What walking boots

Holla,

I had a pair of these and I was dead happy with them until they broke:

Andes Grey Trekking Boot – Walking Boots from Grisport UK

Company are doing a refund under warranty as only had for 9 months. Lovely boots, but the lacing system seems to be a bit faulty – not the first to break sadly.

So I’m looking for replacements – criteria:

Vibram sole

Neo-classical looks

Membrane, ideally goretex

Easy to wipe clean – hence why I went for hybrid leather ones before.

So far I’ve had the following ideas:

Trespass Mens Waterproof Vibram Walking Boots Gerrard

Keen Pyrenees Waterproof Leather Men’s Hiking Boots

Men’s Aigle Letrak GTX Waterproof Split Leather Walking Boots

£100-£150 max.

Thoughts? Cheers Alex

It’s always difficult to make recommendations as people’s feet are different. Scarpa boots fit me really well and the ones I have are excellent- Trek GTX. However they are a bit above your price range at about £200. My brother has the Scarpa Terra GTX which are a lighter weight boot and he’s very happy with them and they are around £150. We are twins so I guess our feet are pretty similar.

What fits. Go try them on.

/end thread.

(And those Trespass boots are really not the value they claim to be)

Boots with a membrane never last. They always fail & let in water.

Altberg British Army boots for me.

I’m out in the Scottish hills every week for work & my current pair have done me 8 years.

NOT Keens.  They fall apart so freaking fast!

Boots with a membrane never last. They always fail & let in water.

This. Sometimes depressingly quickly. Even when they do work, the can feel weird as your feet float around in all the water outside the membrane.

What fits, of course. But having said that, I had several pairs of Scarpa which all lasted years and years of heavy weather, but then I tried Altberg. Super! Five widths, top quality build, I’ll be buried in them (in due course…not because of them). If they fit you.

Another vote for Scarpa Terra GTX. Scarpa just work for me, been wearing various models over 4 decades. Early Mantas were my favourite by far.

Another vote for not keens, they really do fall apart quite quickly.
which is annoying, because they fit me really well.

I’ve got a pair of Zamberlan all leather boots, not sure what model* they are. They’re possibly thirty years old, but I didn’t wear them for some time because I discovered Meindle Desert Fox boots which were incredible comfy, and I had wellies if it was wet. However, as it’s been pretty wet of late, I dug them out from where they were hiding in the spare room, dusted them off and gave them a couple of coats of Renapur wax, and they now live in the boot of the car, along with the wellies, and I’m wearing them all the time when I go out for a walk in the countryside.

*I think they might be Trail Lite GTX, like this, but without a GoreTex membrane, …

https://www.outdoorgb.com/pi/Zamberlan/309_New_Trial_lite_1.jpg?w=2200&h=1120

Haix

NOT Scarpa Terra.

They have the most slippery soles ever made, the leather wears through where it bends within 100 or so miles and the mid sole breaks down very quickly. . That’s the experience of mine plus three other people.

The answer of course is what fits, but Meindl and Altberg have been excellent in terms of quality.

Meindl have been excellent in terms of quality.

The only pair of boots that I have had that leaked the first time I used them in the wet were Meindl so I have never looked at the brand since. They were leather without a membrane

Thanks for the recommendation and especially the warnings about Keens.

Appreciated. Alex

The only pair of boots that I have had that leaked the first time I used them in the wet were Meindl so I have never looked at the brand since. They were leather without a membrane

That must be very rare. I’ve had a lot of Meindl footwear in the last 20+ years and the only leakage issues I’ve had are through wear and tear, i.e. falling apart after 3-4 hard years on the mountains after many thousands of miles, that includes 2 pairs of the Borneo boots that didn’t have a waterproof membrane

Increase your budget and get some altberg boots.

They are British made (Yorkshire for even more kudos) if that is important.

Fabulous boots. If you are near Whalley, head over to Warm and Dry. Their fitting service is second to none.

Their fitting service is second to none.

It will be second to going to the Altberg factory shop in Richmond

😉

That must be very rare.

I am not denying that, but one bad experience does tend to change opinions. They weren’t cheap either approx £150 in 1994 and it was very awkward as I bought them for my round the world trip and whilst I had worn them in the UK before leaving perhaps foolishly not got them wet. The first soaking was in Australia a couple of months later in the Northern Territory and I was stuck with them and bought some waterproof socks. I did get my money back from Cotswold Outdoor when I returned and bought some Scarpa Manta’s and have stuck with that brand ever since and never had any issues with the four pairs that I have had, some leather, some with membranes..

but one bad experience does tend to change opinions

Deffo. I had some Raichle/Mammut boots that gradually disintegrated on the GR20 in 2004. I went back to Meindl after that.

