Hillwalking boots

garnier81

garnier81

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Anybody got any recommendations? I got a pair from Clark's but they split after half an hour, bit disappointing.
 
It's difficult to recommend a particular walking boot as we are all different. Leather is traditional, and always good, but there are some great fabric waterproof boots out there.

They need to be right for your needs and fit well. Personally, I would go to Cotswold Outdoor. They offer a fitting service and have a good range.
 
They need to be good for what you want and how your feet are. I am used to military style boots ergo find low boots very annoying and weird to walk in. Your mileage may differ.
 
image.jpeg I go at least once a week up north wales for my photography and I've tried all sorts and cheap boots that make your feet cold,wet and just don't last.
I looked into this and after deliberation I opted for Lowa Mountain boots which are goretex lined.bought half size larger and they are superb..
 
Last time I bought a pair of boots, I started off at the bottom end of the price range and worked my way up until I found a pair that fitted properly. No point in having a pair of boots to walk 10 miles in if you can only wear them for 100 yards! I wear lightweight walking shoes as day-to-day footwear and found a pair of North Face ones that fit well and stay comfortable. Only realised how comfortable after a longish walk so phoned the shop I got them from and had them hold the only other pair I could find in the UK (last year's model so heavily discounted and last of the available stock!) for a day and did a 100 mile round trip to collect them.
 
This coming Thursday 25th Aldi will be selling some, I bought a pair 3 years ago, great boots.
 
Nikon Ken said:
It's difficult to recommend a particular walking boot as we are all different. Leather is traditional, and always good, but there are some great fabric waterproof boots out there.

They need to be right for your needs and fit well. Personally, I would go to Cotswold Outdoor. They offer a fitting service and have a good range.
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Yes, definitely do need to go to a shop that specialises in mountaineering, hillwalking etc. (such outlets often have staff with personal experience) and avoid the big chain stores with the obvious stupid offers where everything is labelled as being about 25% off the recommended price and all marketed by the same company.

I have had had several pairs of Brasher Hillmasters (leather). Superbly comfortable straight out of the box (I do have sort of average feet I suppose). However, my last pair cracked near to the bottom eyelet. A friend had the same experience. I understand that they used to be made in Portugal, but switched manufacture to India. Be wary.
 
Decathlon's own brand are good if you have a store nearby. Otherwise, try Go Outdoors (everyone must have a local one these days).
Trying them is the key. Both stores have small walking terrains to try out the boots. Not the real thing but at least you can get the feel of them without going outdoors.
 
Along with taking your walking socks with you to the shop, go in the afternoon. Feet swell during the day so are a little larger in the afternoon than the morning.

Dave
 
It also depends where you are intending to go walking.

Some folk prefer a relatively lightweight but sturdy approach shoe (I've got a few from Merrell and would recommend them), then you have you typical hillwalking boot (my preference here is fabric mid range Berghaus Explorers as they fit me perfectly) then I have leather Meindls and La Sportiva solid soles for the crampon stuff.

So best advice is think about where you will mainly be walking and take your pick from fabric or leather. Brands are not relevant if they don't fit and give you blisters, but similarly, cheap boots seldom wear well or feel as comfortable.

Also, collective wisdom was that extra grams on your feet equated to extra kilograms on your back so don't overspec your footwear unnecessarily.
 
That's a no brainer - there's a Tiso in Dundee.
 
lots of good brands, spend once and pay more for serious boots.
I wear Lowe as well @robmac but mine are goretex not leather.
they make boots for the police and military.

also wear good socks, i tend not to wear very thick walking socks but wear a very thin pair and a normal thick pair when on a serious yomp, but when its just shotty weather just a normal thickish pair give more space in the boot.

whatever you do don't get a boot thats to snug with a view to breaking them in, most don't budge that much, my lowes are still like new 3 years on.
 
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I've been wearing Merrell walking boots and shoes for year's, perfect.
 
Norkie said:
I've been wearing Merrell walking boots and shoes for year's, perfect.
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After almost 50 years of walking and using virtually every make of boot, Merrell are the ones that stand out and my make of choice. Wearable straight out of the box too!
 
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FWIW and not being too regular a walker I got Grisport Quattro and they were glove like out of the box. They recommended buying the size you wear as made to accommodate boot socks as needed.
 
I have a pair of Hanwag boots which don't seem popular in the UK but really are superb. For a slightly lighter option (ok mainly dog walking) I just have a pair of merel boots
 
They're personal to you and your feet in terms of fit which is by far the most important aspect. Try them on, find a pair or brand that suit best and decide from there.

