Input/Comments Regarding New Boots Welcome...

Mark#1

Hi,

I'm replacing two pairs of old boots (Salomon Quest - disintegrating after 3 years, won't buy another pair, and Chiruca Canada - still going strong, but a little tired after 6+ years) with a new pair in the next couple of weeks.

Shortlist based on www research as follows:

Lowa Combat GTX/Mountain GTX - http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/combat-gtx-ch-pt/2108680999/8
Haglofs Granit Hi GT - http://www.haglofs.com/en-US/products/footwear/trekking/men/haglofs_granit_hi_gt_en-us.aspx
Haglofs Grym Hi GT - http://www.haglofs.com/en-US/products/footwear/trekking/men/haglofs_grym_hi_en-us.aspx
Mammut Monolith GTX - http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/301000460_v_0015_10/Monolith-GTX-Men.html
Scarpa Kinesis Tech GTX - http://www.scarpa.co.uk/trek/kinesis-tech-gtx/
Haix Tibet GTX - http://www.haix.co.uk/military/125/tibet?c=11

These all have Gore-Tex linings, so dry feet should be more or less guaranteed, but I also like the boot to be very water-repellent on the outside in the first place. If the outside of the boot can be treated to maintain/increase water-repellency that'd be a plus. I also like the tongue bellows to go right to the top of the ankle cuff, or very high up.

I like high ankles and stiff-ish soles (I possibly might dip into winter/snow hikes where a flexible cramp-on might be used, but regardless of this, I prefer stiffer soles anyway). I have average width feet, maybe a smidge wider than average - never needed to buy specific wide-fit boots before. Use will include everything from hiking/hill-walking (incl winter) to everyday wear.

Must be completely waterproof, robust & durable, all-day comfy, and from the black/grey colour pallette. Strongly leaning toward leather after disappointment with Salomon Quests falling apart, but the Mammut Monolith and Haglofs Grym Hi still appeal. Not too bothered if they're not super-light if they're very robust and durable.

Most likely gonna go for Lowa Combat GTX unless I hear/read anything significantly negative. The Haglofs, Mammut & Scarpa boots are all €300+ (the Lowas can be found for €220 or so), Haix are hard to source for shipping to Ireland (and I know little about them). Lowa seem to be widely well respected for comfort, durability and robustness.

If I'm missing any other potential boot out there that fits my wants, let me know.


Thanks for any advice/comments.

Mark

burly

Cant fault my Meindl Burma Pro's which Ive had for 4 years. Ive worn them on hikes up to 14 hours on many a day in Ireland in dry, boggy, icy, snowy, you name it ground and they have been fantastic.

Ive worn them in deep snow in Alaska, desert in Arizona and I even wore them with Grivel G10 crampons in the Pyrenees just last month,and they've never let me down.

They are still in great nick, I look after them regularly with cleaning and waterproofing.

If and when i do need a new pair, Il be going Meindl again.

Would recommend.

Best of luck!

Pat Mustard

Fan of Meindl, myself. There are other good choices like Hanwags etc, etc.

Mark#1

I think I remember reading Hanwags can be softer/less stiff than some others.

I'll add them & Meindl to my research. Don't know why I didn't include Meindl - I've always had them in my mind to look into when time came to replace.


Thanks guys.

Tokyo

At risk of repeating what others have said, I wouldn't wear anything else except Meindl. Last pair I had lasted me eight years in bog, snow, hail, rain and sun - decent vibram soles, leather outer and gore-tex liner, they'll last forever. The only reason I'm replacing them now is that they got nicked along with the rest of my climbing gear while being shipped back here, otherwise they'd have lasted me another few years easily.

sheesh

it all depends on the shape of your foot


somebody that a meindl works for will not get a comfortable fit in a scarpa
and vice versa. the rest of the boots mentioned I know nothing about. so tell me op have you a high volume or low volume foot how high are you arches.

I was one of those who swore by Meindl. Then got their Air Revolution which fell apart, though may have been my own poor care. Meanwhile got Scarpa SLs second hand just to have a cheap pair for the odd outing on crampons, and delighted with them.

Alun

sheesh wrote: »

it all depends on the shape of your foot

somebody that a meindl works for will not get a comfortable fit in a scarpa
and vice versa. the rest of the boots mentioned I know nothing about. so tell me op have you a high volume or low volume foot how high are you arches.

