Hiking Boots

[Molly-]

Hey all.
I'm going to get some hiking boots, but i have no idea what type to get, or the best brand?
i go hiking 4-5 times a year but will be doing much more very soon in Venturers.
any ideas?
Thanks.
molly-

[Drifting]

There's no easy answer to that one Molly. A lot depends on the length of trips, terrain and seasons you'll be hiking and loads you'll be carrying. And then there is the price- they go from $70 to $600. And usually you get what you pay for!

The first choice is waterproof vs non-waterproof. You'll get heaps of opinions on this. My vote is for waterproof in Tassie, or anywhere really.

Then there is the full boot vs the half or shoe boot. Full boot gives you more ankle support but it less flexible and heavier. In Tassie you might want the protection of a full boot.

Really, you'll need to go and try them on, making sure you are wearing thick or even two socks when you go. They must be comfortable- don't assume they'll come good with wear.

There are some brands that you will need to recognize as cheapies- ones that will be serviceable, but IMHO wont last an age. These include Hiteks, Merrills, and a lot of others. Both my wife and I have had terrible experiences with Garmonts and Tevas, experiences we have been told are not all that unusual for those brands. There are a few posts regarding these on the net.

I'm told Rossi makes a good, basic hiker you could try.

As for the next echelon there's boots than run sort of between 170-300ish, and there's a few of them. Scarpas are popular on here, Vasques are very popular in the US, IMHO Asolos are to die for, there are many. I'd go to Mountain Creek and try some on. Boots in the price range should last ages if you are only a casual hikers, but I'd avoid wearing them for daily use.

Then there's the 400-600 boots. If you have the money, I guess they're great. I wouldn't know LOL

I'd personally avoid boots from Mountain Designs and Kathmandu- I just don't think they have the quality of similarly priced italian boots like Scarpas or Asolos.

Have fun. Boot shopping in a pain in the bum, and in the foot if you get the wrong sort.

PERSONALLY I'd go for sometihng in the lower range and then when you've got more experience upgrade when yuou know exactly what you want and can find something good on sale. You can often pick stuff up for 50% off.

Merrills or Hiteks would be fine for casual wear.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Wow, what an amazing reply Drifting. Extremely accurate I would say IMO. You know your boot!!

[flatfoot]

Wow, what an amazing reply Drifting. Extremely accurate I would say IMO. You know your boot!!

Boot knowledge is good for the sole

I have an old (but not overused) pair of Rossi boots that I bought over 10 years ago. I've unpacked them after years in the bottom of a cupboard. I'm very happy with them. They have vibram soles (i think this is a good thing) ... although their current range of boots seems to have their own brand of sole. I like this full-leather style of boot since they are generally waterproof. You've got have water up near the top of the boot before you get wet feet.

You can see the current range of Rossie bushwalking boots here: http://www.rossiboots.com.au/catalogue/catalogue_browse.asp?deptID=6.

[mikethepike]

I've used Scarpa for most of my bushwalking and their long life span makes them a good buy but I recently thought I'd get something lighter i.e. with Goretex and with a lighter sole than vibram. I bought ankle high Salomon boots and while they are fabulous for comfort and required no wearing in, the soles did not take long to wear out or more accurately, to break up. They have a Contagrip sole (which has very good friction on rock) molded to a foam undersole as similar to that found in 'sandshoes' and while this is probably very well wearing on formed tracks and soft ground, the sole of my boots started to break up after a couple of weeks of walking over rough rocky country. The 'foam' part of the sole itself got tears in it and the black Contagrip came seperated from the white 'foam' part of the sole. I've since found that some outdoor retail outlets will warn you of this limitation and advise you to get vibram soles boots for rough rocky terrain, but others don't.

[Drifting]

Tassie is tough on boots, and feet! I wear heavy old clod stompers, basic as can be, but they don't fall apart on me. But I'd like to get a new pair of asolos- sooooo comfy.....

[corvus]

Wow, what an amazing reply Drifting. Extremely accurate I would say IMO. You know your boot!!

Boot knowledge is good for the sole

I have an old (but not overused) pair of Rossi boots that I bought over 10 years ago. I've unpacked them after years in the bottom of a cupboard. I'm very happy with them. They have vibram soles (i think this is a good thing) ... although their current range of boots seems to have their own brand of sole. I like this full-leather style of boot since they are generally waterproof. You've got have water up near the top of the boot before you get wet feet.

You can see the current range of Rossie bushwalking boots here: http://www.rossiboots.com.au/catalogue/catalogue_browse.asp?deptID=6.

Wow 10 years in a cupboard Please feed them well before your walk.
corvus

[flatfoot]

Wow 10 years in a cupboard Please feed them well before your walk.
corvus

I fed them sno-seal - which they lapped up

I bought a jar of sno-seal a couple of weeks ago and then found my old tube of sno-seal from years ago (also in a cupboard).

