Nike’s ‘Sport Spice’ Lahar Low is the perfect chunky sneaker for hiking

Nike’s gorpcore reign is growing into the fall / winter season, as they prepare to release a new “Sport Spice'' edition of the recently retroed Lahar Low.

While the Lahar Low boasts a sneaker’s low-top silhouette and suede finish, it still packs the durability and performance details of a rugged outdoors shoe. The new “Sport Spice” color scheme highlights the shoe’s crunchy retro roots, with a stacked khaki and burgundy suede upper on speckled stone soles. The hardware is fit for a proper hike — heavy-duty metal eyelets, wide eyestays, lugged tread — while the small side swoosh and ankle pull tabs pop out in royal purple.

Throwback — The Lahar Low is a modernized hybrid of Nike’s 1989 Lahar Escape, which was a fully functional high-top hiking boot. The low-top homage first dropped in January, but Nike has ramped up the drops and color palette in the months since, growing from tonal black and khaki to blush “Grain” and deep burgundy hues. The shoe has garnered a unique and genuine level of hype since its revival: stock sells out relatively quickly, but it’s easy to find a pair on the resale market for less than $200.

All-terrain — Gorp has been climbing the ranks between streetwear and luxury clothing for a while now, but all-terrain sneakers are quickly catching up in hype. Nike has recently given the streetwear classics an all-terrain treatment, such as the weatherproof Air Jordan 1 Acclimate, while all-terrain shoemakers like Salomon have fitted gorpcore fans for years.

Brain Dead released a full climbing line with The North Face last summer, while Palace just announced their own take on Cannondale's Bad Boy bicycle. The most-hyped streetwear drops are looking more and more like they could hit the trail at a moment’s notice — even if that means trekking through SoHo on a busy Saturday.

The nitty gritty — The “Sport Spice” Lahar Low doesn’t have an official drop date yet, but will likely hit retailers for the fall/winter season. Expect to pay $130 for this model, the price tag of every Lahar drop so far.