As above - what brands have a narrower heel and smaller volume like Salomon?
I'm needing son to try on some more and aiming for a shop with a brand that's likely to fit better rather than have to visit 10 shops...
General hillwalking, be nice to have flexi/walking crampon, but comfort before that. General Munro tramping.
Salomon Quest 5 fitted best.
Meindl Bhutan was close - but felt voluminous, but IIRC they make wide and narrow fit.
Suggestions please.
Dunno about alternatives but i've had nothing but grief from salomon - they seem to fall to bits. My son bought a pair (against my advice) and those also seem to be disintegrating. YMMV
Salomon have suited my feet in the past (although it’s a while since I had some) and I’m very happy with various Salewa approach shoes I’ve had since, worth a look at their boots I would think.
Dunno about alternatives but i've had nothing but grief from salomon - they seem to fall to bits. My son bought a pair (against my advice) and those also seem to be disintegrating. YMMV
I've found them hit and miss after 20 years of wearing them...
I used to swear by Salomon Quests but the last couple of pairs I had started leaking very quickly. I've currently got some Meindls but as someone else said they do have quite a lot of volume, so I've got a volume reducer in there. Haven't used them enough to give much of a verdict either way.
Try North Face. I converted to Salomon many years ago after various other brands just gave me blisters. I have a pair of NF trail shoes that have been pretty much perfect, so maybe their boots would be worth a go?
Currently, I'm mostly wearing Hokas for hillwalking but they aren't as "robust" as some of the Salomon range.
I've worn Salomon running shoes for years and also find Scarpa and La Sportiva boots usually fit me well.
Conversely (see what I did there?), I find Scarpa to be the worst.
I’m wearing Scarpa. I don’t have low volume feet
Conversely (see what I did there?), I find Scarpa to be the worst.
Yeah, Scarpa isn't for him (or me wth my dainty feet either).
I use Salomon ‘approach’ shoes/trainers and Inov8 walking boots.
Agree with what others have said about Salomon. Clearly these days they just pick far east factories at random to produce their shoes as the quality is very variable
The Inov8 walking boots are like slippers and need no wearing in
I've found Saloman boots and shoes really nice for a month. Super comfy. Zero break in. But they feel like they used the cheapest most disintegrating materials that break, crack and split given any serious use. I know the SF guys love their tac boots but I guess they get them with significant savings. I can't afford to do that with boots that cost $500 + here.
I'm on my 2nd pair of AKU Pilgrim though. They are GTX and still issued I believe - work great for me here (Australia) but not tested in pissing rain and mud.
If you can find them, or can get to Yorkshire, Altberg do a range of widths. I've a couple of pairs and with care will last years, at least one will take a C2 crampon.
FWIW I asked the same question at a decent outdoor shop and was told to look at Aku and the Zamberlan Vioz. I've not got around to chasing that up yet. (The shop didn't sell either of those brands)
I find Scarpa to be the worst.
I bought my first Scarpas in about 1994, at the time I was a poor postdoc and (apart from my Mini 850 in 1986...) they were the most expensive thing (c£120) I had ever bought but they lasted years.
I bought a second pair of Scarpas many moons later and they have hardly lasted at all, in fact the sole on one side has worn through :-/
I had not seen the Alt-berg boots before, £290 a pair, probably (with inflation etc) about what I paid for those Scarpas in 1994, worth it if they last.
I love my altbergs. Go to Whalley Warm and Dry in Whalley Bridge. Amazing boot fitting service. Altberg also offer re soling service and turned ours round in extra quick time due to my poor time management and impending walking holiday. Really great company and you can get a last made if you go through boots.
told to look at Aku
Pilgrim GTX are ace boots. I'm on a second pair of these as I was half size off last ones. Very comfortable. All day wear. They don't look too military or too much like a hikerist but they'll do the job. Check out ebay you can get a pair of grade 1's for fifty quid. Also got some Altburg defenders but the AKU just nudge them. (But also available very keenly if you look around the surplus stores / ebay. The Alties feel considerable heavier than the AKUs.
