Hi all,

Looking for some new boots. Will be used for general hiking/walking/scrambling use. I am quite used to do all that in approach shoes, so am quite used to light weight and flexibility, so just want something a bit sturdier, more supportive, and more weather-proof, but not too restrictive.

Would also like to be able to use them around town when the snow/ice arrives, so nothing too crazy in the design department either.

Budget of around £60-80ish.

Cheers!
Duane.

Get yourself down to your nearest decent outdoor shop, the lasts in each boot are different so try loads on and go for the most comfortable.

Imho you are going to struggle at that price point so someone like go outdoors maybe a better bet

I had some nice Salomon Comet 3D boots in red and grey. About double your budget but tick all of your boxes. I’ve had them for about 5 years now. The outer fabric has split at the main flex point near the toes but they don’t seem to be leaking.

I’d buy them again, but for proper hiking I like the look of Alt-berg. Regarding snow / ice get a pair of Yaktrax.

Hi-tec are worth a look for something cheaper.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-tec-v-lite-sp-hike-waterproof-mid-p276869

Get yourself down to your nearest decent outdoor shop, the lasts in each boot are different so try loads on and go for the most comfortable.

Imho you are going to struggle at that price point so someone like go outdoors maybe a better bet
+1

the only boots I wear ( pretty much every day) are

Altberg bergen boots (in winter)
Altberg jungle boots all other times

bought from altberg proper factory shop in richmond N yorks – worth the drive from Nottingham !

Pieface – Member

Hi-tec are worth a look for something cheaper.

Just saw a few of those Hi-tec walking boots at TK Maxx at around £40.

Look fine with Vibram sole.

What Andyfla & Matt said. No brands mentioned, just sensible advice.

(I’ve got some Lowa’s which are bliddy comfy)

I tried every pair in the shop on and bought the pair I liked the look of least as they were by far the comfiest. Still are three years later, still don’t like the colour.

I wouldn’t touch Karrimor again, I’ve had 3 pairs over the years, including a pair for trail running, and they’ve all ended up with flappy soles well before the uppers are wrecked. They’re fairly cheap yes, but I don’t do anything hardcore, just hilly/traily walking really.

Are Decathlon’s boots considered any good? I bought some and find them really comfortable but not used others so can’t compare.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-309801-hiking-shoes/N-50945-brand~quechua

I had a pair of their shoes that were great, but didn’t fit. Therefore if they’re comfy, go for it. Probably made by Simond (or vice versa)

£60-80? Pushing it at that price point; a pair of Vans will set you back £45-55 or so. Quality walking/hiking boots go well north of £100, but are worth the investment. I’ve got a pair of Zamberlain boots I bought around 25-30 years ago, and they’re still in good nick, although they don’t get much wear these days.
Have a look at these:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/mens/footwear/walking-boots
The better boots are £100+, but some of the cheaper ones might be worth a look, Merrell are reasonably good, for example. Depends on how waterproof you want them to be; all-leather will keep out the water, with proper leather proofing applied, whereas lightweight boots with membrane construction will tend to wear out much more quickly, and don’t lend themselves to re-soleing.

rutland cycling seem to be trying to make inroads on the walking scene therfore have some good deals. Im with the other posters on here in that your pushing it on price vs quality.

I wear Meindl burmah pro’s which I find are excellent and more suited to wet northern fells than a full gtx fabric upper.

Rutland have Meindl Bernina 2’s for £114 down from £200 which are a decent boot but as mentioned before, boot fitting is a highly personal thing. I’d never buy a boot off somebody else’s recommendation.

Dont bother with Karrimor they are shit.

Buy cheap buy twice.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berghaus-Explorer-Trail-80024-G10/dp/B001VH6G4U

Wear these more than my leather meindl boots these days. Starting to think lighter boots and trainers are the way forward if you are not carrying a load or in winter.

Yes the Meindl’s are heavy. Scarpa Vortex / Salomon XA ultra 2’s for me when its fine.

I’ve worn heavy hiking safety boots at work for the past 22 years so dont notice the weight that much tbh.

Folk do seem to rate them Berghaus boots though. Good shout.

I’ve got the berghaus boots linked above, bought them from blacks at the beginning of the year. I. Tried on quite a few different brands and they were the ones which fitted me the best.

As others have said though, you need to try some different boots on and find which ones are the. It’s comfortable for you.

Dont bother with Karrimor they are shit.

Buy cheap buy twice.

With Karrimor, it may well be more than twice!

I got a pair of Scarpa Terra GTX boots a few years back for about £80.
Used them for lots of things that probably warrant a burlier boot, but they are still going strong.

+1 Try on loads and get what fits. Or what’s on offer if it fits. See below 🙂

I have a pair of those Berghaus Explorers (older colour scheme) that gets loads of use, my go to boots for year round ‘family’ walks. Have done a few proper mountains in them too. Light, comfy and so far wearing well. Only really reach for my Salomons when I want a stiffer sole, mainly for scrambling. Well worth the £35 I paid from them on special offer from Go Outdoors.

A thread I started on the same (ish) topic
My experience, if you have one visit “go outdoors”, they couldn’t have been more helpful (obviously that could differ store to store), and have a huge range of boot. Take your smart phone and spend 5 minutes in the car park to see if you can find them cheaper, as they price match + discount (though they do include p&p in the price match for online stuff).
I bought some Salomon’s, as per the thread recommendation, simply due to the fact they were comfortable straight away, no breaking in.
I ended up buying mine online though, as Go outdoors didn’t stock the colour I wanted, so have a browse here if you fancy the Salomons (limited stock/sizing on sale).

You definitely need to try them on, but as others have pointed out your budget will be a bit thin in most outdoor shops.

Worth checking out TK Maxx if you have one nearby, I’ve picked up a great pair of Zamberlans for £50 and some Scarpas for my wife for £70 in the past.

I recently had this dilema after my ten year old boots had worn out soles, went to go outdoors with a flexible budget of £100, ended up in decathlon with their own brand QUECHUA FORCLAZ 600, for £60, very pleased with them, warm, dry, comfy, used everyday for 2 months for dog walking duties on very wet and muddy farm lanes with a couple of steep grassy and loose hills, recommended for your budget.

At the cheap end of the market I’d choose Decathlon over Hi Tec, I’ve had a couple of pairs of Hi Tec boots and they always seem to die pretty quickly – and I’m only using them for dog walking and the like. Decathlon products seem better made. (Although the trick with Decathlon is to go one range up from their cheapest model)…

Cheers all – ended up getting a pair of the Berghaus Explorer Trail Lights – only walked around town in them so far, but seem decent, excited to hike some proper mountains over Christmas!

Ta, Duane.