Built For Your Life
At Ridgemont we make great looking, well made simply styled hiking wear. Each pair of Ridgemont Hikers have been made with the same design ethos and contain the same ingredients.
A Philosophy
Ridgemont has been created for those who are looking for adventure, who hike, who need great quality gear that won’t let them down. These are shoes for the outdoors life and can be worn at the beach, on a dog walk at the airport, office of bar. They are Built For Your LIfe. This is the concept behind all our designs.
Quality Materials
Constructed with hand selected quality materials for durability including waxed full grain leather and high-quality oiled suede.
Leather – We use only the best full grain cow leather form hides dyed in tanneries that are gold rated for environmentally responsible processes. We treat our leather with various oils and waxes to ensure that the leather itself is waterproof as verified by the shoe authorities SATRA.
Suede – is selected from only the best hides. Suede is not naturally very water resistant so we impregnate ours with oil and spray on a DWR coating to make a water repellent barrier.
Design & Functionality
Classic designs are wrapped in a modern silhouette and an urban aesthetic. For those who want a footwear option suitable for hiking yet visually appealing for off-trail adventures.
Utilising the essential technical qualities needed for hiking but also stylish boots, versatile enough to wear to a bar or restaurant and fit in your everyday life.
Technology
Industry leading shoe technologies are used in the construction and waterproofing providing the perfect balance between comfort, protection and durability for the outdoor lifestyle.
Vulcanized Construction
Vulcanization, as it applies to making shoes, is a process of chemically bonding materials together using high heat. If done right, this creates very strong bonds. Skateboarders prize vulcanized sneakers not only for their inherent strength but also for their unique “board feel”. At Ridgemont, we wanted to tap into these characteristics and utilize this type of construction in some of our styles. We improved upon normal vulcanized construction for use in the outdoors, by utilizing a harder 70 A rubber along with 3mm thick foxing to improve lateral and torsional stiffness. We believe that feeling the earth beneath your feet is a benefit and something that has been all but eliminated from most hiking boots.
Cement Construction
We use cement or traditional glue construction in other styles as it is more appropriate especially when using EVA or CMEVA midsoles as in the Monty or Heritage styles. It creates an excellent bond between the rubber outsole and the midsole and the midsole and the upper to make sure that no delamination occurs and you don’t have to ever worry about your soles flapping about!
Hydroguard Liner
Even though we use waterproofed leathers and suedes, a small amount of water can still get in through the stitching holes and seams which can cause discomfort. In some of our styles, we use a Hydroguard® waterproof bootie liners which means that even if some water does penetrate the outer bootie it can’t get through to your feet, making sure they stay nice and water free.
Sympatex Waterproof/Breathable Liner
Sympatex is one of the foremost waterproof/breathable materials that is used by many leading brands in the apparel and footwear markets. As it says, it keeps water from coming in, whilst allowing for body moisture to pass out, thereby keeping your skin cool and dry. It comes at a price but we think it’s worth it! We insert Sympatex booties into some of our top end styles for the ultimate in comfort along with durability for your outdoor lifestyle. If you don’t mind spending a bit more on your footwear then we highly recommend choosing one of these styles.
Vari - Flex Lasting Board
Where most shoes use a card or fabric lasting board, Ridgemont uses a custom composite lasting board to provide variable flex characteristics along the length of the shoe. We wanted a shoe that would be very flexible at the ball of the foot (since that’s pretty important for walking..!) but more rigid from the arch to the heel so the shoe is more rugged over uneven terrain. This is also one of the main reasons our shoes are super comfortable right out of the box. It also provides excellent protection for the sole of your foot on uneven terrain to stop sharp pressure appoints from hurting your feet.
Eva-Cush™ Insole
We worked directly with the factory to formulate an Open Cell Foam for our insole that would be extremely comfortable, yet not completely isolate you from your environment. Additionally, and we feel super important, we designed real arch support to help abate fatigue and keep your arches well formed and not flat as a board. The foam in our insoles is anti-microbial, non-absorbing, and it will never compress more than 5%.