba de estabilidad lateral

The low-cut Hierro v7 was a rather stable shoe already but the Hierro Mid GTX took it further by adding a tall and well-padded ankle collar, thick leather overlays, and other design tweaks to turn it into an actual hiking boot. It's more than just a running shoe with a higher ankle cut!

The boot offers excellent side-to-side containment on uneven terrain and doesn't let the foot buckle under the backpack load.

Rigidez torsional

Thanks to its sturdier upper design, the boot has significantly higher torsional rigidity than its low-cut counterpart.

Assessing its stiffness on a 1-5 scale, we easily gave it the highest score of 5 because the boot refused to twist even one bit!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 5
Media 4.3
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez torsional
5

Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón

The Hierro Mid's heel counter strikes a fine balance between flexibility and stiffness delivering a secure lockdown with some degree of ankle mobility for comfortable descending.

We rated he boot's heel counter stiffness with a middle-ground score of 3 in our push-and-squeeze test.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 3
Media 3.6
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón
5

Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié

There is a lot of visual bulk to the New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX but in reality, it is not as chunky as some of the other hiking boots we've tested (like the Hoka Anacapa for example).

Applying our caliper to the widest part of the boot's midsole in the forefoot returned 109.3 mm. Even though it is slightly narrower than average, it is not a narrow platform by any means.

Featuring outriggers on both lateral and medial side of the forefoot, the Hierro Mid never allowed our feet to buckle (or even feel like it was about to).

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Midsole width - forefoot
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 109.3 mm
Media 111.9 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
103.3 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié
124.6 mm

Anchura de la mediasuela - talón

The wide and square-shaped heel is another cornerstone of the boot's stability. It kept our landings surefooted no matter how bumpy or rocky the trail got.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Midsole width - heel
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 89.8 mm
Media 87.6 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
71.7 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - talón
97.5 mm

Flexibilidad / Rigidez

As a running shoe sibling, the Hierro Mid GTX managed to keep some of its smaller brother's flexibility in the forefoot. Even though its thick synthetic and leather overlays detracted from the pliability, it still proved to be bendier than most other hikig boots.

According to our force gauge, it took 40% less force to bend this NB boot to a 90-degree angle compared to the average hiking boot.

The added flexibility made the Hierro Mid GTX feel more comfortable and sneaker-like as well as more suitable for urban settings.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 31.6N
Media 43.0N
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
16.6N
Flexibilidad <> Rigidez
84.7N

Rigidez en frío (%)

Gladly, the boot remained relatively flexible in chilly conditions. Repeating the force gauge measurement after a 20-minute freezer session, the Hierro Mid only got 16% stiffer.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Stiffness in cold (%)
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 16%
Media 24%
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
3%
Rigidez en frío
71%

Peso

Despite its beefy silhouette, the NB Hierro Mid clocks in at only 13.7 oz (388g). About 5 ounces lighter than the average hiking boot, it feels incredibly easy and non-taxing on foot. Amazing platform-to-weight ratio!

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Weight
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 13.69 oz (388g)
Media 18.62 oz (528g)
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
11.71 oz (332g)
Peso
28.29 oz (802g)

Transpirabilidad

As a waterproof boot with a Gore-Tex membrane, solid leather overlays, and a very tightly-woven upper textile, the Hierro Mid can get pretty toasty at 60°F (15°C) and above.

Not a tiny streak of smoke passed through the boot's seams or pores in our breathability test. It is a 100% sealed upper that works best in the cooler season - spring, fall, and mild winter (not warm enough for harsh conditions).

Thus, we didn't hesitate to give this New Balance boot the lowest breathability score - 1 out of 5.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Breathability microscope test

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 1
Media 1.4
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1
Transpirabilidad
5

Waterproofing

The boot's waterproofing works like a charm - be it in puddles, wet grass and underbrush, rain, or snow. We have zero complaints about the GTX itself.

But please keep in mind that the Hierro's flood level is not as high as the boot itself. Because its tongue is only semi-gusseted, there is a high risk of overflow if the water goes above the ankle level (around the fabric "Gore-Tex" branding on the side of the boot).

Durabilidad

Durabilidad de la parte delantera

The brand's Toe Protect feature covers the Hierro Mid's toebox perimeter in the shape of a sturdy leather overlay. In addition to protecting the upper textile from scuffs and scratches, it also serves as a toe bumper to dampen the impact with rocks and roots.

