Another Boot Thread!

Prenderb

Hey folks, was in a shop trying on boots this weekend - both pairs were a good German make with Goretex and Vibram. One was a little stiffer having a full leather upper, where the other one was made of a leather/fabric mix. There's a price difference of about 50 quid, and both are very comfy boots. Is there any reason for choosing one over the other?

I do a fair bit of hillwalking (every couple of weeks at least in the summer/autumn) and not all of it's on trails, and would definitely like to wear them a bit more often - on city breaks or the like.

Thoughts?

hmmm

Meindls? I'm sure someone here can give a better answer but I would probably pick the most comfortable boot of the pair. Boots are sold based on seasons i.e. 2/3/4 season and on the stiffer boots they may be suitable for crampons.

For general tramping around Irish hills I think most 3 seasons are fine. If you're planning on going somewhere more hardcore you should looking at 3+ season boots. 2 season boots often have crap soles with poor grips.

I generally look for good ankle support (which funnily enough is mostly the stiffness of the sole), waterproof, comfortable of course and preferably vibram. I find that fabric boots get waterlogged in Ireland somewhat negating their lightness at the start of a hike.

In general I choose all-leather 3 season boots, but that's only because I'm used to them. I wouldn't generally bring them abroad, I'd also have all-fabric boots which I'd bring on holidays to sunnier climes. I definitely wouldn't be wearing them around town.

Angry Troll

have you had gore tex boots before? if not, consider that the gore tex membrane works best in cold weather (the temperature difference makes it work) while it is pretty much useless and even unpleasant (moisture) in warm or hot temperatures and gore tex boots take forever to dry once damp inside…i personally used to be all into gore tex boots and have had several pairs over the years…yet nowadays i prefer old-school army boots for outdoor purposes…currently wearing a pair of standard german army combat boots…while not 100% watertight, they are pretty much waterproof with proper care applied and much better when it comes to drying etc…and extremely robust…i also have a pair of “meindl desert fox” boots in use…also very good except in strong and prolonged rain…as for makers, meindl is surely one of the best you can get…and hmmm is of course right about picking whatever best fits your feet…

NathanKingerlee

I think the more leather the better in a boot for damp Irish hills! I'd always go for max leather in a boot as it's more waterproof than fabric, if treated properly.