When I scroll through my options for farm footwear, sneakers usually aren’t very high on the list. I tend to be looking for something rugged and durable, not colorful and speedy. But for folks interested in a new kind of versatility — and a good-looking option for overlapping your tasks between the farm and town — Caterpillar has an offering that is surprisingly enticing. I spent the past few weeks testing the Cat Footwear Streamline 2.0 hard-toe sneaker for this review.
I came away finding opportunities that a sneaker was a functional alternative to my usual boots.
I’ve long been a fan of Cat Footwear — I’m currently on my fourth-straight pair of Second Shift boots over the past 15 years, and I have a box with a pair stashed away for when I need new ones. I have a tendency to be pretty hard on boots, whether I’m hand-digging fence posts, lunging horses, sharpening blades, or planting my garlic crop, my boots get exposed to extreme conditions and lots of sharp, pointy things that make me very happy I have something solid on my feet.
Cat’s Streamline “work sneakers” aren’t new, but the 2.0 is a fresh update on a lineup that has had a comfortable everyday feel while adopting the rugged build and protective safety features of a boot. And that 2.5-inch deep hard toe is legit, especially when a 1,200-pound animal decides to spook and plant its hoof right on your foot.
The Streamline 2.0 is available in original, leather, and mesh materials, with the original (which has a nylon mesh and Nubuck upper) being slightly more expensive than the others. I have been using the midnight mesh version since mid-summer. Mine is perhaps the most “athletic” of the three, intended to be nimble enough for a variety of fast-paced work environments.
The shoes took a bit more time than expected to “break in” — certainly more time than a normal pair of sneakers or running shoes, but even longer than my leather boots typically do. I suspect this was largely due to the build and thickness of the rubber outsole. It’s very durable, and Cat notes that the SRX Slip-Resistant outsole is abrasion-resistant and helps prevent slippage even on oily and wet surfaces. It also has electrical hazard protection rated to protect against open circuits up to 600 volts in dry conditions.
The soles seem well-suited to a paved environment (like a garage or a warehouse) because the Streamlines don’t have big lugs on the soles but rather have a more low-profile, sneaker-styled tread pattern.
The mesh upper is really nice on these shoes, with a nylon lining that made them soft and breathable. Even during the hot and humid days of summer, my feet didn’t sweat excessively while wearing the Streamlines. They also feature CLEANSPORT NXT, which is a process of using pro-biotic technology to provide a method of odor control. So my mud room didn’t end up with a lingering foot odor after a long day outside.
What really makes this shoe stand out though is the inclusion of a non-metallic composite toe, which does a nice job protecting your digits from impact or compression. They meet ASTM F2413-18 standards, which is the most up-to-date requirements for proper work footwear. And, as noted earlier, even with a beast of an animal dropping a hoof on my foot, the Streamline 2.0 kept my toes from what would have been a very uncomfortable morning.
The only notable drawback to these shoes is that they are heavier than I initially thought they would be. The listed weight is 24 ounces per shoe, and by comparison, the heaviest “normal” sneaker I own weighs closer to 13 ounces. Holding them side by side, you can definitely feel a significant difference, but that’s the result when Cat delivers added ruggedness to its shoes.
The price of the Streamline 2.0 varies depending on the exact model you’re after, though most versions are currently listed at about $115 or a little higher. However, with a little patience, you can catch some good sales. Even the one that I tested was listed on Cat Footwear’s website for just $91.99 at the time this piece was published.
Ryan Tipps is the founder and managing editor of AGDAILY. He has covered farming since 2011, and his writing has been honored by state- and national-level agricultural organizations.
