Advice on boots for a beginner

BlueJohn

Hi guys

I'm looking to take up hiking as I live in Rathfarnham, scholarstown road area and have plenty of walks within a very close radius to me. I know pretty much nothing when it comes to gear and what I should look out for.

I'm mainly looking for advice on what sort of boots would be a good starting point. My budget is around 100 could go over a little bit. I have been looking at a few makes mainly Hi Tec but from doing some past searches, many here recommend staying clear of them.
I dont see myself doing huge treks, I will be mainly starting out from my house and walking up the to the hellfire and behind, so I'm guessing I wouldn't need anything to heavy duty would I?

I can't post links as I have below 50 posts still. But one pair I was lookin at is Salomon
X Ultra Mid GTX, there 119 in the great out doors and seem to have good reviews.


Any advice as well on starting out would be great also. Mainly want to get into hiking as i'm moving over to Edinburgh this September.

Cheers

dollydishmop

For my most recent pair I went to a specialist outdoor shop, and the shop assistant spent ages finding boots to suit my feet, to suit my gait and to suit what I wanted to do, distances/terrain etc. He dismissed all the boots I liked the look of as unsuitable for my activites - we narrowed it down to three possible pairs, then 2 pairs and he finally sent me on my way with a pair of boots I initially didn't consider at all.

The boots' first outing, outside of the house, was a 10km jaunt in hot weather, and I was loaded up with blister plasters...just in case...and didn't get even so much as a rub mark on my feet from them.

They might not be uber expensive, or a fancy/trendy make, the 'in' boot to own right now etc, but they fit perfectly, are lovely and light, and are quite possibly the most comfortable hiking boots I've ever owned.

So my advice, for what its worth...go to a good shop and trust the staff, they know their job!

BlueJohn

Thanks for the reply. I went out to 53 in carrickmines. The woman there was very helpful tried on about 5 or so pairs. Ended up with a pair of Merrell Men's Moab Mid Gore-Tex Hiking Boots. €125 little more than I wanted to pay but there pretty comfy. Been wearing them around the house breaking them in before I trek out in them.

Picked up a few other little bits out there also. I can see hwy alot here say its fairly expensive.

Cork boy 55

BlueJohn wrote: »

Hi guys

I'm looking to take up hiking as I live in Rathfarnham, scholarstown road area and have plenty of walks within a very close radius to me. I know pretty much nothing when it comes to gear and what I should look out for.

I'm mainly looking for advice on what sort of boots would be a good starting point. My budget is around 100 could go over a little bit. I have been looking at a few makes mainly Hi Tec but from doing some past searches, many here recommend staying clear of them.
I dont see myself doing huge treks, I will be mainly starting out from my house and walking up the to the hellfire and behind, so I'm guessing I wouldn't need anything to heavy duty would I?

I can't post links as I have below 50 posts still. But one pair I was lookin at is Salomon
X Ultra Mid GTX, there 119 in the great out doors and seem to have good reviews.


Any advice as well on starting out would be great also. Mainly want to get into hiking as i'm moving over to Edinburgh this September.

Cheers

I brought a pair of hi-tec boots for 49.99 euro and their grand IMo
nothing wrong with them for moderate walking
they might wear a bit faster than more expensive models thou

BeardySi

I've had a couple of pairs of Hi-Tec walking shoes - they're great for the price, waterproof, comfortable and hard wearing. If you're looking for brands to avoid, steer clear of Regatta, their shoes and boots are absolute crap...