The best hiking boots are….?
Discussion
Ronseal post.
I’m looking at a trip to Iceland which will involve some hiking in the cold and wet with soft conditions underfoot, but I live in the Middle East which is hot and sandy/rocky.
I’m after a pair of boots that can handle both climates as well as being super comfy and light. I’d prefer fabric over leather and deffo a ‘tech’ offering over traditional type.
Not too sensitive price wise as crap boots will ruin my holiday and I do plan to do a lot of hiking / camping this winter.
TIA
I’m looking at a trip to Iceland which will involve some hiking in the cold and wet with soft conditions underfoot, but I live in the Middle East which is hot and sandy/rocky.
I’m after a pair of boots that can handle both climates as well as being super comfy and light. I’d prefer fabric over leather and deffo a ‘tech’ offering over traditional type.
Not too sensitive price wise as crap boots will ruin my holiday and I do plan to do a lot of hiking / camping this winter.
TIA
Huge fan of my Asolo.
Light, incredibly tough, comfy and have looked after my feet and ankles in a huge range of conditions.
Only downside is they use very skinny laces. The originals held up very well, until I did a stupid thing...
"Cheap" replacements lasted five minutes in comparison, until I stumped up (I think) about £15 for 'proper' Asolo replacements.
Light, incredibly tough, comfy and have looked after my feet and ankles in a huge range of conditions.
Only downside is they use very skinny laces. The originals held up very well, until I did a stupid thing...
"Cheap" replacements lasted five minutes in comparison, until I stumped up (I think) about £15 for 'proper' Asolo replacements.
Funny I'd avoid any tech boots, outside of double insulated mountaineering boots I've found them to be inferior to good leather boots.
My current pair are Meindl's, I can't remember which model but NOT Goretex lined and they've been brilliant, they've taken me to the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees and Highlands without issue.
Brasher is the only brand I've tried that I'd never go back to, and that was because of a pair of Goretex textile boots that were crap followed up by terrible customer service. Which I'm still a bit aggrieved about as I was a poor student at the time.
My current pair are Meindl's, I can't remember which model but NOT Goretex lined and they've been brilliant, they've taken me to the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees and Highlands without issue.
Brasher is the only brand I've tried that I'd never go back to, and that was because of a pair of Goretex textile boots that were crap followed up by terrible customer service. Which I'm still a bit aggrieved about as I was a poor student at the time.
Fishlegs said:
...the ones that fit you best.
Don't shop by brand. Go for a fitting at a good outdoor shop with a fitting expert.
its hard to shop by brand when you have never heard of any of them...Don't shop by brand. Go for a fitting at a good outdoor shop with a fitting expert.
anyway such things don't exist here. i'll try as many as i can but will require going to umpteen different shops and dealing with numpties. narrowing it down would help enormously.
Edited by shirt on Wednesday 16th June 13:51
ChocolateFrog said:
Funny I'd avoid any tech boots, outside of double insulated mountaineering boots I've found them to be inferior to good leather boots.
My current pair are Meindl's, I can't remember which model but NOT Goretex lined and they've been brilliant, they've taken me to the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees and Highlands without issue.
Brasher is the only brand I've tried that I'd never go back to, and that was because of a pair of Goretex textile boots that were crap followed up by terrible customer service. Which I'm still a bit aggrieved about as I was a poor student at the time.
i don't think leather will work in the heat and if it does [e.g. has loads of holes] then it'll be crap in the wet. hence thinking modern tech fabrics and also knitted inner sock thingy for keeping sand out. My current pair are Meindl's, I can't remember which model but NOT Goretex lined and they've been brilliant, they've taken me to the Andes, Alps, Pyrenees and Highlands without issue.
Brasher is the only brand I've tried that I'd never go back to, and that was because of a pair of Goretex textile boots that were crap followed up by terrible customer service. Which I'm still a bit aggrieved about as I was a poor student at the time.
shirt said:
such things don't exist here. i'll try as many as i can but will require going to umpteen different shops and dealing with numpties. narrowing it down would help enormously.
It'd help to know how wide/narrow your feet are.I have narrow feet and find Scarpa perfect, but have had Zamberlans in the distant past.