[Molly-]

wow,
yeah, i know there is a massive range of boots, -is why im trying to nail it down to get a good pair. yes, i was going for the waterproof ones.. but what brand thankyou tons for the awsome ideas!

[rowan]

I LOVE my 'steel blue' steel-capped work boots. All leather so you can waterproof them easily, and so, so comfortable especially over rough terrain. Pretty light and they wear and wear ($170). I will not wear anything else.
I did try a pair of expensive hiking boots once (properly fitted). Never again. I got lamer and lamer and had to thow them away as soon as I got back to a town where I could buy something else, anything else. I still remember the pain of walking in them even many years later. The problem was that they did not start hurting until a couple of days into my walk. I tried cutting up my foam mat for padding but that didn't work. Find something you like and stick to it, but be aware that you may not get along with the first pair you get so you might waste money. That may be something you have to take a gamble on.

Cheers,
Rowan

[casey79]

My recommendation would be to head into Hobart and try on as many as possible in your price range.
Raichle (now mammut) from Md's are good, scarpa at Macpac, passion8 have some good boots as well to mame a few opptions.
Is all well and good for people to recommend brand xyz but if they don't fit they don't fit. Get the boots that fit the best & don't be worried to spend a little more to get a good fit. When I went boot shopping last I blew my budget by $80 but my feet now thank me.

[Macca81]

I use a pair of steel capped leather blundstones for most of my walking, waterproof, comfortable, can kick rocks and roots, very tough.

recently purchased a pair of Scarpa waterproof hike shoes. i wear them daily and they are very comfy, and have taken them walking a couple times now. i like how much lighter they are but being low cut i would prefer to use them for reasonably good tracks only, ill still use the bludstones when i want to stop my ankles getting hit and scratched when the tracks get rough

[gisborne612]

I have recently brought a pair of Aku boots from Snowgum. So far, so good. Does anyone else have any experience with AKU boots?

[ReillyDavidson]

Hey, I just bought a pair of those Aku Suiterras off snowgum at half price. Have been wearing them for about 2 weeks now, pretty good so far, not sure about them being black, but very waterproof with one piece goretex.
Haven't had a chance to go on a serious walk, hopefully they will hold up through a trip I am taking to PNG at the end of the week. Certainly will put on a review afterI return from my 2 months of jungle bashing..worried my feet with burn up in the humidity, or the raskols with rob me for them.
At half price they seem a pretty sweet buy.

Riley

[Molly-]

thanks guys.
Snowgum are great. i might have a browe on their website- if the have one!
ill let you all know what i find.

[corvus]

thanks guys.
Snowgum are great. i might have a browe on their website- if the have one!
ill let you all know what i find.

G'day Molly,
I have been using AKU Lagorai GTX full leather boots for a couple of years and cannot fault them,they might be a bit heavy for you my size 45 EUR weigh 986 g each however other than when fully submerged they have kept my feet dry .
Bought them from Snow Gum,because as an old Scouter I still like to support the Scout Shop
corvus

[Macca81]

just on the last few posts mentioning snowgum and knowing that the last 2 posts have been from current or former scouts, id like to mention that i actually get a bigger discount from mountain creek than from snowgum, because at least half the staff are either current or former scouts no-one working at snowgum in hobart has anything to do with scouts other than the 4x3m square area at the back corner of the store...


the scout shop in launceston is a different matter however

[corvus]

just on the last few posts mentioning snowgum and knowing that the last 2 posts have been from current or former scouts, id like to mention that i actually get a bigger discount from mountain creek than from snowgum, because at least half the staff are either current or former scouts no-one working at snowgum in hobart has anything to do with scouts other than the 4x3m square area at the back corner of the store...


the scout shop in launceston is a different matter however

Interesting post Macca81 ,
Dont have the choice in Devonport now however unless I am totally wrong, some profits from Snow gum are still earned by Scouts Australia ( I Hope).
Can anyone clarify this please ??
corvus

[Macca81]

to my knowledge (and its not something i have specifically looked into), scouts only get profits off of scout stuff... snowgum have the licence to sell scouts gear, but i think that that is as far as the association goes really (other than the scouts getting an automatic snowgum club membership)

ill look into it.

[Macca81]

just shot an email off to Nat Marketing Officer for Scouts, will give an update when she replies, or after i get back from a National meeting next weekend, whichever comes first

[Steven]

I bought a pair of AKU's about 12 years ago and had great use out of them. They were very comfortable and had a great grip on the sole. They had a Goretex liner but this wore out after about 3 years - I found that a good dose of Sno-Seal did a better job. The LH boot split from the sole about 4 years ago and I upgraded to...

Scarpa Pro that have been faultless. They took a little wearing in. They are heavier than the AKU's but are very sturdy. I give them a good dose of Sno-Seal and boot polish (the type that does not contain turpentine or mineral oil that dries the leather and rots the stitching) every year. They are more water-resistant and warmer than the AKU's.

