Can I have some recommendations on Boots please?
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Whatever you choose get non goretex/uninsulated, Danners excellent, Alberg excellent. The cabalas look very like the style of a danner boot. Cheap and cheerful army issue you cant go wrong if you buy new.
For a tight budget I can't fault my HiGear boots. Four years regular yomping, coupled with some gaiter never had a problem and real comfy.
Alex
Alex
Why's that? I think they have their place as long as you're not going knee deep in bogs or rivers
I've been wearing some North Face Syncline GTX Boots for just under a year now.
http://eu.thenorthface.com/tnf-eu-en/footwear/men/men-s-syncline-gtx-boots.html
I'm very very happy with them, they've kept my feet bone dry and comfortable over boggy Irish moors through to summer hiking in Greece over rocks that tore my Karrimor's to pieces.
They are light enough to wear all day for me, yet still heavy enough to comfortably walk over mega rocky terrain.
They are Gortex lined and i've crossed walked down streams without a drop getting in.
If the lining tears or leaks then i'll simply send them back, don't see how that is a problem.
Likewise i don't see how Gortex lined boots could take longer to dry.
My Gortex Saloman hill running shoes dry out quicker than my non gortex versions.
http://eu.thenorthface.com/tnf-eu-en/footwear/men/men-s-syncline-gtx-boots.html
I'm very very happy with them, they've kept my feet bone dry and comfortable over boggy Irish moors through to summer hiking in Greece over rocks that tore my Karrimor's to pieces.
They are light enough to wear all day for me, yet still heavy enough to comfortably walk over mega rocky terrain.
They are Gortex lined and i've crossed walked down streams without a drop getting in.
If the lining tears or leaks then i'll simply send them back, don't see how that is a problem.
Likewise i don't see how Gortex lined boots could take longer to dry.
My Gortex Saloman hill running shoes dry out quicker than my non gortex versions.
It's all very well folks recommending boots but you need to buy the ones that fit you! All the manufacturers use a slightly different shaped last and what's like a pair of slippers on one person will cripple someone else with different shaped feet.
For myself I swear by Meindl's - I'm on my third pair now over about a ten year period. Lovely straight out of the box. Bought my current pair on the Saturday morning and did a 10 mile walk in the Lakes on the Sunday wearing them. HWTHMBLT tried a pair on and hated them.
For myself I swear by Meindl's - I'm on my third pair now over about a ten year period. Lovely straight out of the box. Bought my current pair on the Saturday morning and did a 10 mile walk in the Lakes on the Sunday wearing them. HWTHMBLT tried a pair on and hated them.
Seconded. I have the latest mk.7 2009 issue with the glued-on sole as opposed stitiched, but I was told by Kevin at Endicotts that he can't vouch for their long term reliability so just be aware that the latest issue version is not time-tested.
Over the last 30 plus years I have tried countless pairs of (mainly black) boots for soldiering, Plodding, hunting and who knows what else. A lot in UK and now in NZ.
The ONLY rule is they must fit - so try before you buy, which can be a pain with interweb purchases.
Some personal opinions
Army DMS ankle boots - No, just OK for a work boot
Army light weight assault boot - originally marketed as the Britton boot in early 90s - not bad, and if available pretty cheap I think
Lundhags - pricey, boxy feel but a really good simple boot - good for everything but a hot dry summer for days on end. Would be good for Glastobury.
Danners - Gore tex etc - remember a very cold wet exercise when my feet NEVER dried out. Good comfy boots, but my Acadias (?) fitted fine without an insole, but the lining under the foot started to shift and ridge under the ball of my foot. Got my money back.
All leather/commando sole hill boots - good, but at the heavier end of the spectrum
Brasher - had the really light leather/gore tex one - bloody good actually
Altberg - really good - the Peacekeeper or Warrior, latter has a stiffer walking boot sole. Excellent and fit MY feet well
Magnums - only for street wear!
