Ive had a couple pairs of walking boots in the past and none of them have survived more than 6-8 3 day hikes and I’m sick of replacing them. What are some points to look for in good walking boots, where should I look to buy them from in the UK, how much should I look to be spending as a rough guide?
Cheers!
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For a boot to be long lasting, it has to be repairable, e.g. a Goodyear or storm welt or stitch down. Glued together shoes will never be BIFL because the soles are a wear item, particularly for hiking, because the rubber is often softer to better grip trails, but that trades off for less durability.
Anything with foam in it is a no-go because foam breaks down over time. For waterproofing, there’s a few different types. Rubberized boots are truly waterproof, and fairly durable, but they don’t breath at all, so you probably don’t want that for hiking. Performance waterproof boots will often have a gortex lining, so the leather can get wet, but that water doesn’t penetrate. That works really well, but the membranes break down over time, so they aren’t perfect. The last option is if the leather itself is waterproofed. This also makes it much less breathable, but it is more durable, and you can “repair” it by making sure to keep up with conditioners, etc.
I think if I were in your place, I’d look for leather boots with a storm welt, and then I’d wax all around the base and over the toe area. That will get those areas mostly waterproof, but you could leave the top of the upper unwaxed so it stays breathable. You’d have that area covered by your pants, or ideally gaiters, so water can’t get in.
I’m not sure about brands in the UK, though.
I hiked the entire AT in a single pair of Oboz. Highly recommend. They did of course have holes in the shoes by the halfway point and were ‘garbage’ by the end, but I wore them for hiking for another 2 years after that. Soles never came apart. Best shoes of my life. Also counterpoint: I haven’t purchased another pair of oboz since because I can’t find a pair like those that I actually like. All their new stuff is waterproofed and thicker, even summer stuff. I loved their thin super breathable stuff…
You never go wrong with Hanwag pure leather boots. They are properly stiched and are designed to have theirs soles changed when woren down. When the leather is well taken care of they are completely waterproof and will actually last you a lifetime.
Damn i just realized that they now also produce goretex shoes. AWOID GORETEX BY ALL COST goretex is essentially a scam and it doesn’t work or last. It’s a terrible terrible product. My girlfriend and I have had collectively over 10 different pairs of shoes with goretex and none of them were waterproof. Even just wet grass made all of them soaked.
I just recently went on a search for the perfect BIFL Barefoot-style hiking boot, as I find those to be the most comfortable. The most promising boot was the Jim Green Barefoot Ranger. The quality was excellent, and due to it having entirely stich-down construction, it would be trivial for a cobbler to replace the sole. Unfortunately my feet are very wide, so even with the Barefoot version having a wider than normal design, it was ultimately uncomfortable, and I had to send them back.
For people with normal feet, though, It would be a great BIFL hiking/walking boot if you like the zero-drop barefoot style, as would Jim Green’s non-barefoot boots. They tend to have the best price for the quality of materials as well.
There are many more options available in normal, non-barefoot styles of boot. As others have said, look for stitch-down or goodyear welt construction, and if well cared for, the leather parts of the boot should last a decade or more.
Thanks for mentioning this. I’ve had problems with boots because I seem to need zero drop. Otherwise I get pains in my arches after I’ve worn them.
I’ve settled on Lem’s, and while they’re great. The super wide toe box might be worth looking at for you. I’ve been really impressed with how durable they are, and they have a waterproof goretex lining, but the sole isn’t stitch down. Whenever the sole wears out I’ll probably try the Jim greens, because of the stitch down sole.
Lem’s were on my shortlist to try, but I was able to snag some Vivobarefoot FG Tracker’s off ebay for an amazing price, and I’ve been super happy with them.
I did read of some Lem’s owners successfully resoling they’re boulder boots. Apparently it’s possible to sand down the soft outer sole flat, and then glue on a new sole to that. Might be worth asking a local cobbler about before buying a new pair when yours are getting on in years ^^
I’ll have to look into that. I’m more worried about the sole separating from the upper, but if I wear through them first I’ll give it a shot.
