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What boots should I get?


edzha90

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that's a good point, so sportsdirect might be a good choice as well ?

 

It's worth a go:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-ksb-d30-pioneer-mens-walking-boots-182446?colcode=18244616

 

^These look pretty good. Try em on before you buy!! 

 

edit:

 

In my opinion, issue leather boots are great when

 

- you are outfitting an entire Army

- Its really wet, really muddy.

 

I have a pair of altama's or something and a pair of merryl hiking boots. The latter is used 9/10 times

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It's worth a go:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-ksb-d30-pioneer-mens-walking-boots-182446?colcode=18244616

 

^These look pretty good. Try em on before you buy!! 

 

 

 

It's a small miracle a relatively well-known brand such as Karrimor gets away with such a blatant copy of a Salomon boot, but as the Dutch saying goes, better off well-stolen than badly designed on your own. 

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Don't go Lowa.

Had the Strato Mid and, while very comfortable and fairly watertight for a leather boot, the nylon cord that holds the shoelace snapped after 2 years.

WAs still usable, I just wove the lace trough the huge leather loops.

Now I have the Renegade Mid Leather Lining and again, very comfortable AND has metal rimmed shoelace holes this time ( Was a requirement this time ) it isn't water tight.

As in, 15 mins cycling 20Km/h in a light drizzle and you'd have soaked toes.

 

Now, I know leather doesn't make it watertight but it should be water resistant for a few hours when you grease the leather and maintain your boot properly.

My point: the Strato did fine in the same situations for hours and both are leather ( Strato is textile lined ).

 

It's a design fault: the tongue ( flap of leather resting on the top of your foot, under the shoelaces ) is not fully leather but has textile sides.

That lets water trough. Beware of that.

 

So no more Lowa for me, with the exception of ( perhaps ) a smoking hot ( as in warm ) GTX - GoreTex.

 

Next up will be Meindl. 

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Well, It's kind of clear they want everybody to go GTX, because my complaint was answered with 'Leather isn't waterproof, buy our GTX '

They're not bad shoes, really nice ones to wear even. They just have their faults and I think €180 is too much for a pair of faulty shoes.

 

GTX should be okay. Let us know, yes? :)

( BTW, I did buy leather because I feel goretex is WAY too warm in Belgium. I recommend not wearing GTX's in Portuguese summers ;)

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GTX's usefulness really depends on climate. In wet or rainy areas such as Belgium or the Netherlands (let alone England or Scotland) it's extremely useful, I'd say necessary even. In less rainy conditions such as Portugal less so. 

 

Nevertheless, GTX is breathable and it really depends on your own feet and feeling if they are too hot or not. Some people hate it and others love it whatever the weather. 

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You -really- ought to buy only boots you can size on your own feet.

 

Unless you're a true freak and have feet that actually follow the 'average' foot shape that the big production run boots are shaped to. Especially if you'rre on budget and can't really afford to collect up boots left, right and middle until you find the shape that doesn't chafe at all.

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Vortix, I would agree for the colder periods of the year. I, however, am a freak that like the feeling of boots on my feet amd would carry them all seasons. GTX is really, really too warm in summer ish temperatures, even in west EU. But, if you're comfy with that, more power to you, eh :).

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You -really- ought to buy only boots you can size on your own feet.

 

Unless you're a true freak and have feet that actually follow the 'average' foot shape that the big production run boots are shaped to. Especially if you'rre on budget and can't really afford to collect up boots left, right and middle until you find the shape that doesn't chafe at all.

I agree. You only have one pair of feet. NO point in spending £50 on a pair and later a couple of hundreds because of wounded feet.

If you find the right pair within your budget then that is good, but do not let it be the main factor.

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Best thing you can do is get to as many shops as possible and try ones many different boots as you can.  A £10 pair that fits you is better than a £200 that almost fits you.  Not all size 10 ( or whatever  ) are the same, they vary between manufacturer and even models by the same manufacturer.

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Well, It's kind of clear they want everybody to go GTX, because my complaint was answered with 'Leather isn't waterproof, buy our GTX '

They're not bad shoes, really nice ones to wear even. They just have their faults and I think €180 is too much for a pair of faulty shoes.

 

GTX should be okay. Let us know, yes? :)

( BTW, I did buy leather because I feel goretex is WAY too warm in Belgium. I recommend not wearing GTX's in Portuguese summers ;)

I'll let you guys know when I get them and try them out.

 

Portuguese summers are indeed not the best climate to wear anything with Goretex, as temperature can rise up to 40º Celsius in July and August, but my main use for them is winter, and one or two particular 72H milsim events, that involve dams, and zodiacs, and sleep deprivation, among other "crazy stuff"...

 

GTX's usefulness really depends on climate. In wet or rainy areas such as Belgium or the Netherlands (let alone England or Scotland) it's extremely useful, I'd say necessary even. In less rainy conditions such as Portugal less so. 

 

Portugal is only dry in the south, and only in summer. The north is actually extremely rainy, and in my area the annual medium precipitation is over 2150mm. Three times as much as Edinburgh, for example (I googled it :P)... And winter temperatures can come down to as low as -5º Celsius.

GTX's are welcome, I would say...

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I'd go to sports direct and see what hiking boots they have on sale. You could probably get a pair of karrimors on that budget.

A small word of caution on cheap Karrimor boots. At the low budget end Karrimor are trading on a reputation they have for good gear but selling rubbish gear. Their budget walking boots soles are hollow shells which look like they have a chunky tread but are only a couple of mm thick. They wear through in no time leaving you with holes through the sole which let water straight through. I wont be buying their boots again.

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Got home from Dogtag airsoft at the weekend to find my desert boots were crumbling underneath...fortunately I had the foresight to buy some Goretex Merrell AllOutBlaze's which were on eBay.

 

I must say, eBay is a cracking place at the moment for Merrell footwear if you are confident with your sizing. Milletts also has a selection atm on sale.

 

Karrimor is no longer the brand it once was; the brand and intellectual rights/images were bought by Mr M. Ashley for Sports Direct, but the quality has dropped away (see also; Slazenger, Kangol, Firetrap and SoulCal) since. The cheaper, waterproof boots are probably worth a gamble, but I'd look at the Merrell's at SD before any other brand.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So, I got my Lowa Z-8N GTX today in the mail (finally). Can´t say much about them par that they look awesome.
They are fairly light considering it's a big boot, with a very thick outsole. Walking around the house with them I noticed that there is a lot of ankle support, loads really, which is very good, and they are comfortable. But I have to say that the inner sole doesn't inspire much confidence. It looks and feels too thin. Have too field the boots too see...
As for sizing, for me it's always a big deal when ordering on the net, but this time around it was spot on. It's a direct fit from my regular size.

Lace loops are metal, the tongue, shaft and collar have a nice, thick padding.
More impressions, only after I field them, which might be next Sunday.

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It's my birthday today. I want a new pair of walking boots.

 

I've been wearing meryl as my "non-smart" shoes for over 10 years now, but after my Moabs failing in the same place after about 9 months (twice) I'm putting aside brand loyalty.

 

Any suggestions? I was looking at Saloman. Price range max £120.

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No idea about them now as I've still got the original pair of salamon boots I bought in 1999...

 

A brilliant boot which I've walked 1000s of miles in. The rubber has just started to perish in places so they are demoted now.

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