New hiking boots

My hiking boots are coming to the end of the road, they have lasted well. Now its time for a new pair.

I have always had full leather boots with goretex, my current boots are Albergs, which have been great. I have been thinking of getting a new pair of the same boots, but I have also been looking at synthetic boots, wow there is so much choice and some of the colours look really good.

I know the fit is the most important and I will be visiting a few outdoor shops over the coming weeks to try on some new stuff. Any reasons not to go down the synthetic option?

I think that leather is more hard wearing and long lasting?

Any reasons not to go down the synthetic option?

I personally cannot think of one unless you want 1 pair of boots to last a lifetime.

Synthetic boots are just so much more comfortable and fit for purpose IMO. Granted I dont think they last as long, but I would take comfort and performance any day.

I’ve always been a Salomon fan, but last year bought some Inov8 walking boots which I love. Bought my son some lower spec Inov9 ones for Duke of Edinburgh and he cant believe how comfortable they are.

I had / have a pair of meindl boots that use faux leather that fell apart within 6 months. The soles delaminated from the false leather

I wouldn’t sweat too much about colour, if you’re using them properly they’ll soon be a uniform dark brown.

I am a huge advocate of Berghaus, my Explorers have been to the moon and back and never missed a beat.  I derive a degree of pleasure in slopping through trech without a second thought whilst others are tippy-toeing around puddles.  But a quick google would suggest that their current equivalents are RRPing at £170 so they may be a bit spendy.  If they ever die – and I expect they’ll outlive me anyway – I’d buy another pair in a heartbeat.

I had some nice fabric boots (Scarpa Kailash I think) that were very fit for purpose, but leaked then fell apart relatively quickly. Put me off fabric since as it just seemed wasteful. Unsurprisingly my Altberg Tetheras have easily outlasted them and probably have another good few years left although could do with a resole.

I only wear leather boots when there’s a possible need for crampons. I’m currently using some extremely comfortable Hoka One One Anacapas. Prior to that, Salmon X-Alp.

I quite like my Scarpas, like these

https://www.ultimateoutdoors.com/15895341/scarpa-mens-terra-gore-tex-15895341

On sale for £123 🙂

Scarpa Terra Gore-Tex. Superb boots. Also Scarpa customer service and warranty is excellent.

My pair had a slight and I mean slight as in about 1mm gap develop between where the upper met the sole on one boot. They weren’t leaking but I noticed it when I was cleaning them. I was in two minds whether to even bother contact them as I could’ve easily sorted it myself.

Anyway I contacted Scarpa who sent me a return label so I could send them back for inspection.

I got a brand new pair and some additional advice that I needed a volume reducer so that they fitted my feet better. Off I went to Cotswolds for some further advice and £5 later I had the correct volume reducer in my brand new pair of boots. I’d had the originals for a couple of years and they’d had a fair few miles in them.

I have some innov8s after a previous thread on here, one comment over a leather boot is they stink. They are lighter and lots more comfortable than my Scarpa boots, but after a couple of months of soggy dog walks they are relegated to outdoors only!

My experience with fabric boots is that the more mesh there is the sooner they spring a leak.  Thy don’t last as well as leather boots either.

Significantly comfier out of the box though.

I’ve got synthetic boots for general kicking about duty. Trail shoes for fast moving days in the mountains, leather boots for when I want to be dry. For hill duty I’ve got no use for synthetic boots, they just don’t do what I want.

I reckon something like Scarpa SL will outlast most synthetic boots (in terms of staying water resistant and not falling apart) by about 6x. They’re heavier of course so it all depends what you want.

I got the hoka anacapas, brilliant boot, the mid one.  I saw a deal on speedgoat gtx s and bought some, so pleased I got another pair as walk every day and rotate usage.  75 quid at hip store, 95 at alpine trek.  Can vouch all waterproof, good grip too.

Can’t pass this thread by without my usual recommendation of Salomon Quest 4 GTX. Comfiest things I’ve ever had on my feet

If you like the old boots you should be able to resole them if that is all that is wrong. Feet first in chesterfield for example would do a good job. Their slogan “boots worth wearing are worth repairing”

Can’t pass this thread by without my usual recommendation of Salomon Quest 4 GTX. Comfiest things I’ve ever had on my feet

I’ve had a few pairs of these and generally got on very well with them but recently I got disillusioned with how quickly they start to leak. My last pair have just been replaced with a pair of Berghaus Fellmaster Ridge GTX. A little bit heavier but there’s not much in it, and they did need a little bit of breaking in where the Salomons were good straight out of the box, but hopefully they’ll last longer.

Scarpa trek GTX (leather) on sports pursuit for £125 ( half price).

Lovely boots.

Following this.

Keen, Hoka, Salomon, Berghaus all seem to last me <6months of dog walking. This is mixed pavement and grass/woodland twice a day but not huge mileage. I have yet to find a comfortable boot or shoe which lasts me.