I bought my first Scarpas in about 1994, at the time I was a poor postdoc and (apart from my Mini 850 in 1986...) they were the most expensive thing (c£120) I had ever bought but they lasted years.
I bought a second pair of Scarpas many moons later and they have hardly lasted at all, in fact the sole on one side has worn through :-/
I was referring to the fit of them for my feet, not the build quality. They are quite a different last compared to Salomon. In particular I find them very wide at the heel compared to the forefoot. The Salomon last is more "triangular"
referring to the fit of them for my feet, not the build quality
ah fair enough, I find them ok fit-wise just not so much quality-wise!
I love my altbergs. Go to Whalley Warm and Dry in Whalley Bridge
Rather too far from Scotland for me...
I love my altbergs. Go to Whalley Warm and Dry in Whalley Bridge
Rather too far from Scotland for me...
There's retailers in Scotland that measure, by the looks of it
https://www.altberg.co.uk/stockists/premier-stockists
I love my altbergs. Go to Whalley Warm and Dry in Whalley Bridge. Amazing boot fitting service. Altberg also offer re soling service and turned ours round in extra quick time due to my poor time management and impending walking holiday. Really great company and you can get a last made if you go through boots.
I second this recommendation having visited a couple of weeks ago to get measured up and fitted.
My eldest, when he used to need them (air cadets/DofE etc), found Merrell were the best fit for him with similar foot shape requirements. Benefit to us was also the price, in that we didn't need to sell our youngest to pay for them. (That may have changed now of course. I haven't bought walking boots since I auctioned off Mrs Fazzini to buy my Altbergs from Whalley Warm & Dry!!!)
AKU are good, I've actually been to the factory, nice people with good taste in coffee and pizza - I really like the Tengu Lite as a comfortable, boot but with a solid sole unit, nice last, lower volume than most. La Sportiva's stuff is good. TNF's 'European' last mixes a neat, La Sportiva-type heel hold with a slightly higher volume forefoot, worth a look. Altberg makes great, solid leather boots, great choice of width fittings and several lasts, but they are very traditional, 'stiff leather boot' in feel, which you'll either like or not. Hanwag makes good boots. Ditto Mammut. Finally, not sure if they've been mentioned, but Zamberlan has a nice last, slightly lower volume than some.
I know it's not very helpful, but your best bet is always to just try loads of different brands until you find a Goldilocks fit, how difficult that is will depend on how much your foot shape differs from the notional norm. Salomon's last always feels quite middle of the road to me, so there should be quite a decent choice of brands out there that would work.
Well, this experience confirms why you *have* to try on boots and find a good shop.
Cotswold, Tiso and Decathlon all useless. No stock of proper boots to try on, none had staff that were any real help. Just selling fashionable outdoor trainers by the dozen...
Ended up at Craigdon as they had different brands to try. And an amazing assistant called Anna who was properly knowledgeable and spent well over a hour with us trying on a few different brands and variations, plus different insole shapes. Plenty of walking up and down shop, kicking things, stomping, different boots on each foot, different insoles in each boot etc
Meindl, Dolomite, Haglof's and Altberg all tried on.
And we have ended up with a pair of boots I said would never fit. Turns out Scarpa have 5 different lasts...and one of them is low volume, square foot, skinny heel fit. And downsizing half a size worked.
None of the other Scarpa's fitted...
Scarpa Zodiac with gweeeeen Superfeet it is then.
We even got a nice chunky discount because....
Now. Where can I sit quietly and let my wallet recover
And we have ended up with a pair of boots I said would never fit. Turns out Scarpa have 5 different lasts...and one of them is low volume, square foot, skinny heel fit. And downsizing half a size worked.
Is there any way of telling which boots in the Scarpa range have this last?
They have a last chart somewhere.. you might have to google for it. I've used the one for rock shoes
Is there any way of telling which boots in the Scarpa range have this last?
Swift Google shows this. Doesnt seem easy to fathom. And does not include the boots we bought.
There's a lady called Anna in Edinburgh Craigdon who might know though..
I've also just found this further down the search results: says 'BZH' last.
