Le Chameau Arran GTX boots

[HillBill]

Hi guys.

Anyone got a pair of these beauties......
http://www.uttings.co.uk/p115142-le...king-boots-men-s-marron-bcg1328/#.VPOPKinT5v0

I'm seriously tempted to pull the trigger on a pair of these..

When i worked with 'keepers, they all wore either these (earlier model) or Le chameau wellies..... i've wanted a pair since.

I need a good sturdy leather boot, for general use... hiking, hunting being the main priorities..

I know there are other good makers... Lowa's, Altberg's, Miendl( tried these, too narrow for me) etc but i prefer the look and spec of these. The stone guard will come in handy as i like hiking up rugged rocky hills..... dales, peak district, lakes area's mainly.

If some one has a pair, or any other Le chameau boots... can i have your opinions please?

Cheers

 

[British Red]

Le chameau make an awesome boot, my wife swears by their leather combination wellies.

What size are you looking for Mark?

 

[HillBill]

11 i think mate. Uttings are out of stock in that size... most other places want £250 to £280 for them

 

[caorach]

I can't give you any first hand experience other than to say that a lot of people moved away from Le Chameau because of concerns over quality. I've no idea if this has been addressed but people did seem to be having very real problems with them and I think the Mendil Douvre Extreme boots had taken the place of the Le Chameaus for a lot of the traditional user base. I have the Douvre Exteme boots and they are OK and perfectly up to the job, but I wouldn't rate them as outstanding in any way and I would say that the quality is way below that of my Scarpa SLs which I am still wearing although they have been discontinued for some time now. The Scarpas give better ankle support for walking on very rough ground or stalking on the hill when compared to the Douvres.
Both Altberg and Haix are now issued and so are available as mil surplus and if you can get a pair (they've sold out very quickly, and no wonder at £50) they are worth considering. I'm currently wearing a pair of the surplus Haix, they were listed as grade 1 but were brand new, and while not quite as comfortable out of the box as the Scarpas I would rate them up there as being as well built as the Douvres and probably about as comfortable with perhaps a little more support.
I appreciate that this isn't quite an answer to your question but hope that you find some of it useful.

 

[HillBill]

I reckon i could get 10 years from a pair of those.... might need a sole replacing.... but the rest of it...£24 per year don't seem so bad to be clad in those.

 

[HillBill]

Thanks mate... appreciate the reply. As i said, it was looks and what i knew about the company 10 years ago that sway me towards these

I can't give you any first hand experience other than to say that a lot of people moved away from Le Chameau because of concerns over quality. I've no idea if this has been addressed but people did seem to be having very real problems with them and I think the Mendil Douvre Extreme boots had taken the place of the Le Chameaus for a lot of the traditional user base. I have the Douvre Exteme boots and they are OK and perfectly up to the job, but I wouldn't rate them as outstanding in any way and I would say that the quality is way below that of my Scarpa SLs which I am still wearing although they have been discontinued for some time now. The Scarpas give better ankle support for walking on very rough ground or stalking on the hill when compared to the Douvres.
Both Altberg and Haix are now issued and so are available as mil surplus and if you can get a pair (they've sold out very quickly, and no wonder at £50) they are worth considering. I'm currently wearing a pair of the surplus Haix, they were listed as grade 1 but were brand new, and while not quite as comfortable out of the box as the Scarpas I would rate them up there as being as well built as the Douvres and probably about as comfortable with perhaps a little more support.
I appreciate that this isn't quite an answer to your question but hope that you find some of it useful.

 

[peaks]

Can't speak about the boots, but I found Le Chameau wellies to be too narrow for my feet. Have been using Aigle wellies (of various types) for many years. I was told that the Aigle use wider lasts for their footwear - not sure if thats true. I'd suggest trying before buying if possible. Tried Le Chameau again when looking for replacement wellies a year or so ago. Still too narrow for me so went for Aigle again. I have fairly small feet - 6.5

Meindl and Scarpa are good boots - have had both over the years and found them to be excellent for walking in The Lakes + Peak District. My current boots are Meindl and are going well after 5+ years of regular use

 

[Goatboy]

Morning Mark,

I don't have a pair (I got a set of Meindl Dovre Extreme's due to fit) but a friend has a pair of the Le Chameaus and thinks that the are the dogs. His rands don't come up as high (older version) but apart from that it hasn't changed much. Lovely boot, good leather, well crafted and the fact that that rand is now stitched should help prevent any "gaping" problems over time.

