Columbia Peakfreak Venture Hiking Shoe
The Columbia Peakfreak Venture Waterproof Hiking Shoe is just as suitable for casual wear, camping, backpacking, outdoor work, business casual in offices, and city walking as it is for hiking. It is stylish, modern, and functional and does not show signs of wear easily. The best qualities are the high comfort level and its waterproofness abilities, which are also the basic feature of water shoes for hiking. If you are interested in buying a pair for the forthcoming season, read our guide on the best water shoes for hiking.
Columbia Peakfreak is as comfortable as a sneaker since it is lightweight and has a collar and tongue that are padded. Made of leather and textile materials, this shoe model features the latest technology of Techlite for the midsole, rubber Omni-Grip for the outsole, and Omni-Tech construction for protection.
The traction is non-marking and slip-free, and the inner membrane is seam-sealed and breathable. Traditional lacing is the chosen closure for a custom fit by the user. Almost any type of outdoor job, duty, or task could be performed better wearing the Columbia Peakfreak Venture shoe model. This product has a 4.2 rating online from buyers with only a few issues of sizing and leather issues.
- Does not show signs of wear easily
- Waterproof, comfortable, and slip-free
- Stylish, cushioned, lightweight, and functional
- Use with dress pants for business casual at work
- Great for those with outdoor professions
- Terrific for work or duties for stand-up jobs
- For casual wear, camping, city walking, and hiking
- Sizing can be slightly too small especially if the foot is wide
- Needs a narrow foot for best comfortable
- White splotches can form after wearing; not real leather possibly
Comfort
When you can wear footwear straight from the box for long hikes or all day at work, you know the quality is good and the build has plenty of cushioning to pamper your foot. Mobility and stability are added with the low profile because the ankle is free to flex as it needs to, plus the ankle is not hindered by any lacing or material to prevent its free motion.
Durability
The fastening closure is the traditional lacing for a custom fit for various foot sizes and preferences. Being able to choose how tight you want the laces is something that plenty of people prefer over such other closures as bungee lacing or Velcro straps.
These other options are adjustable but not so much as real laces that you can control much better. Real laces give you the freedom and the flexibility to chose exactly how tight or loose you need the shoe to fit the foot.
Key Features
-Midsole shell of Techlite
-Rubber Omni-Grip outsole
-Made of leather and textile fabric
-Padded collar and tongue
-Omni-Tech construction with a membrane
Midsole
Wearing this product all day will not make you form blisters, calluses, or other common foot problems from shoes that are void of the proper cushioning. This great midsole is full-length for the best support and shock absorption. Some foot models only have the padding for some parts of the midsole but not this one.
Your whole foot can enjoy the extra support that you will need during the day or night. Included is a stone shield of Techlite for the forefront that guards against abrasions for the foot. This really comes in handy for hiking, camping, and backpacking shoe and in the most around rocky surroundings. If your foot hits upon a rock, both your foot and the shoe will be protected by this guard to protect you.
Outsole
This is why Columbia has incorporated the rubber Omni-Grip outsole with non-marking traction on this item. No matter what kind of terrain or surface area you need to work or play on, this Columbia Peakfreak model can handle it well. This is the reason that so many people working around water or slippery floors, such as hospital or hotel employees, wear this model for work.
It will grip rocks, twigs, sand, mud, concrete, pebbles, and other various surface areas that you could possibly encounter. It has a crash zone on the heel and traction lugs that are multidirectional for excellent traction on surfaces that are dry or wet. It does not matter exactly where the bottom of the foot is hit with adverse surface material because the traction lugs can help you handle them.
The heel crash zone gives you added protection for that part of the foot and the back of the shoe if it is hit against something.
Size
In this way, you are assured to purchase the most ideal size for your foot. Not using the chart or the directions could lead to buying footwear that is not comfortable and fitting correctly. Plenty of people obtained the right size and are pleasantly pleased with their products.
Others, who may or may not have used the chart and instructions, received shoes that did not fit them. there are plenty of suggestions about getting the regular shoe size that you wear or buying the next larger or even smaller size for the best fit. If the foot is wide, then this model will most likely not be the best one. Several people mentioned that the Columbia Peakfreak Venture is for those with narrow feet.
A narrow foot can wear these right out of the box for all-day comfort. If the foot is not narrow enough, the area where the toes join the foot will be the most compressed and painful with a tight shoe. Use the chart and sizing directions.
Upper
Just purchasing a shoe of a larger size does not solve the problem of a shoe that is not wide enough. It only makes you have more room longwise in the toe box. In our research on customer feedback and comments, we noticed a few interesting claims that were stated. Some buyers said that this footwear was made in China and is not real leather.
Other customers said something similar but with more detail on the topic. They had a white spotting substance form on the top of the shoes on the upper portions after wearing the shoes for about a day. It does not come off even with a cleaner just for leather shoes. it is possible that this becomes visible because the leather is either not real leather or it is of poor quality. We only found several of these comments with photos, but the problem was not mentioned by a lot of people.
Use
Due to the solid black color, this product can fit into different places well much as a chameleon would. It can handle camping and walking in the city beating the pavement, as well as business-casual at work with dress pants. We were surprised at the number of customers who are successfully using this hiking model for their business clothes on the job in offices.
It can really fit into almost any situation that you need a cushioned and comfortable shoe. If you are on your feet all day for jobs in hospitals or care facilities, this may be just the footwear you need. The added guards on the front and the rear of the shoe will be most helpful for these occupations. Those with outdoor jobs of engineering and emergency response could do well with the Peakfreak Shoe too.
Waterproof
It has Omni-Tech Construction with a membrane that is seam-sealed, breathable, and waterproof. This technology also makes the model easy to keep clean. Of course, because it is so protective of this quality, the footwear is not as breathable as a regular shoe. If it is to keep the water out, then it cannot be the most aerated item you could wear.
This is a trade-off that must be accepted for the waterproof abilities. Several people commented on the lack of breathability because of water protection, but they understood the delicate balance of ventilation for this product. It will provide a comfortable environment for the foot that is drier than regular shoes because of the waterproof Omni-Tech build.
Bottom Line
The narrow foot is the best fit for the Columbia Peakfreak Venture Hiking Shoe, as it does not fit the wide foot well. Use of the sizing chart and specific company instructions on how to obtain the perfect size of your foot should be used before you waste time and money in ordering a product that you cannot wear and have to return.
The other issue with this hiking model is the formation of some mysterious white splotches on the upper parts of the shoe. This was noticed after wearing the item for a few hours or all day and would not come off. It seems that the footwear is made in China and it is possible that the leather is not the best quality of leather.
This would be a good reason that the white cloudy covering happens. According to the buyers, nothing unusual brought on this white film on the shoe. Considering the cost of footwear, this would not be acceptable. The final word is that the rating is good, it has some sizing concerns, and can form white splotches on the upper due to not so quality leather according to a number of customers.