Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

I want to do a fair bit of walking and wild camping this year. Need to get myself a stove, new boots and a few other bits and bobs but at least i have a decent (and light!) tent now.

Very interesting, the website says its tolerated above "camp above the highest fell wall, well away from towns and villages"
What and how to identify this?
 
For me, Scarpa, Brasher, Meindl. (I love my military issue Meindls :D ). It's easy to throw brand names at you though it's difficult to recommend an actual model as every foot, ankle, knee and hip is different. This means you ought to just head to a reputable walking shop and try on some of the reputable brands being recommended and find which model of which brand suits you best.
 
I've had my Salamon Quest 4d boots for around 9 months, and not noted any splitting etc.
Lot's of others in the group I walk with have the same boots as me, and no one else has had issues too.

It is important to keep good care of your boots however. If I get them really muddy, I always insure I give them a good clean, with a Gortex boot wash.
 
I tried the 4D GTX boots once but the arch was too high for my feet. Tried Meindl and north face too but didn't feel right. Still using my 11 year old pair of worn Berghaus boots that fit from the start, or maybe my fit have got used to them and complain with anything else!
 
I tried the 4D GTX boots once but the arch was too high for my feet. Tried Meindl and north face too but didn't feel right. Still using my 11 year old pair of worn Berghaus boots that fit from the start, or maybe my fit have got used to them and complain with anything else!

Someone I walk with had a pair of boots they had for years, that fitted well, but turned out to be 2 sizes too small. Basically they'd stretched them to fit.

As others have said, any decent outdoor shop will spend as much time as required to find you a good pair of boots, letting you try on as many as required.

Make sure the place you go has a ramp to try them walking up and down hill.
 
Thanks.

What would you go for?

I would first be trying some on from the likes of Scarpa, Meindl, Berghaus and Mammut and would take home the pair that fit my spec and my feet best.

Im going to be looking for a pair of summer boots soon and the Scarpa Baltoro GTX are high on my list. This time of year i wear nothing but my Mantas, best boot i have ever owned.
 
Another tip, is bring with you the socks that you'll where with the boots, as they fit quite differently with walking socks, compared to normal ones
 
I'd definitely echo the advice about just buying the pair that fit the best, but it does depend a bit on what sort of walking you're planning. My feet are fairly wide and I used to wear Meindl Burma Pros, which were outrageously comfortable for normal walking and required no breaking in at all.

However, while doing field work on St Kilda I spent a lot of time on near-sheer slopes and found there was too much lateral roll and slipage with the Meindls. Ended up with some much narrower Zamberlan Vioz Plus - nowhere near as comfortable until they'd been broken in but were much, much more stable on steep contours.

Also, they were unbelievably well made - they were still in one piece after 2 years of serious abuse, while my Meindl's got chewed up and split in half inside 6 weeks.

With fieldwork over I'm now using Scarpa Ranger 2s, which seem like a good compromise for general hillwalking.

Bear in mind that leather boots will stretch over time, I now prefer to buy stuff that's a mite tighter than I used to, but you do need to break them in before embarking on anything epic.
 
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Any one got any suggestions for two walks in the Brecons.
Want to do two full day walks. With 1000m ascent, it would also be good if I could start/finish the hike from a B&B/hotel, the two walks don't need to be in the same place.

Looking around I can't see much over 10miles,
The closest I've found is http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_a/2074/


Any one got any suggests or suggest a custome route and places to stay
 
I'm spending a couple days over in Snowdonia at the moment and its perfect winter conditions! Had originally planned to come over last weekend but due to the snow and road closures I rearranged to this weekend instead and I'm glad I did. Its probably the best weather I've seen here since last summer.. My face is even slightly sunburned despite it being close to -20C on the summits with wind chill!

Today I did Y Garn, Foel Goch, Glyder Fawr and Fach then Tryfan and back to the car. Tomorrow I'm out for a plod around the Carneddau.

