Hiking Boots

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Amnesia180

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Hi All,

At the end of January I'm going walking for a week in Snowdonia. I've been advised to get a set of waterproof clothes (the trousers/jacket) and a pair of hiking boots.

I've never done anything like this before, and don't have a very big budget (especially this close to Christmas).

Anyone have any knowledge on this topic and can offer any advice?

Thanks!
Amnesia
 
Take a look at Berghaus gore-tex ones.

I picked a pair up in the sales around 5 years ago, they get used for all sorts from trudging round a muddy farm to being used as an everyday boot when I go skiing.

They rarely get a wash and have never been reproofed and are still going strong to this day.

Mine are the technical looking ones, but I think you can get classic looking ones to.
 
You could try your local army surplus for kit. I'm on my second pair of German para boots in about 12 years that I use for outdoor stuff, really comfy and will be probably be more useable long term than a pair of dedicated hiking boots.

http://www.armysurplus365.co.uk/footwear/boots/germanparaboots.html
 
Hi amnesia I myself have been a walking enthusiast for as long as I can remember, I live just a stones throw from the Brecon Beacons prime hiking country, and as you can imagine I have probably owned many boots through the years including all the well known brands like Miendl, North Face, Scarpa, and Brasher, and of all those makes I would put the pair I have now way above the rest of the chasing pack by a long way in terms of comfort believe me that's the most important, secondly technical specification on these boots is excellent, even though out of the rest Miendl probably have the better build quality they are not very comfortable and are better suited to a much wider foot, North Face never lasted that long, Scarpa are simular to Miendl, and as for Brasher well they again didn't last me that long, my current pair of boots I have now a Salomon Quest 4D GTX they have impressed me so much I would definietly buy another pair in the future.

Jamie.

[video=youtube]http://youtu.be/UV2OQinPmFQ[/video]
 
Thank you for all of the replies.

I have been looking through the Salomon range and they are all around the £100 mark.
I have found these - http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/hi-tec-mens-scafell-waterproof-boots-p105185 which despite their price get OK reviews... what would you recommend?
 
Amnesia,

First of all, do not buy your hiking boots over the net, unless you have tried them in another store, and know they fit. You really need to try them on in a store where the sales clerk is qualified to assist you in selecting hiking boots.

Like Jamie says, go for comfort. Your hike will suffer the most from boots that doesn't fit.

Get them now! You'll need some time to break them in properly! There is nothing worse than a pair of boots that you know are gnawing at your feet because they are not broken in.

You can manage your one week hike with a lot of equipment, but the boots are the most important aspect to get right. The next most important thing is the weight of your pack in total. Think about what each individual item weighs, and add only gear very conciously. I've done this excersise many times, even in preparation for the TGO Challenge (http://tgochallenge.co.uk/tgochallenge/), and its just more enjoyable the less weight you carry.

Have a nice trip!

/Max
 
Don't buy them off the web....YOU REALLY MUST TRY THEM ON....as has already been said your boots are the most important thing to get right....and the only way is to try several sorts with the right socks and walk up and down the shop in them..... a shop with a hundred feet or so of walkway is ideal...

Something else to bear in mind if buying from the web unseen...is the sizing....some manufacturers seem to get mixed up between American sizes and English sizes....the American is a full size smaller than the equivalent English....for eg....an American size 11..will be a size 10 in the English sizing.......I've bought both Salomon and Merrill which I've had to buy a size larger.......even though they claimed to be English sizings......Just as well to be aware.
 
Did you get issued the gortex winter combat boot in training? If so, wear those, you've broken them in already and they're free. (And really good). I do a lot of hiking and call me a snob if you must but I wouldn't trust a Hi-Tec boot bought off the net at £30. Your issued winter boots will cost a civvy £100 to buy on eBay by the way... military kit has come on a long way.

If you are going to Snowdonia with your employer then many of your colleagues will be wearing service issued kit, you won't be out of place. Definitely use your combat gortex bottoms as they're the least used bit of kit on any walking holiday, it's not worth shelling out on £80 worth of Berghaus bottoms that might get worn once.

A civvy jacket will save you from looking like you're on manouvres. Jacket and boots are the two areas where I wouldn't skimp.
 
Totally totally agree with all who have advised you must try boots on before you buy, with good thick socks. Believe me, when you're miles away from civilisation with blisters all over and no other option but to walk, you'ld pay any money for your feet to feel better. I don't think mountain rescue will come out for blisters.:icon_biggrin:
And after a few hours, being soaked to the skin gets very very draining...and very very cold; whatever you're wearing won't keep you warm if you're wet, so as Canuck says, you need a really good jacket that is really waterproof. Mine is a goretex one with a Sprayway logo on it; it's not padded (so suitable for warm and cold weather), and is a dark gray sortof metalised finish inside, with all seams taped inside, and it's quite stiff. I've had a few supposedly 'waterproof' jackets before bought from mountaineering shops, but this is the only one that can stand up to hours of constant rain.
 
If you do need to buy boots then buying in a shop is the only safe way to get a good fit. Sizes vary too much between brands as do other niceties of fit. Definitely get them worn in well in advance. Personally I have never felt goretex is worth the extra in full leather boots so you could save a bit there. Enjoy the trip!
 
All very nice choices. Boots are a very personal choice. I have a number of types that I've collected over the years(still have my 60's army boots) if you take care of them they will last a long time.
But.. If you're not in really good shape and aren't going to 'collect' them, you might want to look at the light weight Nike winter boot. They have different names ( moon this or that) each year but the base is offer the same as their running shoes and are very comfortable out of the box and very light. And relatively inexpensive.
 
As most are saying on here go to a specialist outlet who should measure your feet and advise on suitable makes. For instance I wear Mindle boots as I have a wide foot whereas solomon's are too narrow for me to wear although still a superb boot, I actually went in to buy them till I tried them on. So had I have bought off of the internet on recommendation would have been a disaster.
Pete
 
Thanks to everyone for your input. I wasn't going to buy them on the net, I was going to buy them instore and try them out as they're not sold online (apparently).

Also, someone suggested I use my military boots. I would love too... however we are not allowed. There is only about 16 of us going and we're not allowed to use any issue kit... otherwise I would be sorted hehe. I'll keep looking and go to a shop such as blacks today and see what they have.
 
Hi All,

I went to my local walking shop and had some advice given to me from them...

I tried on a number of shoes/boots and it was between the Salomon or the Hi-Tec ones. The Salomon were quite tight on my foot and with walking socks on I found the Hi-Tec ones more comnfortable.
I went with these - http://www.hi-tec.com/uk/mens-altitude-iv-wp-dark-chocolate.html

I've got some time to wear them around the house to ensure they're comfortable.... Would it also be worth buying some leather waterproofer too?
 
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