I'm after a good pair of hard wearing boots.

[Barn Owl]

Lowa tibet or hunter have a wider fit than the military ones i've found.
You can see those models in The Bushcraft Store,i have the tibets and eiger.
The tibets are comfy as anything, the eiger are really a mountain boot and heavy but very sturdy.

 

[Scopey]

My pair of Lowa Moutain boots have been with me since 2004, I have thrashed them on several hard military courses, one in particular up and around Brecon for months with plenty of weight on, day to day wear around camp, so comfy ive worn them whenever I knew I'd be on my feet for a long time( festivals, etc)- I have flat feet and shin splints thanks to over training and was proscribed these - they are fantastic .
I have since 05 when I registered on the Mountain leader course logged well over 100 days on the hills in mine and also worn them in my new job as a police officer. I have put off re soling them as I didn't want to be without them but have sent them off this week- £50 and they will surely last me another few years yet

Can't reccomended LOWA boots highly enough .

 

[michael hecquet]

i have scarpa manta boots briiliant i bought 2 pairs acouple of years ago and i am still using the 1st pair the second pairs never gonna be used i used them to go to the shops last year in the snow cos i left my main pair at my brothers

 

[maddave]

I have Meindl Burma Pro's and love them. For summer I have Meindl Desert fox, again awesome boots. And I have good reports about Altbergs which are on my wish list

 

[Miyagi]

I bought a pair of Derwent Trail boots on Tuesday, on sale for £19.99 at "Go Outdoors".

No connection to the chain etc., blah, blah, but I'm pleasantly surprised by how good they are. Much better than the supposedly waterproof High Tech chukka boots I bought. Waterproof? Aye in a bone dry desert they might be.

The down side? Next week they're on sale for £9.99 - doh!

Liam

 

[Warthogiam]

I have Meindl Burma pro and have used them extensively for 12 years. May need to resole soon but can't fault them for comfort , durability and watrerproofness (treat with dubbin after every use)

 

[hobbes]

In my humble opinion, Karimoors are junk.

If they happen to fit your foot, consider Meindl. Pay once, cry once, and enjoy them for many years.

Karrimor and other such manufacturers make boots to a price. There's nothing wrong with that, and there are many cheaper (and worse) boots than Karrimors.

But yes, it was a great day when I finally reached the point I was able to save up and buy boots based purely on fit and function, regardless of price. I too love Meindls - they do happen to fit my foot. They're very well made, if a little old school in fit-style.

BUT if you can afford boots of this standard, there are several other makers, all of which have different shapes and styles of fit. We can all make recommendations based on build quality etc, but your feet are yours alone. If you're going to do a lot of walking base your choice on fit first - weight, materials, brand, fashion etc are irrelevent if you don't optimise fit.

 

[martsim73]

If they happen to fit your foot, consider Meindl. Pay once, cry once, and enjoy them for many years.

I couldn't agree more! Had my Meindl boots for about ten years now.... Bullet proof! Had I have spent £50 a year on boots that would have been £500!!!!! My Meindl's cost about £170 new..... So far that equates to £17 a year! Bonza!

 

[MSkiba]

Meindl woudnt fit me. In the end I got some altberg tethera, they had to be steam-stretched onsite to fit my clown feet. Very happy with the service, £180 in total. I read every post on here regarding boots and from the reviews it seems Meidl, Alt-berg and lowe are the best. But, only alt-berg do each size in 5 different widths and can customise each boot to make them fit perfect.

Big up to "Warm and Dry" in Whalley. They spent an hour measuring etc.. making sure the boots fit perfect, making adjustments, free wax treatment etc.. All included in the price of the boot. Would recommend them any day.

If you do not have clown feet like me, go to Go Outdoors mega shop and just try each boot on. Once your happy with one, buy it online, or get them to price match.

I would rather buy a boot that works for £200, than karrimor's that cost £30 and last 6 months. i do not want them to expire while im on a camp. Buy cheap, buy twice.

 

[bushytoo]

You guys have convinced me it's worth spending over 100 on boots, I'm going to go for the lowa combat boots. I intend to get it in a week or so, I'll let you know my thoughts on it.

 

[rik_uk3]

You cannot guarantee ANY boot will last four or five years if as you do, a heck of a lot of walking. Do you need boots? Lot of serious hikers are moving over to 'trainer' type shoes now called Approach shoes. Used a lot on long distance hikes like the UK TGO and American AT hikes so well worth doing some research on these.

