Tough Leather Boots

[Woodland Will]

Hi, I'm new to posting but have been an avid reader of the first rate knowledge contained on this site for a few years now. I'm young (A whipper snapper at 20) but I try to take a mature approach to my backpacking and bush-craft. I love gear that's not showy but versatile, beautiful in is simplicity and built to last e.g. the fantastic Hobo stove that decided to make my own version of (With a few exceptions for some of the light weight technical gear I have bought to keep my legs working on longer trips). The first piece of advice I am seeking is advice on walking boots. I have just about been walking long enough to wear out a few pairs and to realise that fabric boots (no matter how fancy they are) appear to be a waste of time as far as dry feet and as far as a hard-wearing boot are concerned, so I am looking for decent (and as I'm a student, good value) pair of super hard-wearing (as I do a little mountain climbing in Scotland and the peaks) leather hiking boots. What I am looking for ideally would be a boot design that's been around for decades so you know it’s good and after I buy my first pair hopefully they will be around for a good while too. I'm not scared of the odd blister but I would like them to be comfortable enough after a good breaking in, to not be a misery to wear. As a side note does anyone wear waterproof socks either SealSkinz, Ex-army Gortex or other, and do they work? I ask this because the only thing that gets me down if it rains for days on end when I walk is my constant wet feet and boots, thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Ph34r]

You can't go wrong with a pair of magnums, and you can even get hem new on ebay for about £40. I would recommend a model, but I don't know what you are after.

Mine came with a 10 year guarentee, which makes them even better value, and in two years of solid use only ever had one blister, and that was whilst wearing them in!

 

[Woodland Will]

I open to all types of shoe really, from nice looking brown leather ones to chunky military style boot like the magnums appear to be on first glance. Magnums are definitely in the right ball park, I like the look of the slightly smaller ones like these the most : http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BNIB-MAGNUM-E...49974582?pt=UK_Clothing_Menswear_MensShoes_GL. Ill do some reading about them now, thanks!

 

[R.Lewis]

If you want tough you can do no better then German army paraboots. My first ever pair of boots when i was sixteen and i still have them now, 23 years later. Mine are special forces ones with a Vibram sole. Vibram soles wear really well. Very comfortable when broken in due to the leather footbed that moulds to your foot.

 

[Shewie]

Lowas and Bashers are worth a look.

As for the Sealskinz I wouldn't recommend them personally, I've had two pairs (both gifts) fail on me after just a couple of months. The membrane they use just seems a bit too weak for the purpose. That was going back five years or so, they might have sorted that out now though.
The black MOD goretex are the ones to go for, shop around though that was the first hit on google.

 

[lostplanet]

Welcome to the Forum,
Bit of a dsicssion here about boots, read post#3
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56024

Seeing as the military spend most of their time in boots or walking, Look here for boots,

http://www.rvops.co.uk/ look at the reviews, maybe expensive but ultra comfortable.
http://www.polimil.co.uk/acatalog/Lowa_Task_Force_Boots.html
http://www.armynnavy.com/catalog/catalog/default.php/cPath/323
http://www.lansdaleltd.com/prod.php/sect/FW/subsect/Walking--Boots--&--Shoes
http://www.altberg.co.uk/Web/altbergboots.jsp
http://www.lowa.co.uk/home
http://www.hanwag.de/start.php?lang=2&PHPSESSID=2aea5a75210f2a6995a5b6f357d1c462
http://www.meindl.de/english/

Meindl tend to be wider fitting than most, Lowas, Hanwags, Alt-bergs, I would choose Non goretex lined boots and go for either cambrelle or leather lined.
Look for a boot that can be resoled easily, The uppers last a lot longer than the soles, find a model thats suits your needs and ask here for advice, someones bound to have had a pair, Try before you buy if possible.

I have Hanwag LX non goretex and love them, also Lowa Urban non goretex which are lighter and nice for a wander in the woods and a pair of lowa Munro which I dont really use now because of the hanwags,
My misses has hanwag peru and they are a good boot also.

Lowa Urban

Lowa Munro

Hanwag LX

 

[BarryG]

I would strongly advocate going into Cotswold outdoor. Not necessarily to purchase any boots from there, but they will measure your feet and make some recommendations.

Every boot manufacturer is different in the sizes they offer. eg. A Lowa size 8 will be different to a Meindl size 8, so its useful to get an idea of your foot shape and what manufacturers would suit.

Personally I have Lowa camp boots and Meindl Borneo boots. The Lowa boots, although more comfortable for general use do not quite fit me - I have slight heel lift, so i wouldn't risk any serious hikes involving steep inclines etc. However, this was my own mistake (& before i paid visit to Cotsworlds), hence the second pair of Meindl boots for such activities.

None of my boots are Gortex lined, as if they get wet, they take longer to dry out. I find that my feet always get wet at some stage, and good quality leather boots are easily waterproofed and maintained.

Saying all the above, boot preference, like most things is down to user preference. Your priority should be to find a range of manufacturers that make boots for your size feet and take it from there.

 

[iano]

I've a pair of Lowa Mountain GTX and I can seriously recommend them. Like you I find that nubuck, or suede, or fabric boots wear out rather quickly and when they get wet they tend to stay that way - nubuck in particular just seems to be a sponge on my feet, probably great for a relatively dry environment but for Wales not so much... My Columbias and Salomons were great boots, very comfy, but fell down on those two points, and I now use my Lowas (originally bought for Forces use) for civvy outdoors stuff too. A quick scrub down once you're back and a coat of polish (leder gris is probably better for goretex boots) and they will last you.

Goretex is great when it works in your favour but it's a double edged sword. It's grand at keeping the wet out, but if the wet gets in in any way (i.e. over the top of your boots) it then takes an age for them to dry out again. As long as you don't make a habit of wading through rivers in the middle of winter I think you'll be fine. Packing boot liners means that even if they get wet and don't dry out, that shouldn't soak your socks and feet. I've used them when static at the end of the day, but not really on the move, not sure if they're good for that or not. I've used the black MoD ones linked to above, not tried Sealskins, also beware the previous MoD green plasticy ones, they weren't much cop.

Lowas, Hanwags et al (i.e. that design) are all based on European mountain boots anyway so it's a tested layout and suited to going up mountains as well as mooching around on the flat. I've no experience of using crampons or any of the technical stuff but with regard to hiking and scrambling I mean.

 

[Woodland Will]

Ok, thanks allot for all the information and recommendations, very informative, I’ll look into them all thoroughly and make a choice

 

[Barn Owl]

Lowas are the best i've had to date.

However i've not had any Meindl.

I cast Magnum boots to the wind years ago when I used them daily for work.
They didn't last long at all,every shift included driving and/or walking.
Maybe just me though.

 

[BarryG]

Goretex is great when it works in your favour but it's a double edged sword. It's grand at keeping the wet out, but if the wet gets in in any way (i.e. over the top of your boots) it then takes an age for them to dry out again. As long as you don't make a habit of wading through rivers in the middle of winter I think you'll be fine. Packing boot liners means that even if they get wet and don't dry out, that shouldn't soak your socks and feet. I've used them when static at the end of the day, but not really on the move, not sure if they're good for that or not. I've used the black MoD ones linked to above, not tried Sealskins, also beware the previous MoD green plasticy ones, they weren't much cop.

QUOTE]

One thing I'll add to this.... when its rained for a long period of time..for instance all day, I’ve found that my boots fill with water anyway, due to the rain soaking through my trousers running down my legs and then into the boots.

I find waterproof trousers uncomfortable personally, so i cant see a way around this.