Walking boots + hat

DEL 707

DEL 707

DEL 707

Soldato
Joined
20 Mar 2004
Posts
4,625
Thought I'd ask on here rather then just buying the 1st ting I saw on Amazon.

Friend of mine took me on a 4 hour walk around my local country side, enjoyed myself but being on the "out of shape" side of things, I woke up at 2am and had to rub ibuprofen gel on my feet to make the pounding pain go away.

My mates suggested a few other walks, but he's also suggested I get some proper walking boots, instead of a pair of old trainers.

Also, being of fair skin and hair colour, plus not having much hair anyway, wanted to see if anyone could recommend a hat, at the moment I just use a bandana to keep the sun off my bald spot. :p
 
Take a trip to Go Outdoors (or other outdoor shop) - plenty of boot options to try on for the best comfort and a selection of hats. Some boot brands suit narrow feet, others are better for wide feet so blind recommendations are hard. I've got a Tilley hat but you'll pay around £50 for one of them - I had to get one as they are about the only brand which goes into size 8 hats.
 
As above you really need to go to a good shop and try them on. My feet get on very well with Scarpa boots but yours might not. As for a hat then Panama's are great as the wide brim helps keep the sun off though lots of people seem happy enough with base ball caps.
 
Get a pair of combat boots.
I recommend the 1982 Falkland issue 'Boots, Combat, High'. Been using mine daily since 1992 and never a single issue.

Just break them in properly before you go use them in anger!!
 
Had some really nice Salomon GTX boots for a few years now. They give you great ankle support, are comfy and weight next to nothing, also get some decent socks too.
 
Jono said:
Tilley hats are awesome. And I love my Alt Berg boots :)
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Like reading from the bible.. Awesome quality piece of kit ... :)

Oh and OP, have a walk round Sports direct for entry level cheapish Karrimor walking boots and they have Bush hats as well..

Don't buy the realy cheap boots if you can help it, look for the E-vent waterproof or Gortex with vibram soles.. pick up a reasonable pair for £38 notes at the minute.. be fine for a new ? walker like yourself.. Can also get some reasonable cross trainers now days if you want something lighter on your feet but more rugged than street trainers..

Enjoy yourself, nothing as good as getting out andabout walking the fells, woods, peaks or where ever takes your fancy.. especially if there is a good country pub at the end of it to fill up in..
 
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I'm near the Designer Outlet in Ashford, looking it up, they have a Trespass, Tog24 and a Mountainpass shop there. Would these be decent places to look?
 
They wouldn't be my first choice but each to their own. Go Outdoors say their store in Canterbury is "opening soon" here. A quick Google also turns up this place which looks half decent and there's a Cotswold shop in Maidstone.
 
Tilley hats are awesome, as already alluded to.

Trespass and are at the cheap end of outdoors, I've got a couple of nice pairs of tog24 combats, but i wouldn't be buying boots from them. Never heard of mountainpass.

Gore-tex or e-vent is best for waterproof boots, as is leather. Leather boots need a lot of breaking in though. Cotswold outdoor are reasonable, you can find some knowledgable staff in there. Main thing with boots is try them on. I've got a pair that I haven't used in ages, haven't done any big multiday walks recently, but have a pair of mammut approach shoes, and I can manage 40k in a day without feeling it in those, as long as I don't have a heavy pack. Then you appreciate the ankle support more!
 
Friends came down yesterday, so we went out for a walk today, Folkstone to Dover along the beaches.

Before I left I popped out to the outlet to see if I could get a hat, all the "outdoor" shops there were useless, at the most, there carried 2 types of hats, and just 1 size :rolleyes:.

Think I'll pop out to that place at Faversham next monday, because my feet are ******* killing me! My old pair of trainers didn't give much support walking along those pebbly beaches :(.
 
I end up wearing out expensive approach shoes very rapidly because I just don't like walking in crappy trainers any more, no matter how short!
 
Scarpa Vortex GTX would be my recommendation. They are a shoe rather than a boot, but they are good for all seasons hiking in the uk and completely waterproof. They are light too. After nearly three years the soles are still fine, and I use them every week.

I've been up and down dozens of peaks in them, and personally much prefer a shoe to a boot.

Cheers
 
Lowa make some decent boots too.

Not cheap mind, same as Altberg, but you get what you pay for.

I have a pair of these http://www.polimil.co.uk/lowa-combat-gtx-boot.html

I've had over a years wear out of them with no appreciable wear except for some scuffing on the toe. Never got wet feet either.

Two thing to remember if you're buying goretex lined boots:
1 - get the right sort of waterproofing cream so the boots will breathe and let your feet sweat - don't use oldschool dubbin on a goretex lined boot.
2 - if you go wading in your goretex lined boots and get them full of water, drying them out will take much longer than a non goretex lined leather boot.

Try before you buy, and at the end of the day when your feet have swelled a bit, or you might find your new boot's don't fit any more.
 
Went to the Simply group shop today and walked away with these.

walkingboots.jpg


Really, REALLY comfortable, especially with the socks, I have no idea about brands, but I like them. Sadly 1 of the cheaper pairs in the shop, think my budget of £30-£50 was a bit unrealistic.

And after looking everywhere, picked up a nice cheap hat at Tesco's :p.
 
jamesblade said:
Like reading from the bible.. Awesome quality piece of kit ... :)

Oh and OP, have a walk round Sports direct for entry level cheapish Karrimor walking boots and they have Bush hats as well..

Don't buy the realy cheap boots if you can help it.
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Eh?

Don't buy cheap boots but go to Sports Direct and buy Karrimor?

Karrimor unless you're spending £60+ are crap. They are now owned by Sports Direct, a cheap sports retailer.

I see you've bought some Berghaus, they should do you for a fair while :)
 
G|mp said:
Eh?

Don't buy cheap boots but go to Sports Direct and buy Karrimor?

Karrimor unless you're spending £60+ are crap. They are now owned by Sports Direct, a cheap sports retailer.

I see you've bought some Berghaus, they should do you for a fair while :)
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Wind your neck in fella ;)
By cheap I mean £25 range that they do. True that Karrimor have fallen in quality after being taken over by Sports direct but some of the higher priced boots are still made out of credible parts and can still last... From experience.

Advise I gave was going off his budget or else I'd have advised other makes and suppliers..

Like yourself agreed on the Berghaus boots for the amount of walking he's going to be doing.
 
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