I agree that there are many good boots on the market but I am very happy and recommend without qualification with the Scarpa's.

[ninjapuppet]

Hi scarpa owners,

How long did your scarpas take to break in? Ive got a pair of SLs and have worn them on 5 hikes and comming home with heel blisters and sore toes every time.
Doesnt seem to be getting any better.

Ive used mainly army boots and a few other cheap brands but have I rarely gotten blisters. I can do 40 km with a 30kg pack in army boots without even a hotspot on my feet.

Scarpas feel very comfy and I think mine are the right size when i put them on, but I'm starting to wonder if my feet arent suitable for scarpas?

[randal]

Hello Ninjapuppet,
Boots, hmm. My very first were a pair Scarpa goretex "Elites". I blistered on the back of the heals every walk, every time. Strapping would only delay the inevitable, seems those boots just did not have quite enough ankle pinch to stop my heel rising. Aware of this, when wanting to do some "hills" in the southern alps of NZ, I purchased a pair of La sportiva K2s - Same problem, though these did eventually wear in, but only after a lot of "Compede" had been used up. Bought a pair of Raichle's and used them straight out of the box on the Frankland range - no blisters, no hot spots, just seemingly perfect. My mate uses scarpa SLs, he always suffers nail loss to most toes and blisters on the tops of his toes. I guess we tend to persist because we have spent so much on these things it just isnt viable to toss them when they dont work for you. Trial and error for me has been the only way, and from your post you seem to indicate you know what does work for you. The "best" brands won't always be the best for every foot, good luck with your search.
Randal.

[corvus]

I bought a pair of AKU's about 12 years ago and had great use out of them. and I upgraded to...

Scarpa Pro that have been faultless. They are more water-resistant and warmer than the AKU's.

I agree that there are many good boots on the market but I am very happy and recommend without qualification with the Scarpa's.

With respect current AKU Lagoria GTX boots are very waterproof and IMHO as good as any others and better than some , Scarpa Pro are very good but like many boots do not suit all feet and may never "break in" for some.

corvus

[Macca81]

See now im a believer of buying boots/shoes that are comfortable from the outset. wearing them in is not something i want to do.

My scarpa shoes, i have worn for 14 hours a day, every single day from the day i bought them, and they have been comfortable the whole time

[Ent]

Hi

I have a pair of the precursors to the SL and they fitted quite well from new but near the tongue they would pinch a nerve and it was an endless round of adjusting the tension on the laces to avoid this. Now, this is no longer a problem as they have shaped near this pressure point so put on and wear. With heavy leathers such as the 3mm used on the top of the line Scarpas considerable breaking in is required but the reward is often a decade of reliable and comfortable boots. But if they do not suit your foot the result is 10 years of pain and suffering. Mine took probable 500 kilometres before they became loved rather than hated. The SL I brought interestingly have a notch in the stiff leather where I had the problem and breaking in was not a great issue for them.

A comment that I believe is valid, the longer your foot and the heavier you are the less breaking in is required for the traditional Scarpa. Most people that hate them tend to be lightly built with size 10 or less boot sizing.

Cheers Brett

[Macca81]

just on the last few posts mentioning snowgum and knowing that the last 2 posts have been from current or former scouts, id like to mention that i actually get a bigger discount from mountain creek than from snowgum, because at least half the staff are either current or former scouts no-one working at snowgum in hobart has anything to do with scouts other than the 4x3m square area at the back corner of the store...


the scout shop in launceston is a different matter however

Interesting post Macca81 ,
Dont have the choice in Devonport now however unless I am totally wrong, some profits from Snow gum are still earned by Scouts Australia ( I Hope).
Can anyone clarify this please ??
corvus

the official word:

"Snowgum is Scouts Sustralia's official supplier of Scout unform products, unform, official badges etc.



Snowgum pays Scouts Australia a royalty on sales."

[corvus]

Is that a Royalty on all sales
corvus

[juney]

How long did your scarpas take to break in? Ive got a pair of SLs and have worn them on 5 hikes and comming home with heel blisters and sore toes every time.

If that quote business doesn't work again this time then I apologise for my tech deficiency

Anyhow, ninjapuppet, the sore toes makes me straight away think you're in boots that are too short. It's not uncommon for adults' feet to get longer - my hiking boots needed a size upgrade a couple of years back after my toes started hitting the ends.
You should have 1cm to 1&1/2 cm room at the end when your on the flat.
I wore my SL's in by wearing them for a couple of weeks in my job as a bartender. ie on my feet , but not really walking. I had no problems at all when I started hiking in them. Mind you, I do always wear a liner sock under my hiking sock, so that helps too.
Cheers,
Juney

[juney]

woo hoo. the quote worked. Excellent.