What's the best hiking boots? (Price doesnt matter)

Mac2010

Hello everyone, My old boots gotten worse as i dried it under very hot Temp without knowing.now whenever i wear it for a couple of hours it gets wet and makes my feet wet. it wasnt like that Until I back from Carrauntoohil.I should/Could have kept in cool place rather than hot room which is just beside the water boiler.i noticed the next morning. I used some shoe polishing stuff but seems doesnt help alot.now I'm thinking about buying a new pair of boots.I was looking at Meindl Vakuum GTX.it costs 210 on greatoutdoors.ie which is bit pricey.... is there any other boots similiar to Vakuum GTX but cheaper...? what's the best place to buy hiking boots? etc...

Thanks in Advance

SomeFool

Any brand that has a Gore-Tex liner and fits comfortably will be grand for hiking. Have never owned a pair of Meindel boots so can't comment on them but my hiking boots are Berghaus explorers, I find them grand.

Evil Phil

If you're in Ireland and near Dublin or Galway there's Great Outdoors who will custom fit a boot to your foot. I believe the 53 degrees North do the samething I believe.

I've a pair of Salamons that will take a crampon, and a pair of lightweight La Sportiva's for general use. Both are great, my last general hiking boots were also Salamon and I had them for 10 years.

fergusb

I used to have a pair of Meindl Islands (don't think being made anymore) and were superb. They were the most comfortable boots I've ever owned so without a doubt would recommend Meindl if your budget stretches there.

Own a cheaper pair of boots now and still miss my old boots

If your not in a rush, would suggest trying on loads of boots in GreatOutdoors or similar and then check online if can get the right size for cheaper. Although if buying online make sure does get covered by some warranty!

fifilarue

Hello
Normally a lurker here but couldn't help replying to this. I bought a pair of Karrimor boots in TK Maxx for E39.99 which I thought was a serious bargain and they are excellent-great support and comfy too.

Cookie_Monster

If price doesn't matter then the most expensive pair are the best :D

Gillo

To be honest OP, it really depends on what you want to do with the boots.
If it's for general walking, all conditions in Ireland without crampons, then the Meindl Makalu is a great option, again it has a gore tex lining but it's got less seems than the Vakuum (the more seems the more water will get in).
The gore tex lining is handy but it will over time wear out the same as any lining in any piece of footwear wears down.

hmmm

Most people in our club wear Meindl. Personally I think Vibram soles work best in Irish conditions so wouldn't buy a boot that doesn't have this.

Mac2010

Gillo wrote: »

To be honest OP, it really depends on what you want to do with the boots.

Thanks for the great info I'm just a fan of countryside.my main interests would be hillwalking, taking photos and staying outdoor as much as possible.

Don't need crampons to be honest. I'm not into that kind of Pro stuff.just looking for a decent boots which has to be comfortable and well resists water.and obviously great ankle support would be fantastic.I'll have a look in a couple of shops and see what they got. but shops are way too expensive than Online....

PS: thanks a lot for valuable info guys

Mac2010

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

If price doesn't matter then the most expensive pair are the best :D

well sometimes you might feel like you're buying just a brandname rather than quality.different opinions make an unique decision...:D

Gillo

For what you're saying the Vakuum would be perfect

When drying any boots, keep them away from heat, if the inner gets wet stuff old news paper in to soak it up. Try to clean them straight away using them.
If they have a gore tex lining, treat them with Nikwax Aquies (sorry can't remember the exact spelling), if not a general wax will do the job- but don't use dubbin it's great for the leather but knackers the stitching.

Also don't forget to invest in a decent pair of socks, they can make a massive difference, in my experience TK Maxx can be great for them.

Mac2010

tnks a lot Gilloo:) deeply appreciated. Ill pop in TK Maxx and have a look .cheers

Cookie_Monster

+1 proper good socks make a huge difference, especially on long hikes.

As for brands I prefer Lowa but they may not suit your foot type, some brands are wider than other for instance. Try a good few different types

L31mr0d

OP, what exactly is wrong with your current boots? Are there holes in them that is letting the water in or has the waterproofing simply worn off?

If the latter you can easily renew the waterproofing: Nikwax is the brand I use for both leathers and synthethics like Gore-tex.

If your current boots have leather on them how have you been maintaining them? It is important to know which leather your boots are made from then get the required waterproofing cleaners for that type.

For instance, my current boots are mainly Nubuck, with a Gore-tex liner, and also gore-tex areas on the outside. I use a spray for the external gore-tex sections, and a scrub for the nubuck to replenish the waterproofing when it wears off.