Nokian rubber boots - not tried (and you wanted leather) but I currently hunt in Skellerup Hikers http://www.industrialfootwear.co.nz/footwear/gumboots/plain-toe/hiker - an ankle height rubber boot. Probably one of the most popular outdoor/hunting/tramping boots here beleive it or not!
Meindls - Borneo - blood good, if a bit rigid for flat UK countryside. Bloody dog chewed mine and the are 3 times the price here - paid 99 quid for mine 5 years ago.
But they must fit!!!!!!!!!!!
The ONLY rule is they must fit - so try before you buy, which can be a pain with interweb purchases.
Some personal opinions
Army DMS ankle boots - No, just OK for a work boot
Army light weight assault boot - originally marketed as the Britton boot in early 90s - not bad, and if available pretty cheap I think
Lundhags - pricey, boxy feel but a really good simple boot - good for everything but a hot dry summer for days on end. Would be good for Glastobury.
Danners - Gore tex etc - remember a very cold wet exercise when my feet NEVER dried out. Good comfy boots, but my Acadias (?) fitted fine without an insole, but the lining under the foot started to shift and ridge under the ball of my foot. Got my money back.
All leather/commando sole hill boots - good, but at the heavier end of the spectrum
Brasher - had the really light leather/gore tex one - bloody good actually
Altberg - really good - the Peacekeeper or Warrior, latter has a stiffer walking boot sole. Excellent and fit MY feet well
Magnums - only for street wear!
Nokian rubber boots - not tried (and you wanted leather) but I currently hunt in Skellerup Hikers http://www.industrialfootwear.co.nz/footwear/gumboots/plain-toe/hiker - an ankle height rubber boot. Probably one of the most popular outdoor/hunting/tramping boots here beleive it or not!
Meindls - Borneo - blood good, if a bit rigid for flat UK countryside. Bloody dog chewed mine and the are 3 times the price here - paid 99 quid for mine 5 years ago.
But they must fit!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd concur with recommending Brashers. Paired with gaiters, they're tough, light, waterproof and comfy. Perfect UK boots.
The mid-range Magnums are good everyday beaters. But check fit first.
Fit is really more important than brand, but then it's hit and miss with boots. You can buy them in the shop and they fit great, but after a days walking they give you blisters the size of 2 pence pieces. 90% of boots are too narrow for me. I've got Meindl Dovres that I regret buying. Fitted well in the shop, got onto the downs and my ankles slopped around in them. Really if in doubt, don't buy. I'd never spend £240 on a pair of boots ever again. It's the same with gore-tex jackets. I spent £150 on a navy blue Berghaus, hated the colour, used it for a year, lost 4 stone and then burnt a hole in it with a cigarette...I should have just got an ex-army one.
The best boots, hands down on the table were some old real tree cordura/leather Wolverine boots I bought in the states. High legs, gore-tex and 200g insulated, but like wearing trainers. I gave them to my uncle... I'll be sticking to the American brands from now on when I can get them and try them on and I've got some desert style boots on the go that I'm making at the moment for summer when it's dry. Other than that, I'm going to try on some Nokian boots with felt liners for when I'm stomping around Western Europe next month.
I'm all for simplifying with boots now. I'll be trying on ex-army ones next when it comes to it. Thin socks, Merino wool tube socks, Gore-tex socks & felt insoles will work wonders for the winter. Interchanging and removing those accessories gives you an all season modular boot system.
The best boots, hands down on the table were some old real tree cordura/leather Wolverine boots I bought in the states. High legs, gore-tex and 200g insulated, but like wearing trainers. I gave them to my uncle... I'll be sticking to the American brands from now on when I can get them and try them on and I've got some desert style boots on the go that I'm making at the moment for summer when it's dry. Other than that, I'm going to try on some Nokian boots with felt liners for when I'm stomping around Western Europe next month.
I'm all for simplifying with boots now. I'll be trying on ex-army ones next when it comes to it. Thin socks, Merino wool tube socks, Gore-tex socks & felt insoles will work wonders for the winter. Interchanging and removing those accessories gives you an all season modular boot system.
