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Need new boots?? (1 Viewer)

matt green

matt green

Norfolkman gone walkabout
Just trashed yet another pair of walking boots!!

Any ideas for around £80? - lots of outdoor clothing shops in Norwich so should have a good choice of the most popular brands?

Gotta be good for plodding around in long wet grass, ie waterproof and low maintenance is a priority;)

Matt
 
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I bought a pair a few months ago. I tried all the usual brands: Brasher, Berghaus, Scarpa etc. but none of them really hit the spot and they were all about £80-£90. On the off chance I looked in TK Max and ended up with a pair of Karrimor KSB Orkney breathable leather boots for £37, reduced from £100. They were at least as comfortable as anything else I tried and half the price. It's pot luck if they have anything you fancy in your size though.

I've also got a lighter pair of Grisport Grasmere breathable boots for summer use and they have been very good.

Ron
 
NoSpringChicken said:
I bought a pair a few months ago. I tried all the usual brands: Brasher, Berghaus, Scarpa etc. but none of them really hit the spot and they were all about £80-£90. On the off chance I looked in TK Max and ended up with a pair of Karrimor KSB Orkney breathable leather boots for £37, reduced from £100. They were at least as comfortable as anything else I tried and half the price. It's pot luck if they have anything you fancy in your size though.

I've also got a lighter pair of Grisport Grasmere breathable boots for summer use and they have been very good.

Ron
Click to expand...

Cheers

Had a browse around town this afternoon and tried out a few brands, the peter storm skiddaw watsits I settled for (£59) from millets didn't look or feel any different from the more pricey boots.

Will see how long they last!!

Matt
 
LOVE my Caterpillars! Yes, they are big and chunky, but they are excellent. I got mine for EU 100, so I'd imagine that's a fair bit less in Pound Sterling.
 
matt green said:
Cheers

Had a browse around town this afternoon and tried out a few brands, the peter storm skiddaw watsits I settled for (£59) from millets didn't look or feel any different from the more pricey boots.

Will see how long they last!!

Matt
Click to expand...

I've found Peter Storm products to be pretty good recently and the staff at Millets have been as helpful as anywhere. I think most boots are made in China now anyway, probably in the same factories.

Ron
 
matt green said:
Cheers

Had a browse around town this afternoon and tried out a few brands, the peter storm skiddaw watsits I settled for (£59) from millets didn't look or feel any different from the more pricey boots.
Click to expand...

Probably worth £59 for the vibram sole alone!. I have had the shitey fabric equivilent (scafell or something) as a summer pair of boots for 3 years - the boots are falling apart a bit and have always leaked but the sole marchs on virtually untouched....
 
I would have completed a 10'ish mile loop of the local backwater this afternoon/evening to break them in, didn't really have the conviction to walk the second part home in the pithing rain having only Linnet as bird of the day!!

They seem comfortable enough, they might even be genuinely waterproof as they got a good dunking walking across a flooded hey meadow...

Matt
 
I take it all back!!

Having hobbled around in these for 6 hours today I can honestly say these are the most uncomfortable buggers I've ever had the misfortune to put my feet in...and I've stepped in a lot of sh.. in my time.

My upper ankle is in agony due to the tongue digging into my foot, pretty nasty blister on my little toe as well!! £59 down the pan - gutted:C

Matt
 
matt green said:
I take it all back!!

Having hobbled around in these for 6 hours today I can honestly say these are the most uncomfortable buggers I've ever had the misfortune to put my feet in...and I've stepped in a lot of sh.. in my time.

My upper ankle is in agony due to the tongue digging into my foot, pretty nasty blister on my little toe as well!! £59 down the pan - gutted:C

Matt
Click to expand...

See my coast to coast thread http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=85489

I think you need to bite the bullet...
 
matt green said:
Having hobbled around in these for 6 hours today I can honestly say these are the most uncomfortable buggers I've ever had the misfortune to put my feet in...and I've stepped in a lot of sh.. in my time.

My upper ankle is in agony due to the tongue digging into my foot, pretty nasty blister on my little toe as well!! £59 down the pan - gutted
Click to expand...

Why not take them back to the shop? I know that you've worn them but if they are that uncomfortable then they are clearly not fit for purpose and the shop should take them back. I did exactly this with a pair of shoes a year or so back, the shop were surprisingly helpful and refunded me without question.
 
matt green said:
LOL Cheers - damn fine thing you're doing there btw, kinda puts priorities in their rightfull place. Will scatter some silver ASAPB :)

Matt
Click to expand...