I also have a pair of Salomons for trail running, but I swear by Vibram soles in my boots, and as Salomon uses its own proprietary sole and not Vibram I avoid them for boots (I'm actually thinking of getting trail runners with vibrams as I find the salomons just don't offer near the same grip in wet conditions)

Merch

L31mr0d wrote: »

I also have a pair of Salomons for trail running, but I swear by Vibram soles in my boots, and as Salomon uses its own proprietary sole and not Vibram I avoid them for boots (I'm actually thinking of getting trail runners with vibrams as I find the salomons just don't offer near the same grip in wet conditions)

have Vibram soles on my Merrell boots, hard wearing but I don't find they have as much grip as I'd like, mine were about €80 have lasted 7 years, waterproof and still going

I saw this link on boards here recently, some boots on there cheap http://www.javari.co.uk
TK max sell boots sometimes

keenan110

I have a pair of Meindl Tampa GTX boots and they are brilliant, never gotten wrt in them and the grip is very good. I got them a couple of years ago in Great Outdoors, worth a look at!

ckeng

keenan110 wrote: »

I have a pair of Meindl Tampa GTX boots and they are brilliant, never gotten wrt in them and the grip is very good. I got them a couple of years ago in Great Outdoors, worth a look at!

Just got a pair of these in Great Outdoors in Galway today - on sale for €120

luciusesox

A cautionary tale.... I was in the market for a good pair of boots and, like most, shopped around. Found Great Outdoors good but pricey and not prepared to move at all on the full cost (my budget was over €200) so I went to 50 degrees north. The assistant there was helpful but not that knowledgeable. I picked up a pair of Scarpa, got my discount card out and went off happy.

The problem was the fitting wasn't right. Not blaming the assistant, it was as much my fault but they squeezed and after a couple of week of trying to break them in, my feet weren't in good nick.

As a last resort went to Great Outdoors where they checked my foot against the insole, worked out the problem and said they could stretch them over a week. Cost €25.

When I went back the boots were great, bought some nice insoles and because I did they didn't charge me the €25. Result.

Lesson learnt - while I buy a lot of stuff online, when it comes to something that a) is so costly and b) needs careful fitting it's worth going to the people that know.

BTW my Scarpa's are great.

duckysauce

did you find the insoles any good? they seem to sell them with everything foot related, didnt fix my problem brought them back and they gave me my money back no probs

luciusesox

Yeah, the insoles are great (as long as you take out the original insoles first). They got me to try 3 different types and while I was a bit wary of the price (40-60 euro), the difference was huge (and as I said, they let me off the stretching fee so, what the hell).
The insole not only made the base (footbed?) of the boot a lot less hard on my sole, they also gave a bit of support to my arch. Very happy with them.

Mac2010

L31mr0d wrote: »

OP, what exactly is wrong with your current boots? Are there holes in them that is letting the water in or has the waterproofing simply worn off?

If the latter you can easily renew the waterproofing: Nikwax is the brand I use for both leathers and synthethics like Gore-tex.

If your current boots have leather on them how have you been maintaining them? It is important to know which leather your boots are made from then get the required waterproofing cleaners for that type.

mmm...MY boots is one of the types of MAGNUM Boots.
http://www.magnumboots.com/

I've worn this several times outdoors in 2 years time.but water gets through after 2 days walking under rain.there's no hole in it but 2 parts are gotten much softer than it used to be.(oh and the boots is Leather) it's no problem for 1 day walking but gets VERY wet and heavy afterwards.I didnt dry it properly after using it.should have used some polishing stuf:o

L31mr0d

Mac2010 wrote: »

mmm...MY boots is one of the types of MAGNUM Boots.
http://www.magnumboots.com/

Take them to any good outdoor retailer and ask for the correct waterproofing solutions for them. I'd say the waterproofing has just worn off.

The problem with a lot of boots, even ones with Goretex liners, is that, at most, they are "water resistant". They have to allow sweat vapor out, while not allowing liquid water in (otherwise your feet would just be getting wet from sweat right) Unless you are getting sealed, mountaineering boots, chances are the waterproofing will fail after a while.

My current boots (Scarpas) will survive about 4 or 5 quick submersions in water during creek crossings or a day of bushwhacking through water laden Alders. But after that I notice the leather will just start to soak up the water and not bead it off, after the leather is fully soaked the goretex liner will no longer work and water will start seeping in, not quickly mind, but enough that I will notice it.

If your boots are lasting for 2 days under rain I'd say they are performing well, especially since you haven't retreated them. I'd recommend treating them first and renewing the water repellancy first before getting new ones.