If you want something comfy that will last go for Meindl
If in addition to the above you plan on using crampons or getting into something more technical then go La Sportiva (these are basically bulletproof but can be stiff)
I’ve used both brands plus Salewa extensively - living in the Alps I’ll stick with La Sportiva for any future needs
If in addition to the above you plan on using crampons or getting into something more technical then go La Sportiva (these are basically bulletproof but can be stiff)
I’ve used both brands plus Salewa extensively - living in the Alps I’ll stick with La Sportiva for any future needs
shirt said:
Fishlegs said:
...the ones that fit you best.
Don't shop by brand. Go for a fitting at a good outdoor shop with a fitting expert.
its hard to shop by brand when you have never heard of any of them...Don't shop by brand. Go for a fitting at a good outdoor shop with a fitting expert.
anyway such things don't exist here. i'll try as many as i can but will require going to umpteen different shops and dealing with numpties. narrowing it down would help enormously.
Edited by shirt on Wednesday 16th June 13:51
There's no point in having the perfect fitting boots if they fall apart (or leak) after a week as my brasher boots did.
W99KSY said:
If you want something comfy that will last go for Meindl
If in addition to the above you plan on using crampons or getting into something more technical then go La Sportiva (these are basically bulletproof but can be stiff)
I’ve used both brands plus Salewa extensively - living in the Alps I’ll stick with La Sportiva for any future needs
Fit really is the most important thing.If in addition to the above you plan on using crampons or getting into something more technical then go La Sportiva (these are basically bulletproof but can be stiff)
I’ve used both brands plus Salewa extensively - living in the Alps I’ll stick with La Sportiva for any future needs
Another vote for Salewa. I'm a fan of their 'mountain trainer' mid height boot, it's a bit of a do-everything shoe. Fits well out of the box (for me), lacing system means you can get adjust the lacing down to the toes, pretty lightweight but have found the goretex to be bullet proof having used my current pair for four years (all the Wainwrights, through my ML), they're possibly just stiff enough for a pair of C1 (flexible) crampons and relatively cheap.
Handy review here:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/footwear/mountain_...
thebraketester said:
I have the Salomon Quest 4 GTX and I am doing the 3 peaks this weekend so I will let you know how they hold up.
I've had 4 pairs. All fell apart after 8 months. However they were extremely comfy, and for their sort lifespan, excellent.Current setup:
Altberg Tethera. Brilliant. Bit heavy after 10+ miles but completely watertight and will be with me for a very long time.
Altra Lone Peak 4.5. Trail running shoes. Very good. Not waterproof. v.5 supposed to be excellent.
Topo Trailventure. 50 miles into these. Already replaced once as the sole came away. Other than that(!) decent, comfy, not waterproof.
I wouldn't go back to Goretex again. Waterproof socks are the future.
As others have said, I went for proper fitting.
EDIT - Just seen you mentioned Iceland. Altra and Topo not advised
For anyone else, that's my 2p.My Scarpa 3/4 season boots are leather and heavy so not what you're after. My daughter has just bought some Mammut winter boots - they're light and stiff and she finds them really comfortable. Suitable for all terrain - we've done winter stuff and then last weekend did the CMD arête up Ben Nevis on scree, ridge, narrow paths and a boulder field. She declared them to be brilliant on everything.
They weren't cheap (£230 I think) but might be worth a look.
They weren't cheap (£230 I think) but might be worth a look.
MonkeyBusiness said:
thebraketester said:
I have the Salomon Quest 4 GTX and I am doing the 3 peaks this weekend so I will let you know how they hold up.
I've had 4 pairs. All fell apart after 8 months. However they were extremely comfy, and for their sort lifespan, excellent..
There was a similar thread on here a few years ago when I was looking for new walking boots.
I noted down the recommended boots and headed off to a few local shops. Many of the recommended boots did not fit me well.
I ended up with Keen Targhee iii (not what you are after I don’t think) but I am really happy with them as the fit is near perfect. My experience is that a shortlist of good boots helps narrow down the fitting, but you do need to try them on.
I noted down the recommended boots and headed off to a few local shops. Many of the recommended boots did not fit me well.
I ended up with Keen Targhee iii (not what you are after I don’t think) but I am really happy with them as the fit is near perfect. My experience is that a shortlist of good boots helps narrow down the fitting, but you do need to try them on.
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