My 15yr old Merrell boots finally died yesterday, had been thinking about replacing them for a while but the issue has now been forced!

Anyway… Recommendations? I really liked my Merrells, but none of the online reviews seem to any more. What should I be looking at? These are my requirements…

-Light to Medium duty (occasional walks/hikes of a few miles, but no mountaineering and don’t need cramp ons or any of that faff. Often will be used whilst I’m working, standing in a field for hours on end rather than actually walking places)
-Waterproof… To be fair to the Merrell’s, the Goretex worked pretty much right til the end, only the last 3 or 4 times I wore them did my feet get wet at all.
-Mid height preferably. Some ankle support but don’t want them too tall.
-Grippy sole for muddy off road use.
-Don’t look stupid/geeky/ramblerish if I wear them to the pub with jeans.
-I won’t be running in them, so erring on the side of sturdiness and longevity rather than ultimate performance.
-Fit wise I have relatively narrow feet and high arches, and I found the Merrell’s fitted well in this respect.
-Ideally at or around £100. Don’t mind spending a bit more (my Merrells were £80 15yrs ago, new equivalents are £140), but don’t want to spend the earth.

Recommendations…?

I have some Jack wolfeskin boots acquired inna blacks outlet for £15 and they are great. I’m usually one for spending half decent money on shoes as feet can be really uncomfortable if in bad footwear. My suggestion would be to try on as many different pairs as possible across the whole price range (up to your max).

The wife and I both have light/medium duty grisport boots and rate them very much. Comfortable and well priced.

Lowas or Altbergs.

Purely depends on your feet and gait but for me altberg are my go to boots

Too many requirements.

I’m out.

My Lowas are similar to your requirements.

Have lasted well. Comfortable.

Don’t have a reinforced toe cap, so not for use on lots of hard rock.

These

Lowa Renegade

A very silly name for a good shoe.

My 2004 Merrell boots died this year too after 17 years of abuse, so I replaced them with these.

https://www.winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk/lomer-mens-keswick-mtx-hiking-boots/

Been wearing Merrell Moab shoes for years, but the quality of the last pair was rubbish.

I love my salomon fabric ones.
Weigh bugger all, comfortable and i can run in them if needed

To be honest you are just better off going to go outdoors or similar and trying on.

At the risk of sounding even grumpier than @nobeer 😂……

We’ve had about a million of these threads this year, including 1 5 days ago!!

But….Salomon Ultra Mids tick the vast majority of the fairly extensive list.

Altberg.

Adidas Terrex Swift R2 Mid GTX.

Swear by mine (will be picking up my third pair in a month or two I think). Tick every one of your extensive list of requirements as they’re discounted at Wiggle right now.

I really wanted another pair of Meindl. I got a pair of Anatoms. Aside from a creaking of the leather on uphills they have been great. Base Camp Stockport.
https://www.anatomfootwear.co.uk/

@prettygreenparrot I believe I’m, sadly, correct in stating that Anatom are no more but you can pick up their shoes and boots on Sportpursuit, etc. I have two pairs of their leather walking shoes and they are immensely comfortable.

Your foot shape is default Decathlon sizing. Head there and see what you can find.

Altbergs

I love my Altbergs but they’re out of the OP’s price range, VERY “geeky/ramblerish” looking, and if OP got 15 years out of a Goretex lining (miracles apparently do happen!) then I’d say one piece leather boots are probably overkill.

But yeah, I originally came here to say Altberg also 😁

I bought a pair of gore tex Merrells last year. They have already lost their waterproofing! Although past the one years warranty period, Merrell gave me full refund. Going back to lowas!

Similar requirements and foot shape to the OP, recommend Asolo Thyrus if you can find them. I tried on a lot of the brands listed and the Thyrus was the best fit by far, also think they look good. Not covered in gimmicks and unnecessary seams, feel like they will last a very long time. RRP was about £180, I got mine unused off eBay for about £50 or something, there is a pair available on Leisureoutlet.com for £85 if you’re an 11.5

As mentioned before – Altberg.

I used to get issued with Field & Fell high leg and based on these I actually went out and spent my own money on some of their Tethra walking boots, which fit me like slippers.

They’re Yorkshire made with customer service second to none; I’m just about to send my Tethra for a new sole. The work will cost me about £60 but worth every penny if they last me another 6 years.