The great thing about this style of boot is that mud, puddles and minor burns (streams) are negotiated without a care.

Peaks mentioned about a turn away from Le Chameau, (I've been out of the industry a couple of years now) but as far as I knew that was the Wellies. As they weren't using a purer rubber (but a rubber plastic mix) they had some problems with the wellies degrading over time, especially if animal much was involved as it exacerbated the problem. As I say I've been out a couple of years now so that may not still be the case.

 

[Macaroon]

As said above Mark the Le Chameaux footwear is very decent quality but they're made on a narrow last; all the people I know who have stuck with them are women and guys with very narrow feet. I was bought a pair of the boots you link to as a present a while back, and although I don't have a wide foot I ended up giving these away after not many miles as they were just way too narrow; I was cheesed off to say the least, as I really liked the design and feel of them.

I reckon for what you're after, once you get up around the £220 mark or more, it's got to be a trip up to Richmond and get a pair of the Altberg keeper's boots fitted to your feet - then you really have got boots for life with the re-soling service they offer. I pulled on a pair of them in a shop in Cirencester last year and they were like slippers. Altberg quality but completely different design to the military stuff, these are designed as keeper/hunter boots designed to work in the UK environment from the ground up........Have a look mate

 

[Dave]

They look nice. Posh Le Chameau. I had a pair of the Le Chameau Skadi Winter hunting boots. The stitiching came out after a year, around the top of the toe.
They sent em back t France, and I got a store credit easily enough, so they honored their warranty.
[Remember, the EU warranty is 2 years, not one year like in the UK]

Id also consider Lundhag high rangers if i were in that market.

 

[woof]

Meindl air streams, they are a tree surgery boot but very comfy, and as they've got a steel toe cap, they are zero vat & as ppe you can offset them against tax !

Rob

 

[HillBill]

Thanks fellas.

I was concerned about them being too narrow.... i don't have the widest feet in the world, but i don't have narrow feet either. The Miendl Vakuum GTX's i had were a little too narrow for me.

Mac - The Alt-bergs were also suggested to me by another guy. So i've looked into them. I do like them, but the lack of a protective band around the boot are putting me off a bit.... Its one of the reasons i like the Le Chameau and the miendls i had. I like hiking in Ruged terrain and the stone guards help keep the boots from damage on rocks and the like. The small front one they have may well be sufficient though... Hmm, gonna have to do some more thinking on this... but i do like the idea of a custom fit, and imo, boots are the one bit of kit that its worth spending top dollar on.

 

[BILLy]

I have a pair of these, http://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk/le-chameau-mens-arran-gtx-walking-boot/product/ the older ones, and a pair of these http://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk/le-chameau-mens-chasseurnord-wellington-boots/product/ and am a wide fitting foot, one of the best boots ive used, but would say that the sole feels a bit on the thick side and very sturdy, not the same as softer soled cheeper type boots. the wellies are great, very warm and comfortable, excellant for winter use

 

[HillBill]

http://www.philipmorrisdirect.co.uk/le-chameau-mens-arran-gtx-walking-boot/product/

They do look quite narrow from the end on pic.... and the protective cladding will make it harder from them to stretch out i expect too.

 

[Macaroon]

Thanks fellas.

I was concerned about them being too narrow.... i don't have the widest feet in the world, but i don't have narrow feet either. The Miendl Vakuum GTX's i had were a little too narrow for me.

Mac - The Alt-bergs were also suggested to me by another guy. So i've looked into them. I do like them, but the lack of a protective band around the boot are putting me off a bit.... Its one of the reasons i like the Le Chameau and the miendls i had. I like hiking in Ruged terrain and the stone guards help keep the boots from damage on rocks and the like. The small front one they have may well be sufficient though... Hmm, gonna have to do some more thinking on this... but i do like the idea of a custom fit, and imo, boots are the one bit of kit that its worth spending top dollar on.

Boots and Bed mate - if you're not in the one you're in the other, eh?

 

[HillBill]

Yeah mate Though I'm not so fussy with bed... i could sleep on a chickens lip

 

[BILLy]

Boots and Bed mate - if you're not in the one you're in the other, eh?

+1...........