This x10000. I keep mentioning it too on these kinds of threads, but different boot manufacturers use slightly different lasts, or moulds if you like of a "standard" foot. Italian boots tend in general to be narrower, German boots a bit wider, but even then there's variation.

My own favourite is Hanwag, but that's purely because I can order a pair over the Internet (even a different style to my usual) put them on and walk 25km without a blister. Others may have a different experience.

So all other things being equal, the best boot for you is the one that fits you the best, end of. It may take you a while to find that special boot, but it's worth it in the end.

In contrast, I bought a pair of Scarpa boots once, tried them in the shop, perfect. First walk, and my feet were in shreds. Sold them to a walking colleague, same size as me, and he's been wearing them for 3 years now.

Alun

Alun wrote: »

This x10000. I keep mentioning it too on these kinds of threads, but different boot manufacturers use slightly different lasts, or moulds if you like of a "standard" foot. Italian boots tend in general to be narrower, German boots a bit wider, but even then there's variation.

Agree, and would add that as I do a bit of mountain running, it gets even more bizarre. Some people will swear by one brand and others will say they fall apart, people reacting differently to the exact same model because of something as personal as how one's foot hits the ground.

CeannRua

Alun wrote: »

This x10000. I keep mentioning it too on these kinds of threads, but different boot manufacturers use slightly different lasts, or moulds if you like of a "standard" foot. Italian boots tend in general to be narrower, German boots a bit wider, but even then there's variation.

My own favourite is Hanwag, but that's purely because I can order a pair over the Internet (even a different style to my usual) put them on and walk 25km without a blister. Others may have a different experience.

So all other things being equal, the best boot for you is the one that fits you the best, end of. It may take you a while to find that special boot, but it's worth it in the end.

In contrast, I bought a pair of Scarpa boots once, tried them in the shop, perfect. First walk, and my feet were in shreds. Sold them to a walking colleague, same size as me, and he's been wearing them for 3 years now.

Alun, would you be able to name some Italian brands I could look at for narrow feet. Thanks.

Alun

CeannRua wrote: »

Alun, would you be able to name some Italian brands I could look at for narrow feet. Thanks.

Well Scarpa is one that you can buy here, they have them in 53 Degrees North. The two other main ones I can think of are Zamberlan and Dolomite, although I've never seen either of those on sale here in Ireland to my knowledge.

mikka631

CeannRua wrote: »

Alun, would you be able to name some Italian brands I could look at for narrow feet. Thanks.

Asolo are another Italian Brand. You used to be able to get them through Lowe Alpine.

Alun

mikka631 wrote: »

Asolo are another Italian Brand. You used to be able to get them through Lowe Alpine.

Asolo are the company that took over Lowe Alpine for a short time, and as I don't think it was exactly a good period for them, I don't think they have a connection any more.

Mark#1

Thanks for all your replies guys.

Agree that the boot that fits best is the best boot. Never had a problem with the fit of any boot I've owned - 2 pairs of Dolomite Ortles in early/mid- 90s, Altezza (IIRC, though these were narrow-ish), Chiruca Canada (Spanish, broad-ish fit), Salomon Quest (again, broadish).

My feet are average, maybe leaning to broad-ish. Instep maybe a bit higher than average. Never had problems with arches, but used to regularly get ingrown nails from wearing boots a half- or full size down (9-9.5) because I liked snug fitting boots. I now wear 44 (45 too big) or 10 (9.5 leaves little room for feet swelling/thicker socks).

I guess given that fit is relative and subjective, I'm more asking about robustness and durability, waterproofness, build quality, etc. Ideally I'd try before I buy, but the choice on www is so much wider than local bricks and mortar. Worst case, if what I buy sucks, I'd refund/exchange, and try something else, rather than suffer a boot that's not for me.

From what I gather, the Lowas are bomb-proof and should be fine for my average feet.

The only other pair that I'm pondering now are the Meindl Performance GTX - what kind of price are they? Where do you guys buy your Meindls?


Thanks again guys. :-)

Mark

Mark#1

Bit the bullet on the Lowa Combat GTX, from Jackson Sports - never dealt with a more helpful shop.

Seems Meindls can be a little softer than Lowa, and besides, the Meindl Performance are out of my price range.

Guess I'll pop back with a few words on how they suit me once they arrive.