S3hta15l.jpg.png

qU4a7Y8l.jpg
(Click both for full size.)


Thanks.

What would you go for?

I'm a huge fan of Scarpa boots but then they seem to fit my feet perfectly. I've got a pair ZG65 for the summer and Mantas for the winter.
 
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http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=22473

http://www.walkingforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=16955.0

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/gear/replacements-for-salomon-cosmic-4d-gtx-boots/48292.html

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/product-reviews/salomon-cosmic-4d-2-gtx-boots-p204075

Plenty more out there, considering there are plenty of other boots out there to choose from i dont see the lust for Salomon boots, (other than they were on gadget show which tested them for 10 minutes).

I'm probably bias because my main trainer is the XA pro, which means the Solomon boot is basically a higher ankles version of that, far more comfortable than my Scarpa boots that make the soles of my feet ache after a few miles because they have no cushioning.

Shame they apparently have issues, I had a pair of north face boots that ended up splitting, I spent 3 weeks holding them together with super glue...
 
I'm spending a couple days over in Snowdonia at the moment and its perfect winter conditions! Had originally planned to come over last weekend but due to the snow and road closures I rearranged to this weekend instead and I'm glad I did. Its probably the best weather I've seen here since last summer.. My face is even slightly sunburned despite it being close to -20C on the summits with wind chill!

Today I did Y Garn, Foel Goch, Glyder Fawr and Fach then Tryfan and back to the car. Tomorrow I'm out for a plod around the Carneddau.

S3hta15l.jpg.png

qU4a7Y8l.jpg
(Click both for full size.)




I'm a huge fan of Scarpa boots but then they seem to fit my feet perfectly. I've got a pair ZG65 for the summer and Mantas for the winter.

Am I right that the first photo is from Fawr looking down the valley to the north and the second photo is from the same summit looking out to Snowdon? Top conditions there! Jealous :)
 
You got the second one right.. The first one is from the top of Y Garn looking down across Ogwen valley to the Eastish, the second is just past the summit of Fawr looking across to Snowdon!

far more comfortable than my Scarpa boots that make the soles of my feet ache after a few miles because they have no cushioning.

I always replace the insoles with Superfeet ones, the standard Scarpa ones are just like a piece of cardboard!
 
Great photos, so pretty.

Can anyone recommend any place (preferably near bristol but not a must) to go get a pair of hiking boots. I've got a pair of merrell but they don't fit quite properly. Right foot the bridge of the foot hurts and left foot I get a blister just behind the toes.

Also any talkt to me about socks?
 
I'm spending a couple days over in Snowdonia at the moment and its perfect winter conditions! Had originally planned to come over last weekend but due to the snow and road closures I rearranged to this weekend instead and I'm glad I did. Its probably the best weather I've seen here since last summer.. My face is even slightly sunburned despite it being close to -20C on the summits with wind chill!

Very nice pics. I have been up here once but was covered in low cloud (Y Garn). Also have some Devils Kitchen - Glyders - back down the scree slope and towards Tryfan and back to the car park. Never tried Tryfan though, heard too many shady escapades and unsure of routes to try it out.
 
Great photos, so pretty.

Can anyone recommend any place (preferably near bristol but not a must) to go get a pair of hiking boots. I've got a pair of merrell but they don't fit quite properly. Right foot the bridge of the foot hurts and left foot I get a blister just behind the toes.

Also any talkt to me about socks?

Might be worth trying some Superfeet insoles, they do a few different ones with support in different places. As for socks, I swear by Bridgedale!
 
Very nice pics. I have been up here once but was covered in low cloud (Y Garn). Also have some Devils Kitchen - Glyders - back down the scree slope and towards Tryfan and back to the car park. Never tried Tryfan though, heard too many shady escapades and unsure of routes to try it out.

Tryfan isn't so bad. I think you have been scared off by scare stories :D
 
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