That said, they’re over your budget it I think when you loook at the cost spread over the years, they’re competitive.

My only regret about my Altbergs is that I now have a boot for life which I actually suspect is half a size too small, d’oh! 😆

With the Altbergs am I right in thinking you can get eg one foot a half size bigger than the other? They do look class and I like the idea of UK made and built to last.

Altberg fans – how do the walking boots compare to the military boots? Fit, flex, comfort, that sort of thing

No idea, but I’m just back from a walk in a new pair of XW Tetheras.

Finally, at 52, boots that don’t cripple me after 8 or so miles.

Worth every penny.

The Meindl walking boots I’ve got are the best shoes/boots I’ve ever had, bar none

Altberg fans – how do the walking boots compare to the military boots? Fit, flex, comfort, that sort of thing

Not sure if it’s the right comparison but I had to go up a half size for my Tethera when compared to my Field & Fell.

I bought mine from Foothills in Sheffield, who were brilliant; very patient, knowledgeable and didn’t try to push me one way or the other. It boiled down to the Altberg vs Meindl and the Altberg won. The only criticism of the Meindl was that it didn’t give me much heel support – I have relatively shallow heels so need a well fitting heel cup to hold my heel in place and prevent rubbing. The assistant at Foothills showed me various lacing patterns that help to hold the foot in place, but I just couldn’t help admitting the Altberg fitted me much better.

And yes I believe Altberg will supply odd sized, paired boots; I think you may have to go to the factory for those.

I tried a pair of the Salomon ultra mid gtx 4 but found them slightly too narrow for me. Perfect in every other way.

I’ve ended up with a pair of Scarpa Cyrus mid. Lovely boot.

I love my Altbergs but they’re out of the OP’s price range

He’s got £100 to spend – altbergs might be within budget if he’s only got one leg.

The Meindl walking boots I’ve got are the best shoes/boots I’ve ever had, bar none

+1. They finally died after about 15 years, so they went back to Germany for refurbishment. Good as new.

Another vote for Meindl, have both walking boots and walking shoes.

Lowa Elite lite.

£78 reduced from £180. Cheaper than used ones on eBay. Some other Lowa boots in the sale if you rummage through their website-

https://www.lowamilitaryboots.com/lowa-task-force-military-boots/lowa-elite-light-brown-boot

I have 5pairs of Haix boots on the go so am resisting but that’s ^ a bargain. Not goretex (membranes are stupid ideas in boots) but slather them in Ledergris and they’ll be fine.

Does seem a bargain those lowa boots. But being a cemented sole they are a bin job once sole worn ?

I know Alt Berg are out of budget but they really would be a boot for life. Many years ago I was mates/in a band with the guy who started the company and it was always his intention to make the highest quality boots with custom fit options and rebuild-ability in mind. I had a pair of his early high leg boots that I wore for years working outdoors doing fencing and forestry and they stood up to all kinds of abuse.
Interesting side note, when he came up with the company name he thought it meant High Mountain. It was only afterwards that he found out it meant Old Mountain.

Your foot shape is default Decathlon sizing. Head there and see what you can fin

This is possibly the best advice, and for the budget.

Would second the Lowa Renegade for low-level walking as these are the most comfortable I’ve used.

But they are not a narrow shoe, and typically nearer £200. Plenty of deals abound online nearer £100 yet I’ll always try in-store before buying walking boots.

Does seem a bargain those lowa boots. But being a cemented sole they are a bin job once sole worn ?

At least with their hiking range. Cemented soles can be repaired but not the Renegade.

https://www.lowaboots.com/boot-repair-resole

To Jordan – give him another surprise 🙂 Assuming we’re talling a scandianvian language alt berg means everything mountain.

I’m intrigued by their military boots rather than their walking boots. More flexible in use?

Lowas for me but I just walked into our local outdoor shop and there were at least 3 pairs that would have done but some were more expensive. I also added two specs of ‘could ride mtb in them’ and ‘could be cleaned when completely muddy’.

Most important is that they fit well, everything else is well down the list but I think you already had that on your list.  If Merrels already work then try those but I found the Lowas quite similar in fit

+1 Altberg

@13thfloormonk they can stretch your boot by half a size. Well worth doing.

I am proud owner of 12.5 L and 13 R boots, which fit my odd-sized feet perfectly.