• Overall Rating

  : 3 out of 5

The lightest on test by quite some margin, the Arc’Teryx Kopec GTX W shoe endeavours to deliver a blend of performance and comfort in a package with no weight penalty.

A tough but lightweight CORDURA® mesh upper features TPU bumpers in high wear areas and for extra structure, a TPU midfoot shank works with the dual-density midsole to give support and stability, while a lightweight Vibram MegaGrip outsole takes care of the underfoot business. So far so good. The shoe promises a lot on paper and certainly delivers an excellent combination of great grip in a variety of conditions, good levels of support and underfoot comfort and agility. The tough mesh upper is both breathable and protective, keeping out any water (the way the tongue is fixed to the upper helps with this too, minimalizing points of ingress for water).

The fit accommodates a mid-broad forefoot in comfort, giving plenty of space for the toes to move thanks to the asymmetric toebox and I experienced no issues with heel lift despite a fairly simple lacing system. I’d have liked to have been able to fine tune the lacing a little more, but the real problem was the point at which the tongue and the main body of the shoe area stitched together under the laces. When the shoes were laced up snugly (not overtight!) the seam at the edge of the tongue pushed against the sensitive upper foot below my ankle, making a long walk really quite uncomfortable no matter how much I adjusted the tongue and the lacing. The presence of some sort of loop for the laces to go through as some hiking and running shoes feature might have helped, but here the tongue could move and create pressure. This felt like a huge shame in what is a nimble, grippy, stable and versatile shoe otherwise, that could otherwise have been a winner.

How we tested

Lara used the shoes in all the weathers (!) in late winter and spring, on a mix of walks both with and without a pack, in the Malvern Hills, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains. She usually takes a UK5.5/6 shoe and has a medium width foot but narrow heels.  This review was first published in the August 2026 issue of The Great Outdoors. Compare it with others in our guide to the best hiking shoes.