Thanks Matt. The Miendl's that I mention actually have a memory foam base that mould so your feet - NASA or what? They are completely waterproof and come with a 10 year guarantee. I have had problems with my feet previously and still suffer more than most and these are the best I have tired.
 
postcardcv said:
Why not take them back to the shop? I know that you've worn them but if they are that uncomfortable then they are clearly not fit for purpose and the shop should take them back. I did exactly this with a pair of shoes a year or so back, the shop were surprisingly helpful and refunded me without question.
Click to expand...

I did consider that but thought i'd get laughed out of the shop!!

Probably got 20 miles out of them before the tongue really started to cause problems, however I've been using them again today and they seem to be breaking in 'slowly'.

I think I'll give'm another week or so before I give them the boot (sorry):-O

Matt
 
Having read this thread although some days old, I couldnt resist adding my sixpennith!

I have a pair of Hi Tec Sierrra V-Lite Kevlar WP boots. They are waterproof, walked though puddles lakes etc to test them, lightweight , highly breathable with a soft padded leather collar for comfort.

These are so comfortable after a week I went back and bought a second pair. They are still brand new in their box 'cos the first pair are still so good.
 
i got a pair of kathmandu leather boots a while back and they are just great. Been around the world with me literally and survived both tropical and desert environ. I got them for about £60 during a summer sale and its well worth it. Did i mention that their sympatex is better than goretex? Its certainly better than my more expensive montrails....
 
How's about just buying a pair of comfortable & supportive boots and buy some Sealskins?

That way you can have lightweight comfort when its hot and dry and waterproofing when its wet?

I currently do this with a pair of Nike X-Trail shoes I wear for general purpose walking and it works a treat.

My Goretex boots only come up when I really need them these days, which is only when I feel I'll need extra ankle support......
 
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I love Alico Summit boots, but for all day in the wet you'd have to put some waterproofing stuff on them. I just use Danner boot conditioner which is OK for a few hours of wet, but the moisture gets in eventually with just boot conditioner. Nevertheless, they are damn sexy boots!
 
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Alan G said:
How's about just buying a pair of comfortable & supportive boots and buy some Sealskins?
Click to expand...

That's what I do too, Alan - though I've got Porelle Drys, not Sealskinz (they're much the same) - along with a pair of excellent Karrimor KSB Andes Lows.

I've made this suggestion a few times before but I think we must be typing in invisible pixels or something, judging by the complete lack of reaction it generates!

;)
 
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After my little dig about optical snobbery in another thread it's now my turn to play the snob.

I've always found that if a boot is named after a Lake District hill - Scafell - Helvellyn - Skidaw etc......then it's highly likely to be a pile of tripe that goes all soft and squishy the first time that it gets wet and falls apart completely within two years.

That being said though; I tend to give my boots a lot of stick and expect quite a lot for my money.

Once I'd realised the inadequacies of your Scafells and Helvellyns, I brought one of the earliest of the new generation lightweight boots back in the early eighties, they were Scarpa Attack and they lasted me for about five not particularly strenuous years on the Welsh Hills before the sole fell off and the leather turned to sponge. Scarpa boots have improved a lot since then though.

I brought a couple of pairs of the old Scarpa Delta when Scarpa were working with Berghaus on boots but then their little boot design partenership fell apart and the Delta became something quite different. The old Scarpa Delta were the most comfortable two/three season boots I ever found and I'm still using a very well worn pair for less demanding trips.

My newer boots are Scarpa Manta II. A three/four season boot, heavier and chunkier than the old Delta but still very comfortable, very well made and offering excellent foot and ankle protection as well.

My partner recently brought a pair of Peter Storm Boots though and whilst the manufacture of the last is inferior to Scarpa, the leather feels poor by comparison and the flexibility of the sole doesn't suite me at all; they're not a bad boot from the £50 - £60 bracket.
 
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Any boot nurd is a friend to me!.

You can't really beat Scarpa for serious mountain use. A bit overkill for the average birder perhaps?.

I have leather Scarpa SLs for winter use mainly, absolutely bombproof. A bit too heavy and stiff for summer and casual use though.

I've been using a pair of Peter Storm fabric scafells as summer and low level boots, comfortable but leaky.

The wife bought me a pair of Raichle Sierras last week to replace them. Very pleased so far. I don't know the brand, but those in the know tell me they have a good history. So far so good.

One brand I would avoid like the plague is Karrimor. One boot of a pair of KSB 300s once started falling apart on me after 2 days walking in the Pyrenees and the sole started to split. When I got home after 2 weeks and returned them the cheeky bastards claimed I had actually used them for 'months' and for purposes other then what they were intended (walking?). Despite the fact I had only bought them 4 weeks before and had the receipt. Only the threat of a small claims action got me a refund. Utter tossers. Avoid!.
 
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