Mark

Brixworkwear

Sorry folks for joining the party late. Just a word of warning on the waterproofing on anything that has a goretex lining. You should avoid anything like dubbin and only use water proofing agents that will work with a waterproof lining as they will allow the leather to breath. If they are breathable most will say that they are goretex compatible as it is a big selling point for them.
If you dont use a breathable one the water will get drawn out through the goretex lining and then hit the leather, if there is dubbin on there you might as well put plastic bags on your feet.

Also condition the leather and never force dry and your boots should last you quite a while.

Out of interest how are the Lowa working out?

Mark#1

Boots arrived yesterday morning, but I'm working away from home, so won't get to play with them till Friday night.

That's really useful info regarding treating the leather - I probably would have looked into it before I did anything, but your post puts me right already. :-)

Given that these Lowas do have a Gore-Tex liner, what I want from the outer surface of the leather is for water to bead off, and not soak in at all.

I currently have two pairs of Gore-Tex lined boots, and never get wet feet (well, my Salomons do leak now, but that's cos they're falling apart, rather than any issue with the liner), but the outer leather or fabric does soak up water. I don't like this, even if the boots remain waterproof - I'm sure soaked outer surface doesn't help stop feet getting cold.

I'll post my first impressions of the Lowas after the weekend.


Thanks,

Mark

Brixworkwear

Creams are great as they usually have nutrients for the leather and the water proofing and breathability built in. But just make sure that whatever you do pick stresses the importance of breathability in the product description. I know nic wax do some and grangers also have a few different products.

Also dont wear cotton socks wear wool/ merino wool if you can or if you really like your feet possum merino wool they will all wick the sweat from your feet to the goretex lining as quickly as possible. also the cotton will wear the goretex lining quicker than wool.

Looking forward to your review.

Mark#1

First impressions, rather than a review...

• They're hot. Not sexy hot, but heat hot. Well, they are a bit sexy hot.
• They're lighter than they look.
• They're tall.
• They're very roomy, probably a half size too big for me, but I've decided to keep them - given that they seem to be warm boots, I can see myself using them in winter (and maybe also getting a lighter boot for outside winter), where thicker socks will fill out the roominess. I'm wearing them all this week, with an extra mid/thin insole underneath the Lowa insole, and my feet aren't really moving around in the boots, certainly not enough to concern me. Also, I've only been walking maybe 3km a day so far, so my feet haven't really been worked long and hard enough to do any significant swelling, which will obviously happen on longer/tougher walks.
• The sole is bang on the money for the stiffness I was hoping for and expecting - can't bend or twist them much at all by hand.
• The upper is stiffish, but already softening a bit - no rubbing or pressure spots.
• No locking eyelet to secure the foot in the boot and allow a looses ankle cuff, but a couple of extra twists in the laces at the ankle eyelet seems to be minimising my feet shifting forward on descents.
• Great weather this week, so no sense of waterproofness yet, but morning dew has been beading off nicely.

Brixworkwear

Sounds good I cant really talk about what alternatives in the Lowa range and Its not really pertinent to your question but in the interest of other people reading this.

The Haix (I don't know if Lowa do it but it is definitely worth looking out for) come with a climate control system in most of their higher end boots which basically acts like a bellows every time you take a step. It pushes hot wet air into the tongue which has holes along the top which allows the hot wet air to be expelled and then it draws dry cool air in through the holes along the collar of the boot which keeps a great climate inside the boot provided you have not blocked the holes/ leather with dubbin. The problem here could also be the type of sock you are wearing. What fabric is it made from?

With the weight issue I can only say don't confuse weight with comfort. I have a pair of montanas which appear monstrous but are probably the most comfortable boots I own. With the combination of the climate control, the stiff sole, and when you but your foot in the shape of the boot pulls your heel to the back, which works in conjunction with the eyelet at the ankle to really ensure you come out of the boot straight rather than slightly forward (which helps with strain on the back) the whole boot and the different tech's work to keep your feet, and back, happy. Its like walking on clouds.

The application of the cream will help to soften the boot. When I had my montanas first they took 2 and a half weeks to break in but when the did I could not believe the difference. on both your Lowa and my haix there is a small nock taken out of the stiffer outer leather at the back of the boot that is filled in with a softer leather and you wont believe how much that helps with driving and what not when the boot softens.

The next time your out just stand in a stream after a few miles of walking its a kind of relief that only gortex wearers will get to know. It really makes your feet cold and they feel wet until you stand out of the water. I highly recommend it and it will test water-proofness for you.

Your health to wear gent keep them clean and keep the cream on and they should last you years.

Regards
Gerry