Agree totally. That's why i'm not a fan of internet purchase for these things, it's more likely to put the guys who have a shop where you can try stuff out, out of business. I applied the same logic when buying my knife. Went down to a store fitted the knife I had in mind to my hand..... and found it didn't fit at all. Came away with a completely different knife although almost the same money. Would have cost a lot more if I had just bought it over the web and then had to sell it on and replace it.
Well my 2 pence worth, I'm not a fan of gore-tex/membrane boots. While they can keep your feet drier, if for whatever reason you do get water into your boots they take an absolute age to dry compared to non-wvp boots.
I recently got a cheap pair of Karrimor All-leather jobbies for £40 from a sports direct store. Used for 6 months and I've got to say pretty good once broken in a little.
I recently got a cheap pair of Karrimor All-leather jobbies for £40 from a sports direct store. Used for 6 months and I've got to say pretty good once broken in a little.
This has been mentioned a few times in this thread and although we all have different opinions from different experiences, this opinion is so much different from my experiences that i think there is something wrong somewhere.
Which boots took longer to dry in comparison to what other boots?
As i mentioned in my previous post i have 2 pairs of trainers that are pretty much exactly the same except 1 pair has a Gortex linear the other doesn't.
The Gortex lined version dry quicker than the non lined versions.
The real reason Gortex is used in shoes is not to waterproof them (we could strap bin bags round our legs if waterproofing was all we needed), but to have a pair of shoes that allows sweat and moisture out while keeping water from coming in.
I have a very old pair of leather walking boots, that i have made waterproof over the years by various treatments.
Problem is though even on a mild winter day my feet are wet at the end of the walk, this is 100% from sweat.
They also take 2 days in the airing cupboard to dry out.
So if we take 2 pairs of waterproof boots:
1 x Gortex lined
1 x Proofed
The Gortex pair WILL without a shadow of a doubt breath better.
Looking at this logically if the shoes breath better, they must by all levels of logic dry quicker.
The great thing about this forum is the extremely varied ways we all experience the outdoors.
Some like me are mainly on the go, hiking camping etc mainly on foot.
Others prefer to take life a little easier and camp closer to their cars.
No right or wrong, better or worse here, we're all enjoying the outdoors as much as each other.
BUT
Taking clothing advice from a person that mainly basecamps, when the person seeking advice is more "active" is going to lead to many problems.
You could sit round the camp fire and be extremely safe and comfortable in jeans and a cotton tea-shirt.
The same clothing in a cold wet winter hike has a massive potential for problems.
Likewise with boots.
It's no good having waterproof boots with 6000 layers of proofing on them if your feet sweat like a fish in a sauna.
So my advice is to look for advice from people who are carrying out similar activities to you.
Cheers
Mark
For base camp camping its trainers and a pair of wellies all the way, sod boots and in summer a pair of Crocs 
Hi Mark,
The boots in question were a pair of Karrimor KSB GTX in suede/fabric not leather, so a poor choice on my part perhaps. And also a pair of e-vent lined all leather boots. As you say they were very good at keeping my feet dry and sweat free(ish) when hiking, however what im talking about here is getting water over the top of your boots from fording streams or in one case falling in a bog
D).I found that even drying my GTX boots back at camp/home in front of a fire they took longer (upto 3 days) whereas my non-gtx boots used both before and after the boots in question took less time. Think of it this way; you've got two pairs of boots one with a wvp lining and the natural breathability of leather plus any water waterproofing treatments, and a pair just relying on the breathability and any treatments. Now remember wvp layers work both ways so when you've water in your boots the gtx ones will expel moisture as water vapour more quickly than the non-gtx ones but will keep liquid water in the boot for longer. In terms of your good advice on which activites there used for, I agree totally with you. For me It's trekking and mountain walking as well as general round the camp stuff.
Anyway this is just my experience and therefore my opinion, but each to their own and all that.
Lowa boots are very good have a look at there taskforce collection on there website they have a boot for all situations I have a couple of pairs of there boots mountain gtx are a good all leather gortex boots and the zephyr mid desert boots which are great in hot/dry weather.
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