 

[garethw]

You guys have convinced me it's worth spending over 100 on boots, I'm going to go for the lowa combat boots. I intend to get it in a week or so, I'll let you know my thoughts on it.

I got a pair of these myself earlier in the year.. so far very pleased with my purchase, very comfy and look pretty tough. Generally a very well made boot. Only time will tell if they take the abuse most of my footwear gets.
Cheers
Gareth

 

[Elen Sentier]

I have Meindl Burma pro and have used them extensively for 12 years. May need to resole soon but can't fault them for comfort , durability and watrerproofness (treat with dubbin after every use)

Mmm ... shall go look at them, after I've had my feet operated on! Last time, the surgeon made them a size bigger and I'd recently got new boots ... grrrrrrrrrrr!

 

[bushytoo]

You cannot guarantee ANY boot will last four or five years if as you do, a heck of a lot of walking. Do you need boots? Lot of serious hikers are moving over to 'trainer' type shoes now called Approach shoes. Used a lot on long distance hikes like the UK TGO and American AT hikes so well worth doing some research on these.

If no boot is going to last me four or five years then I certainly don't think approach shoes will. I also think it's not sufficient enough for extreme conditions.

 

[bushytoo]

I got a pair of these myself earlier in the year.. so far very pleased with my purchase, very comfy and look pretty tough. Generally a very well made boot. Only time will tell if they take the abuse most of my footwear gets.
Cheers
Gareth

That sounds promising.

 

[sandbender]

If no boot is going to last me four or five years then I certainly don't think approach shoes will. I also think it's not sufficient enough for extreme conditions.

What extreme conditions do you plan to walk in? The Meindl Borneos I recommended earlier wouldn't be my choice for very high altitude or winter conditions, nor would I use them for walking in very hot places.

 

[bushytoo]

What extreme conditions do you plan to walk in? The Meindl Borneos I recommended earlier wouldn't be my choice for very high altitude or winter conditions, nor would I use them for walking in very hot places.

In the next couple of years I will probably visit Bolivia, Chile, Norway, Sweden and probably South East Asia so a variety of conditions.

 

[sandbender]

In the next couple of years I will probably visit Bolivia, Chile, Norway, Sweden and probably South East Asia so a variety of conditions.

That sounds like a lot of fun, are you travelling for the sake of travel or is there a specific activity you plan for each country ie climbing mountains or such.

If you plan to simply travel around the world there really isn't one boot that will suit every location, however you will be able to pick up appropriate footwear in those countries, which you should bear in mind as everything you leave home with will probably be lost, broken or stolen long before your return, the only really important bit of gear is you, as long as you make it back with a head full of great memories, thats all that really matters.

Here is a pair of boots that did travel around the world...

...for much of the journey they were strapped to my pack, it being too hot to wear boots, I wore various pairs of sandals instead.

 

[lub0]

One thing I recommend is to avoid goretex lined boots like the plague. I believe GTX liners are nothing more than marketing gimmicks and are not suitable for footwear becuase once wet, a GTX lined boot will stay wet forever.

I much prefer a full leather unlined boot as they are waterproof and actually have a chance of drying out in the field! Unfortunately most civilian boots are GTX lined so army surplus maybe the way to go, I use latest issue German army issue boots and cannot fault them.

For summer use they are a big no no due to how high up the leg they go. I've yet to find a good short leg unlined boot for summer hiking, so I wear Merrel approach shoes instead, which I dislike becuase they are not leather and you get soaked simply by walking on wet grass!

 

[Scopey]

You guys have convinced me it's worth spending over 100 on boots, I'm going to go for the lowa combat boots. I intend to get it in a week or so, I'll let you know my thoughts on it.

Mate, please take my advice - plenty of young recruits make the mistake and buy Lowa Combats- purely as the word combat is in the title. They are a very high boot, which can lead to problems for some people- they also don't have the Assymetric walking position that the Mountain boot has which gives you a more supportive natural gait.
The Lowa mountains are by far the superior and more comfortable boot and are about the same height as most military boots the Combats are a fair bit taller.
The Lowa Mountains are the most comfortable things I've ever work on my feet and now also come in green nubuck and a brown.