Osprey is a specialist in near-indestructible backpacks. Danner is an expert in rugged leather boots. So, an ergonomic ripstop bag was a nice if inevitable conclusion of their debut collaboration. But a handsome all-terrain sneaker? That wasn’t so expected.

I mean, we're talking about a brand whose Instagram handle is literally @dannerboots. 

Whenever we’ve spoken about Danner collaborations in the past, it’s been because Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller imbued its high-end taste into Danner’s hardy GORE-TEX boots or Patta splashed its logo across some USA-made hiking boots or JJJJound, being JJJJound, gave the most minimal of updates to a beefy mountain shoe. But over the past few months, Danner’s other shoes have gotten so good that it became impossible not to pay attention. 

The Osprey collaboration introduces a new sneaker to Danner’s rotation.

The N45 MAX is a trail sneaker with some impressive specs: Nitrogen-infused supercritical foam means better shock resistance, an open-cell polyurethane footbed provides improved air circulation, and a Vibram Megagrip sole supplies guaranteed grip. Much of this tech comes from the mainline N45 shoe but this collaborative edition’s profile is chunkier and its colorway blows any regular N45 out of the water. 

The N2 MAX is split into two by a rich caramel brown midsole and an oatmeal upper that combine to create a combination as tasty as it looks. At worst, it’s somewhat tame for two brands with militaria heritage but outdoorsy shoes tend to look best in neutral hues. 

But this is merely the latest and greatest. Around the time that Osprey and Danner debuted their new sneaker, N.HOOLYWOOD was advancing Danner’s sandal selection. The duo created an all-new design where a sturdy Vibram-backed sole unit met a thick band of black leather to create sliders built like hiking boots. 

As we all know, everything is better in Japan, and these sandals unfortunately prove that, because they’re available exclusively from N.HOOLYWOOD’s Japanese store. And it's not the only brilliant shoe gatekept by Danner’s Japanese branch. 

The Danner Ashland is the latest entry into a growing list of handsome hiking sneakers based on boots. Its hairy suede upper and metal lace hooks are straight from an old-school hiking boot while the thick sneaker sole adds a more contemporary twist. It’s a cool combination, but sadly Danner, which is owned by Japanese sneaker retailer ABC-MART since 2012, hasn’t let it loose Stateside yet.

Still, in the meantime, Osprey’s Danner MTN45 sneaker, which is the brand’s “most advanced hiking shoe” and looks especially nice in the slate grey of its recent Prood collaboration, is a worthy alternative available worldwide.

That’s the thing. Nowadays, Danner has multiple genuinely great sneakers to choose from.

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