Been trying to find a reason not to just buy another pair of chainsaw boots for walking as some of my most recent ones have been really comfy. All leather boots, my Crispi are some of the lightest shoes I own.

Found one of the manufacturers does walking boots too, so just ordered some Haix Nature 2 as I have some of their work boots that I’ve spent loads of days in.

Resoling my Scarpa’s wasn’t an option, they disintegrated on my last Dartmoor walk.

I’m currently running Mammut, Scarpa, LaSportiva, Salomon and Viking – all bought half-price or less.
Just binned a pair of Keens – they fell apart in 6 months despite reglueing the sole a few times – the sole unit is too soft and flexy anyway for serious outdoor use. My Salomon Alpines are the last pair in the house – Salomon banned due to their stink – OK in the dry, rubbish in the wet.. LaSportiva Raptors are a nice lightweight boot – you can run in them plus good grip in the wet but sole wears quickly.
Scarpa Ribelles for more technical stuff. Viking are a mid-calf ‘hunting’ boots ideal for bog-yomping. Mammut are some Kento Low approach shoe but have a pretty firm sole so good for rocky tracks. I’ve usually got a pair of Hokason the go, but the last pair wore out and I haven’t replaced them. Tried a few pairs of Inov8s previously, but they fell apart quickly

Always been happy with my Meindl Burma pros. Had them resoled by Meindl after about 15 years, came back good as new.

Stick with Altberg. As comfy as fabric boots can be, they never last long before leaking.

My boot use has actually reduced recently. Wear a walking shoe instead now unless either the it’s muddy and too far for a welly, I’m carrying a load or it’s winter where crampons are a being carried.

Looking at the feet of the freelancers I work with it’s rare not to see a pair of La Sportiva boots or shoes on their feet. They probably do 10 times the distance a year of most casual users and are on a tight enough budget that miles per boot is important.

I have had 3 paird of Salamon quest gtx. All fallen apart with 1 set being replaced under warranty. Very comfortable but quality is a joke. Bought some leather scarpa half price on sports pursuit. My last pair of those lasted 15 years

Fabric walking boots are all nice and light and fancy but they don’t last long. They start to leak after not much use.

get them if you want some light, pretty boots for city, town, and occasional country use and can bear to discard them after a short while.

otherwise leather ones seem a better deal.

I’d love to find some hard wearing waterproof fabric ones but haven’t found any great ones yet.

My take is that leather is more durable and inherently more water-resistant as an outer layer than boots with synthetic fabric uppers. If durability is a priority for you, then leather’s a bit of a no-brainer tbh, though conversely, small tears in fabric uppers are easier to repair, check out some of the running shoe repair kits out there.

Bear in mind that it’s all relative to terrain and walking style. If you walk a lot in areas with scree and/or are clumsy/prone to poor foot placements, you’ll tend to kill most fabric boots quite fast unless they have a lot of reinforcement, in which case they tend to be suede with small fabric panels. I eked years out of a pair of Salomon X-Ultra fabric shoes, but they were used mostly on benign terrain, I’d have killed them on proper mountain stuff.

The two big pluses of fabric are that they tend to break in / be instantly comfortable more readily than traditional heavy leather boots in particular and, when they don’t have a waterproof lining, they are more comfortable in hot conditions. I’d say fabric is generally ‘more comftorable / tends to be lighter / more nimble’, but that’s a generalisation.

Overall it’s one of those subjective things, a bit like mtb tyres. If you’re big, lumber about, don’t think / want to think too hard about where you put your feet, go leather and robust. If you’re a bit more of a stick your foot down anywhere and don’t think too hard about it, a stiffer, leather boot is probably going to work better for you, but it’s a continuum. If you’re generally nimble and precise and value instant comfort / lightness over durability / support, fabric may work better.

One of my favourite mountain walking boots is the AKU Tengu light which mixes a stiffish mountain sole and chassis with a flexible, part fabric upper with loads of ankle mobility. I don’t like heavy mountain boots, but on days when I do want a little more of a supportive sole, they’re brilliant. Lots of reinforced protective rands, but I don’t expect the fabric bits of the upper to last as long as a leather boot, but the pay-off is really good comfort/mobility.

If you’re really happy with your current boot, it works for your foot shape and walking style / terrain, I’d buy another pair tbh.

Agree with @ajc about Salomon durability. Got a pair replaced under warranty which was pretty painless but the new ones started failing the same way.

Current Scarpas are good though.

I’d love to find some hard-wearing waterproof fabric ones but haven’t found any great ones yet.

I think you’d be looking at some sort of kevlar-reinforced, Cordura-type upper with a fair bit of reinforcement, which in turn would make them quite expensive. Or a ‘fabric’ boot which has so much leather/suede reinforcement that it’s essentially a ‘mostly leather’ one anyway.