Nowadays I’ve got Altberg and Meindl comfort fit.

What’s the secret to keeping leather boots from absorbing water during a long day in the hills? My Zamberlan’s still wetted out despite liberal application of grangers wax.

Readers in the end I got these:

Mens Hi-Tec Brown Altitude Pro RGS Leather Boots

Only tried on and walked around the house. Bit stiff, obviously by finish and fit are good.

I am hopeful.

sorry, slight tangent/hijack – Does anyone know anywhere that I can try on Altbergs down south?    London or Surrey…

Thanks

https://www.altberg.co.uk/stockists/south-england

Readers in the end I got these:

Mens Hi-Tec Brown Altitude Pro RGS Leather Boots

Only tried on and walked around the house. Bit stiff, obviously by finish and fit are good.

I am hopeful.

Ever heard of buy cheap buy twice?

Aren’t Hi-Tec the Sketchers of the outdoor world?

Some great brand snobbery there. £140 isn’t what I would call cheap, is the top end of OP’s budget and for all you know is all that they can afford. I know I wouldn’t be in a position to spend more than that.

They’re not exactly in the range of some £20 sports direct specials. Leather, waterproof membrane, vibram soles – all fit the original criteria. If they’re comfortable, do the job and OP is happy with them then crack on.

NOT Keens. They fall apart so freaking fast!

Just another vote for not Keens for exactly the same reason, had to bin mine in NZ & bought some Merrell replacements.

£140 is cheap for walking boots in my view. It’s not snobbery, you can pay twice that for a pair of boots easily. Inflation is a thing……

However I’m sure the boots that the OP has bought will give him good service.

Waterproof lining fails too fast in my experience, cheap or expensive.

I am blown away by my Inov8s. I have always been a fan of more traditional leather boots but never again!

These are like slippers and have great grip on rock and grass/heather/mud. I’ve only had them a couple of months so can’t comment on longevity. Tested in Eryri, Lakes and Scotland so a few different conditions. Currenly £99 (I’v just bought a spare pair):

https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/ino2213/inov8-roclite-pro-g-400-gore-tex-v2-walking-boots—ss24

I scrolled down to echo the first NOT Keens point and, lo and behold, I’m not the only one. The pair I got (some Galleo mids) started out fab, but have increasingly disappointed as time has gone by.

The fit was great for my hobbit feet, but the stitching across the toe box on both failed at the same point after about a year. My local cobbler restitched them but also said they were likely to fail again (and again). Keen said they don’t do repairs and to talk to the place I got them from. The membrane is now failing and the tread has basically gone after what I’d typify as very light wear for what they were marketed as being capable of. I won’t be buying Keens again.

I would thoroughly recommend Aku for square feeted individuals. The stitching on mine did start to go on one foot, but Aku had them repaired and you’d never know.

I always recommend Salomon Quest 4 GTX. So comfy it’s ridiculous

Altberg all the way for me.  At the moment I am wearing Scarpa Trek GTX boots as Scarpa shoes fit my feet really well.  I got them in the sale for £125 from Sport Pursuit, very nice boots.

Aren’t Hi-Tec the Sketchers of the outdoor world?

Na, they’re sort of okay, but not as swank as top-end brands, think decent enough middle market.

A shed-load of good boot brands are based in the same small area of northern Italy, where there’s a pool of skilled, experienced labour, think Scarpa, Zamberlan, AKU, Asolo, Garmont, La Sportiva, Zamberlan and more. When Altberg wanted to expand production, they bought their own factory out there, which tells you something.

The North Face don’t get mentioned often re boots on here, but they have a really nice last for their European-designed boots. Sort of a Scarpa forefoot mixed with the heel hold from a La Sportiva. None of which will be much help to anyone, but they’re worth a try if you like Scarpa but find the heel-fit a bit loose.

Mens Hi-Tec Brown Altitude Pro RGS Leather Boots

I’ve just binned a pair of them.

They lasted 10 years of me walking everywhere when traveling – in Ukraine in -27 in the Turkmen desert at +40 and everything in between. They were still waterproof in the upper when I binned them. The sole had dry rotted and was falling apart.

Great value boots.

Couldn’t find any in town to try on this morning  or-id have bought another pair. Ended up with some Merrell vegos

Not keen.  Very slippery on wet rocks etc but good for summer dry weather.

I bought a pair of discounted Hag Wag Banks GTS a few months ago and it is comfortable but not truly tested it yet.