Whatever you get, goretex would be a must for me.
 
Ian W said:
They're personal to you and your feet in terms of fit which is by far the most important aspect. Try them on, find a pair or brand that suit best and decide from there.

Whatever you get, goretex would be a must for me.
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I echo this. I have worn a few brands over the years with varying levels of comfort. My current pair are Asolo's and are the most comfortable by far.
 
I've been looking for boots for a few months. I had some cheap Peter Storm boots that we ok in low land Bedfordshire but had started to leak badly and were no good now I'm venturing out into the Peaks and Lake District. A couple of weeks ago I picked up some Berghaus Explorer GTX boots, they fitted ok in the shop but trying them out at home they started to hurt my feet where the foot and ankle arches. I've now taken them back and swapped them for some Scarpa Cyrus leather boots that seem to be lighter and fit me better (lower fit boots and I managed to get a half size too). Many people recommended Goretex so that was top of my requirement list.

One thing I would recommend is trying them in the house a few times before taking tags off and going outside as that's the only way to see if they fit. Good outdoor shops should exchange them if they haven't been worn outside and only tried inside for fit,
 
I think the important thing is to go to a shop that deals specifically in outdoor gear where there will actually be knowledgeable outdoor enthusiasts serving you - got some meindl kansas gtx a few years ago and still working fine - oh has meindl meran gtx and loves them
 
Personally I wouldnt have leather but defo goretex much cooler when in warm weather more breathable
 
Wearing my lowe renegades now in glasgow top notch
 
image.jpeg As a side note I was recommended this by a serving mate and the guys all use this and love it.i got it from Amazon and it's great.
 
I've been buying Brasher boots for the last 25 years. Light weight is important to me and I have never had a blister or any other sort of injury from them - and I usually have several pairs of unused shoes that I have bought and found too painful to wear! However, they are not hard wearing and usually give out where they crease across the foot though if they are goretex even having a hole in them is not a worry. The original ones (made in Cumbria by K Shoes I think) were suede and had a broad extra piece across the part that creases and breaks - I think they gave that up for style reasons. I've had at least 5 pairs, lately the leather Supalites which are expensive for what they are but have found them on offers quite reasonably. They were made in China.
Brasher has now been bought by Berghaus and seem to be sold under both names.
 
After a couple of poor build Karrimor choices, I've recently gone with a pair of Alt-Berg Mallerstangs, its a local company to me, who are highly regarded, and I have the local point of contact for when/if repairs are needed.
As above brands like Scarpa, Meindl, Hanwag are all very solid. The most important thing I would recommend is making sure you go for a fitting to ascertain the correct sizing for your boot. I went with the Alt Berg choice as they offer 4 different widths to each boot, and the fit is sublime!
 
Ian W said:
They're personal to you and your feet in terms of fit which is by far the most important aspect. Try them on, find a pair or brand that suit best and decide from there.

Whatever you get, goretex would be a must for me.
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Definitely the first bit of what Ian says. The lasts used for boots can mean one make (or boot range) is far more suited to your foot than someone else's. You simply have to get out to the shops and try a load on. Many shops now offer a trial service where as long as you wear them inside ONLY, if they don't work after a couple of weeks you can return for a full refund.

If you're coming from Clarks then I'm assuming you're just after a pair of boots which will get you up and down the hills (rather than mountains) in comfort, are warm, water resistant and fairly lightweight. Head into a shop armed with these specs and a good bootfitter should find you something great within a reasonable budget. Recommending brands or lines of boots is pointless as none of us know the shape of your foot.
 
Agreed. Size and width are the most obvious considerations, but many people don't have completely symmetrical feet and there are other criteria. Volume, heel cup, arch support and tendency to under or over pronate/supinate. Some of these can be helped by special footbeds and lacing techniques, but I'd try and get it right in the fit.

If you're lucky, you'll have an average foot. This is usually medium size and broad/wide in the UK. If you're unlucky, like me, and need a narrow fitting things get a bit more frustrating!
 
Nikon Ken said:
It's difficult to recommend a particular walking boot as we are all different. Leather is traditional, and always good, but there are some great fabric waterproof boots out there.

They need to be right for your needs and fit well. Personally, I would go to Cotswold Outdoor. They offer a fitting service and have a good range.
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Recommend Cotswold outdoor as well, not only as my lad works there but they take time to recommend the right boots for the job and measure correctly.

I have Scarpa boots, very good very comfortable
 
Get fitted by a qualified Boot Fitter - each boot is built on a different last and what's good for one person is not good for another and taking recommendations is no good, you need to get something that fits you, not someone else,.
 
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