Walking Boots

Englander91

Englander91

Englander91

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(Mods: please move to a more suitable section if necessary - I had a bit of trouble deciding where to place this).

I'm on the look out for some new walking boots. I'm quite a keen walker, and for the last few years I've also done an 8-14 day walking/camping holiday, picking a different National Trail each time - Coast to Coast, South Downs Way, Cotswold Way, and next year we are planning the Peddars Way.

I've well and truly worn out my first pair of boots - a mid-range fabric boot, just below the price rung where they start to involve Gore-tex.

Now the one thing I want is decent waterproofing. The major cause of just about all my problems on walking holidays is feet getting drenched, which in turn predisposes to blisters. Therefore, I am looking at leather boots, and I'm prepared to go quite high end, money-wise.

Any OCUK'ers au fait with leather walking boots who can offer suggestions on what models to look like?

In terms of fit, Berghaus suits me well, and I would just get their leather boots, but it seems like the most recent models over the last couple of years universally review poorly when it coms to longevity. It seems quality has really dipped.

I've been looking at the Meindl Bhutan, too, as they seem to be proclaimed as just about the best you can buy, but I'm not sure if they are just a bit over the top. It's long distance walking, with the odd mountain pass that I do, rather than full on mountaineering.
 
My plan is to be able to try them on in-store, make my excuses, then buy them for 25% less online.

My partner has some old GoreTex fabric boots and, to be honest, her feet were as wet as mine after a good bit of rain. Hence, I'm thinking leather, but equally, I don't want them to get too hot or stuffy, most of my walking, by its nature as an outdoor activity, is during the warmer months.

Socks are taken care of courtesy of 1000 Mile.

Anyone know how Scarpa fits compared to Berghaus? I.e. wide, narrow, neutral. As I say, Berghaus fits great, but I'm broadening my horizons due to the reports of declining quality.
 
Read up a bit on Alt-berg - they have a heck of a lot going in their favour. I'm liking the look of the 2-3 season Fremington boots.

I note that they are lined with Sympatex vs Gore-tex... does that really make much odds with a full grain leather boot? My googling suggests that Gore-tex is more highly regarded, including by the military, apparently.

There is an Alt-berg stockist near-ish me in London which I could probably investigate, I don't think I'll be able to pick my size online considering they come in 5 different widths every half size!

Also, is it "Alt" as in "altidue" or "Alt" as in "alternative"?
 
Craterloads said:
Brasher hillmaster Gtx or other brasher models. Best boots you can get within a reasonable budget.

The bhutans are excellent too.
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Berghaus bought Brasher, hence the Brasher range is identical to the Berghaus range apart from the logo, as far as I can tell.

EDIT: Just done lots more reading - apparently the quality really dipped in terms of durability since they switched their production from Portugal to China.
 
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I could spend all day looking at boots and reading reviews...

I'm currently most woo'ed by Meindl Bhutans and Alt-berg Fremingtons. Blacks stock the Meindls and I've emailed a shop regarding the Alt-bergs, so they are short-listed for trying on.

RE: boots vs shoes, I do the whole camping/camp stove thing, so the bags are heavy, thus justifying boots. However, one concern is the warmth of the boot, as I do tend to do most of my miles at an average of 20*C I'd estimate.

Thanks Diddums, will watch that video later - I'm sure it will prove useful for my research.
 
Mittens said:
I have been struggling to decide on which boots to buy for Almost a month.
I have tried to do as much research as possible, without being ocd, and the prevailing message <seems > to be pretty much 'all manufacturers have outsourced production to the usual countries to save money and quality has greatly suffered'

people are saying they have spent £140 on a pair of scarpa, salomon or Merrill (eg) and 9 months later they practically disintegrate.

luckily I'm not a hardcore hiker, just do the peak district most weekends, only in the 15 mile range so I'm just going to buy the comfiest I can get for under £150 this weekend.

Already have quite a few pairs of bridgedale socks so fingers crossed for happy trails.
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Good luck - let us know what you settle on.

Meindl and Altberg seem to be the only two makes which seem to retain the image of years and years of longevity. I want to just upgrade to leather Berghaus, but I don't want to be spending that sort of money every 3 years - I want my next pair to last.
 
Oh crikey this is hard. I want waterproof - whether that is leather or fabric, I don't mind, I think secretly I want leather because they look totally awesome. That said, fabric are lower maintenance and, with Goretex, should be guaranteed waterproof.

Some people on various fora swear that fabric + waterproof does't exist, whilst people retort saying they haven't had wet feet for decades with fabric boots.

'Closing', you make an excellent point about breathability. That is a requirement given my usage patterns. Then again, I'm potentially off to the Scottish Highlands for 8 weeks in February (where I hope to fit in lots of walking) and I don't want to be caught out with a summer boot in those conditions. Then again, I can simply put on an extra sock layer to insulate my feet on those occasions.

As for the Meindl Vakuums - they are possibly more appropriate than the Bhutans for me, although, and I'm being picky, I can't stand the orange and green-ish band they've put under the heel. Totally spoils an otherwise stunning boot.

Can't someone just sell a breathable, waterproof, zero maintenance, leather boot for £150 or less which will last me 10 years?

Think I'm gonna google some fabric Meindl's and see what comes up...
 
I wonder if the solution for me is not to get the ridiculously awesome top-of-the-range Meindls/alt-berg's etc, but just get a semi-respectable midrange fabric boot and drown it in Nikwax. I could buy a heck of a lot of Nikwax for the price difference, and I when they wear out in 3 or 4 years time, I can reassess.
 
I've ordered a couple of sizes of Lowa Ranger III GTX with free delivery and returns for ~£135/pair to try on at my own leisure. I'm sorting out whether my local Alt-berg stockist has anything in stock that might match my feet. I've also got a back of a couple of consistenctly recommended fabric Gore-tex boots to try when I go up to town next, too.

Thanks for the input so far all :)
 
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