Alt-Berg Warrior Boots - Opinions?

[Nomad]

Thinking of getting a pair of Alt-Berg Warriors, mainly for the wider fitting option, and because I want a pair of non-membrane boots. I've had a pair of their Field & Fell Originals for a few years, but they need to be a tad wider, and can be a bit sweaty in warm weather. I also find the Skywalk sole a bit hard.

Is the sole on the Warriors softer/quieter when walking on hard surfaces?

Any general thoughts on the Warriors?

 

[Macaroon]

Great boots; no overheating for me, and yes, the sole is much better than the skywalk; I find these a better boot than the field and fell which I wore for a long time.

 

[GGTBod]

Great boots i went for the aqua version and love mine, again no sweating issues here, vibram sole is a good all rounder the only slight issues i've had was beachcombing at low tide mark and it was slippery as heck on the slick seaweed covered rocks, i'm sure this would be the same regardless of what type of sole was on the boot

 

[Nomad]

Thanks chaps. If you have the brown ones, do they darken up a bit with some applications of Leder-gris? (I'd prefer black, but the wider fitting is a 12 week wait, while wider brown is more like 3 weeks.)

 

[Bluffer]

They won't darken much.

Plan on having them resoled a couple of times, the leather uppers last much longer than the soft rubber soles.

Great boots, been wearing various versions for about 15 years now.

 

[Nomad]

How about footbeds? Are the supplied ones okay, or are the Svartz Anatomic Absorber ones worth having (given that they're discounted when bought with the boots)?

 

[woof]

I found the footbed that comes with them just fine. I must be one of the few that like the skywalk sole !.

Rob

 

[Bluffer]

First thing I do with any footwear is bin the footbed and get some proper ones in there.

So I'd get the Svartz ones if they are discounted.

 

[GGTBod]

I've found the footbeds to be up to the job in mine and i weigh 242 lbs and have back issues, before i bought the albergs i could not walk half the distance i can in them in comfort carrying a load.

 

[Macaroon]

I found the footbed that comes with them just fine. I must be one of the few that like the skywalk sole !.

Rob

I got on fine with the skywalk and I'd have them again; I meant in my post above that the vibram are better in terms of the o.p.'s original question. One thing's for sure, they last a lot longer than vibram IMHO

 

[woof]

I got on fine with the skywalk and I'd have them again; I meant in my post above that the vibram are better in terms of the o.p.'s original question. One thing's for sure, they last a lot longer than vibram IMHO

I understand what you are saying there Mac !. I wore the field & fells, as did most of the other handlers, with the skywalk sole, as it was explained by Altberg as this was their urban sole unit, with the lightweight one being their off road one.
It wasn't unusual for the lightweight sole to last only weeks of hard urban use, before needing replacing, but I could get a year out of the skywalk sole. My son who's in the army, has been issued the warriors, so i'll see how they wear, but he's also been issued a pair of YDS boots, for a trip somewhere hot, he's gutted about that, as he loves the high liability meindl desert boots.

Rob

 

[Nomad]

Thanks all.

I'll give the Svartz footbeds a try. With the 7.5% discount for being on their mailing list, the overall price is quite bearable (£165 with the footbeds, brown Leder-Gris and delivery).

I find the Skywalk soles fine for softer going, but too hard on hard paths and for general wear. I like to be able to switch between countryside and towns, and occasionally wear them at work when the weather is bad (I work in an office, but often go out for a spot of bird watching at lunchtime on a nearby golf course). With the Skywalks, the clomp-clomp noise is a bit annoying, and they can be a bit tiring on pavements and hard paths. Would the change in sole affect the flex, or is that down to the intermediate layer?

Although I'd rather have black, I don't think I can wait the quoted 12 weeks for the wide fitting to be made unless the brown ones really don't look right. (I know - fickle. Dark brown is okay, but it's hard to tell from online photos what they're really like.) I have the option of taking advantage of Alt-Berg's return policy and waiting for black, so I think I'll order the browns, check the fit, and then decide whether to keep them.

 

[woof]

The flex of the boot is down to the midsole not the sole unit, we found that the smaller size boots were a stiffer boot, as the midsole was the same thickness but shorter, this caused some female handlers problems with new boots until broken in but "big foots" didn't have a problem, ie 9's & above.

Rob

 

[Tonyuk]

Good boots all round, get the size right since the fit can be narrow compared to Lowa etc..

Tonyuk