If you want to go down a rabbit hole, Rose Anvil is the place I’d go to learn about boots.
altberg are my go to https://www.altberg.co.uk/
You can often find them for less on ebay, I think they are current UK military issue.
I personally wear the “sneeker” series.
Glad to see Altberg mentioned. I haven’t owned any of these yet, but the fact you can visit their factory and get fitted for a specific size says a lot. Next time I’m up North I’ll pay them a visit to get sized.
My current boots are Mammut GTX and I had 10 years of good use from them. Very durable. But I don’t think they make them anymore and they’re overkill for the walking I do now.
I wear a logger style boot with a thick leather upper and replacable sole. My first pair lasted 20 years and would have lasted longer but I got sloppy with caring for them after a series of very wet work days. The leather upper split right where my motorcycle clutch lever would hit and the moisture finished the job.
The secret to BIFL for leather is preventative maintenance. Proper waterproofing and cleaning aren’t optional. I keep a shoe brush near my closet and take care to knock off the daily dust before putting them away.
Buying a hard leather work boot is like entering a marriage. They take forever to break in but a properly cared for broken-in pair is worth the trouble.
Vegetation Shoes (the UK company). are great
I’ve beaten the hell out of them every day for 5 years, including many 2-3 night backpacking trips, and they’re going on strong.
Its not real leather so it lasts much longer too
Do you have a link? I can’t seem to find it.
I have actual BIFL boots, but for hiking I settled on a pair of Danner 8" TFX GTX back in 2014. They still get plenty of use after years of backcountry expeditions.
*The expeditionary boots are ‘recraftable’ but I have no experience with them.
I hear good things about Danner, but i absolutely hate them. I have had 3 pairs. First pair was decent, but every step I took they squeaked. Second pair… yup squeaky. Third pair not only squeaks, but the sizing seems off and they hurt my feet (after walking in them for three days my feet hurt for about two weeks after). Dinner’s solution was to buy new insoles for my brand new boots or get their leather conditioner for old leather. They kept completely ignoring that the boots were brand new and any time I mentioned their money back guarantee they ignored it.
I’d be interested in how to keep them from getting stinky. I’ve got some very good, waterproof leather boots, but they get so musty. I’ve tried Lysol. I’ve tried Dr. Scholls powder spray. I’ve tried water with vinegar. I’ve changed insoles. Nothing helps. You’d think I slogged through a knee deep swamp and left them to dry inside a closed box, but no, I just wear them in Florida and leave them to dry out inside my house.
I thought I knew how to take care of boots, but I guess not. That’s apparently a huge part of keeping them for a long time.
Do you use synthetic, cotton, or wool socks?
Wool socks help with odor control because of how they wick away moisture and although they advertise synthetic socks also being good at that they tend to get the stinky funk going on. Cotton just holds moisture and gets stinky too, but somewhere between the two.
If nothing else has helped and you are not already wearing wool socks, I would give that a try. A lot of brands do a blend of wool and synthetic so they might end up being stinkier than 100% wool. Wool is expensive, but holds up really well and is totally worth it.
That’s a great suggesion. Unfortunately, I already wear either smart wool, or my own hand knit wool socks with these boots.
I just caught that you live in Florida, and the humidity could be the issue. If you have a spare fan, putting the boots in front of it to circulate the air might help since the waterproofing means the only moisture exit is where your foot goes in. Doesn’t need to blow into the boot, just across it so the air gets moved around.
Or you may want to invest in one of these:
When working the boats in Alaska, arguably one of the wettest environments around, every stateroom had one. Fishermen swear by them.
Happened to see boot driers at the grocery store for 15 bucks. Bought them and now i’d say they’re a must. Wore my boots and put them on for 2 hours… they don’t smell anymore. They smelled when I out them on. My boots will now live on these when they’re not on my feet.
Seriously. I sought out boots I thought would last a long time and i’ve been seriously bummed because I can’t imagine keeping them when I can’t get them to stop smelling. I figured boot driers would only work preventatively, but they zapped the smell right away. If you intend to keep your boots for a long time, get some boot driers.