But it's not just the leather that's wear-resistant in this boot. Based on our Dremel test, even the textile fabric on top of its toebox is ready for some action.

After 12 seconds of appying sandpaper to the top of the toebox, it showed merely cosmetic damage and earned a high toebox durability score of 4 out of 5.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 4
Media 4.2
En comparación con 32 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad de la parte delantera
5

Durabilidad del acolchado del talón

The collar fabric, on the other hand, showed less resistance to abrasion and developed a hole in less than 4 seconds of sandpaper drilling. And when the inner lining loses its integrity, it affects the boot's waterproofing capacity too!

That's why we rated the Hierro Mid's heel padding durablity as low as 2 out of 5.

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 2
Media 3.7
En comparación con 32 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad del acolchado del talón
5

Dureza de la suela

New Balance employs Vibram rubber to make the Hierro Mid's outsole. With an average reading of 85.5 HC, it showed decent hardness on our Shore C durometer test which is a good sign of longevity.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Outsole hardness
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 85.5 HC
Media 87.2 HC
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
81.0 HC
Dureza de la suela
92.1 HC

Durabilidad de la suela

The boot's rubber blend also showed strong performance in our most abrasive Dremel test - 18 seconds of sandpaper drill at 10K RPM speed.

Having put up a fight, the Vibram rubber didn't let the Dremel burn more than 0.6 mm of its lug. This result is even better than average of hiking boots!

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 0.6 mm
Media 0.8 mm
En comparación con 29 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Desgaste de la suela
2.0 mm

Grosor de la suela

Our caliper measured 2.0 mm of outsole thickness (excluding the lugs) which is a little thinner than average. But considering the longevity of rubber, it shouldn't be a problem.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Outsole thickness
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 2.0 mm
Media 3.0 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
1.8 mm
Grosor de la suela
5.6 mm

Varios

Profundidad del dibujo de la suela

With a lug depth of 4.1 mm, the NB Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX is just as toothy as the average hiking boot.

We found its Vibram Megagrip outsole to be effective on various types of surfaces but it is most as home on moderate terrain. We felt confident climbing up and over downed trees, stomping through puddles and light dirt, and even stepping on wet rocks.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Lug depth

What's more, each lug of this Vibram Megagrip iteration is studded with several micro dots which help the boot latch onto the ground harder during steep ascents and descents. The tackiness of these baby teeth was especially apparent during boulder-hopping.

On the downside, this Hierro boot has its limitations when it comes to braking on steep descents and conquering rock-heavy trails with some scrambling.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX vibram megagrip outsole

Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 4.1 mm
Media 4.3 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
3.0 mm
Profundidad del dibujo de la suela
5.8 mm

Precio

In our opinion, the New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX is reasonably priced for what it has to offer. As a comfort- and cushioning-oriented day hiking boot for moderate terrain, its MSRP is somewhere in the middle of its closest competition - the Merrell Moab 3 Mid GTX and the Hoka Anacapa 2 Mid GTX.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Price
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX $180
En comparación con 38 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
€110
Precio
€360

Elementos reflectantes

None of the boot's components are reflective.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Reflective elements
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX No

Acolchado de la lengüeta

The tongue and collar of this New Balance hiking boot are adequately padded. Our caliper recorded a standard 10.7 mm of tongue thickness.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Tongue padding
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX 10.7 mm
Media 11.1 mm
En comparación con 36 botas de senderismo
Número de zapatillas
5.9 mm
Acolchado de la lengüeta
15.0 mm

Lengüeta: tipo de refuerzo

The half-length gussets of the Hierro Mid don't go all the way up its tongue. On one hand, it lowers the boots waterproofing capacity by lowering its flood level but on the other hand, you it offers some ankle freedom if you choose to loosen up the lacing.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Tongue: gusset type
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Ambos lados (semi)

Tirador del talón

A large finger loop at the back helps with the on-the-off. Its sturdy nature suggests that it's here to stay and won't snap after one use.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Heel tab
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Tirador de dedo

Plantilla extraíble

If you wear custom orthotics, you can easily swap the boot's removable insert for one of those.

New Balance Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX Removable insole
Resultados de las pruebas
Fresh Foam X Hierro Mid GTX