There are boots using very tough fabrics – eg Scarpa’s Charmoz, Hanwag Ferrata 2 and similar technical mountaineering boots designed to cope with crampon nicks / snow and ice abrasion etc, but not so much for lightweight walking boots as far as I’m aware, though there probably is one out there somewhere…

Altberg will resole your old boots.

I have a pair of Altberg Nordkapp. They replaced a pair of Scarpa Mantra’s that I’d had for over 35 years. I was stunned how comfy that they Altberg’s were. Used with Crampons and also general summer strolls. Absolutely faultless and great customer support too. Love that they are a tried and tested British brand.

I have one between leather and synthetic for many years, but really prefer synthetic even if they don’t last as long. I have worn different brands and really liked a pair of Salomons I had back in around 2008, but picked up a pair from Decathlon about six years ago and have been amazed. I had low expectations, but after many fairly hard miles on them, am only now thinking of replacing them. Their sole has remained firm and comfortable, and the boot with the right combination of support and flex.

I know you can’t really conclude much from this, except maybe that synthetic boots definitely have a comfort advantage, and that you can get find some incredibly good ones for less than you expect.

My current Altbergs have previously been resoled, but this time around its the actual boot that has worn out and is now damaged.

I cant get another pair of Altbergs through my local dealer in time for my coast 2 coast at the start of July, so it looks like I will have to try something else, but as I thought, it looks like the good old traditional brown leather boot is looking like a winner!

Like everything else, there is so much choice!

If Altbergs is too expensive do have a look at Grisport. 

I think they are Geordie company but all their shoes are made in Italy if I can recall.  Good reasonable price too.

Look at the Fuse Lowland Trekking Boot (Crazy Horse Leather) £120

Or Avenger Trekking Boot £125

Shoe size is accurate but they are EU sizing.

I bought two pairs of their shoes recently – Dartmoor Brown Walking Shoe and Dartmoor Brown Walking Shoe.  No blister on the first “walk” around the country side.

I normally wear size UK 9 or 9.5 so bought the EU44 (UK 9.5) instead but found it a bit loose at the heel so need to tighten up a bit.

I also managed to buy a Hanwag – Banks GTX – Walking boots for half price (last pair) and found it very comfortable but I feel like I am tilting forward a bit so need to insert half insole at the front. (just buy some cheap insole from Poundland and cut it into half)

oh ya … I am a shoe destroyer as one of my feet is slightly misaligned (due to injury) and would wear out shoes pretty quickly and I cannot be arsed to take care of my shoes that much.  I need to get proper insole insert (cost more than £200!) once I get the podiatrist check my feet out.

The latest video on Paul Messnwr’s YouTube channel has his Vivo boots literally tearing apart! Not gonna help their sales !!

+1 for not being over-booted. I wear shoes whenever weather/trail allows and I have stronger ankles and longer lasting boots. Resole if leather not split. Fabric not so good in the wet (I live in The Beacons).

I just bought some haglofs duality gtx boots. A bit different and really comfy. They are like a knitted stretchy GORE-TEX sock and a leather boot all in one with 2 different sets of insoles. One for low level dog walking in the woods etc and one pair for rockier paths. They are super comfy, reasonable light and seem to do the job so far. Not cheap though but supposed to be environmentally friendly and built to last. Time will tell.

I had Scarpa Boreas GTXs (fabric) for along time. Spent 14 days in them once. Pretty much wore the soles out/off, they were great. Replaced with Scarpa Terra GTX about 6 months ago. I like the leather boots but practically they don’t seem much different apart from needing a bit of care to avoid leaving mud on them that can dry the leather. Maybe a little heavier also.

I’d be primarily more concerned about fit than the nuances of construction tbh. If your feet fall in the classic sweetspot favoured by many footwear brands, you’re fortunate. If you have narrow or really high volume, it’s harder to find a boot to fit. Ditto if you have high volume forefoot and a narrow heel. Personal recommendations are of limited use unless the person suggesting them also has feet similar in shape to your own.

Either buy from a brand with a last that you know matches your foot shape, or go to a well-stocked shop and try a bunch of brands.

It’s also still the case, though less so than it used to be, that fabric boots tend to break in quicker than leather, but beware boots with excessive amounts of padding that feel great in the shop, but less so in use when the foam tends to compress over time and lead to increased volume and a sloppy fit.

As @BadlyWiredDog says. I wince at the very mention of Scarpa, knowing what they to do me feet. I’ve tried many other brands and had settled on Salomon for years.

However, my experience is that the softer fabric or fabric/suede styles are more adaptable to foot shape. Lots of running over the past couple of years has also made me cognisant of heel drop as a fit and comfort issue. Unfortunately, few boot manufacturers publish that information.