Hiking Boots

“What are some things to consider when buying hiking boots?”

“fit. ;-)”

“weight”

“water resistance”

“in a pair....”

“one right, one left (that's for you chappy!)”

“....unless you got a stump for a leg then either one right or one left...or...if your nickname is tripod...........then......... o.0”

“affordability. All the above is hoohaw if you can't afford 'em (hint:most of it's hoohaw anyway:) You could steal 'em though.”

“weight”
Pathman
8:05:51 PM
1/09/07

“water resistance”
stomper
8:23:26 PM
1/09/07

The two biggest factors for me.

And Nimble, I disagree a little with you on the cost issue. I think it's more economical to spend a little more on a good pair of boots every once in a while than to constantly spend money replacing lower quality boots that wear out quickly.”

“What you really need to do is be professionally fitted!
I did all the research for my last pair of boots and went after the most popular brand which is the Vasque Sundowners however after being professionally fitted I found out that the Sundowners weren't made to fit my foot. The best foot for me was made bt Montrail.”

“I love my Montrails. I too had a problem with Vasque. It wasn't the Sundowners, but I was underwhelmed enough that I decided to try something different. It came down to the Montrail Torre GTX or the Asolo FSN 95. My brother has the FSN95, and it's a good boot that I could probably do just fine with, but I'll stick with the Montrails.
last edited: 1/09/07 9:13:32 PM”

“I have a REALLY high arch. The only way I can find boots or other footwear is professionally fitted. REI did a GREAT job getting me the right boots and orthotics.”

“I haven't needed inserts for hiking boots, but a few years ago I got some for my running shoes, and it made all the difference in the world.”

“color
style
mens/womens
tread
ankle support
material
seven toed??
tails
sparkles
laces
diamond studded
crampon compatible
among other things...”

“that Asolos are awesome! No breaking in necessary!”

“i am sending my Vasque boots back to Vasque because they are falling apart. i am pizzed. they will swap them out (so they say) and then i am returning the new boots to rei and getting asolos. i even feel bad for rei on this one.”

“Stickman - the issue of affordability simply means you don't have enough money to buy the quality you need or desire. There's nothing to disagree with. I've known people to thru hike the AT with Walmart boots.”

“Most important above all is FIT.

Each brand will fit differently. Sometimes even different boot models for one brand will fit differently.”

“and some days and, even time of day, your feet are different.”

“kinda like Nimblefootz brain........... :p”

“Make sure you get on a slant board!!! Stand on it in both directions. You don't want your toes touching the end of your boot. Going downhill and your toes pushing against the end of your boots is very painful and will cause you to loose toenails! I love Montrails! Have boots and light hikers.
last edited: 1/10/07 11:41:24 AM”

“Fit ...

















Fit ...









... and fit.

A good store will have a ramp that you can walk up and down and toe hang off the edge.

Save money on anything else and, oh yes, did I mention fit?”

“Good insoles always help.”

“Sssshhh, Gremlin's having a...............................................................................................................................................................................


fit.”

“Fit, comfort, and durability.

Count me in with the Vasque bashers. Decent fit but TERRIBLE durability. Fell apart after three peaks. Vasque was willing to replace but no thanks!

Scarpa "Matterhorn" - best heavy packing, long hiking, talus crossing boots I've had the pleasure to own.”

“I recently found a $200 pair of Asolo's at REI for $119 on their clearance shelf. Fit like a glove. Love em. I don't recommend skimping on footwear, but if you can, all the better. Without our feet, well we are nothing aren't we? Gotsta keep them toes comfy!”

“I echo the fact that you have to get them professionally fitted, if they don't fit properly you can have some foot problems that will may take a while to fix.
Jimmy san, I'm supprised that your Vasque boots fell apart, I've had excellent wear out of mine and have heard many sing their praises. I hope you get a pair that works well for you, and stays together.”

“I am in the process of buying new boots. I have the REI Spirit III Gtx as my main pick. I want advise for how to tell if they are too tight without going out of the house (which makes them non returnable). The pair I am wearing feel quite snug with the sox I wear when on trail. I expect they'll stretch a little. I'm leery of going up 1/2 size for fear of getting them too loose.”

“Your feet pread and stretch a lot when walking. If you didn't spend a lot of time walking just before you got sized for your boot, then go back and get a half size larger. My feet go up 1/2 shoe size, my husbands' feet go up 3/4 size.”

“I have a pair of meindl army pro(heavy leather/ goretex) and a pair of meindl safari (hot/dry weather, lightweight) and i will never put anything else on my feet again when i'm adventuring! They will cost you some bucks, but i've seen a lot of guys ruining feet, knees and back with "regular", cheap boots. German perfection dude!”

“Use the right socks, and keep in mind; your feet will swell after several miles. Goretex isn't always good in a wet environment, like jungle for example. My meindls are holy to me, but Lowa's are about equal. They fit me as if i was born with them! Style, colour and design is bull#&%!$, you wan't quality gear that will get you from a to b without hurting you and keep doing it for a lot of years. Good luck, check out those Meindle's!”

“I wish I'd seen this thread before I laid down 270 bucks for 2 pairs of Vasque a couple of months ago. I normally wear size 11 but wear a 11.5 in Vasque at the store. I've never owned a pair of Vasque before so I don't know how they'll do on the trail. They were comfortable enough in the store. I still hike in a pair of Merrells that I bought about 4 years ago. They are very comfortable but I occasionally still get blisters on death marches. I'm trying liners for the first time and thinking of changing socks twice a day for the BFT in March.”

“REI takes anything back. You can wear them like crazy and they'll take them. But, if you don't want to do that go to the gym. Get on the eliptical, the stairstepper, the tread mill, crank up the elevation and wear them while you wrkout for an hour or two. Best way to find out if you'll have hotspots w/o wearing them outside, imo.

You also can simply make sure you can wiggle all of your toes a bit and make sure your heel and ball don't shift, forcing your toes into the toe of the boot before you leave the store, on their shoe department rock or ramp. If they don't have a rock or ramp they need one.”

“I've had two pairs of Vasque over the years. They were a bit heavy but I loved them. Gave my weird feet great support.”

“Do I need mid weight hiking boots or backpacking boots?

Per REI, Midweight hiking/backpackeing boots are for light to moderate loads and short to moderate trips over easy to moderate terrain. The next step up is the extended backpacking/mountaineering boots which are for moderate to heavy loads and multi day trips. I do both kinds of trips!

I'm thinking of getting some trail runners for day hikes on easy terrain with no pack. But, I can't decide between mid and heavy weight for backpacking trips. Are the heavy weight boots overkill for weekenders?”

“yes stomper. I have switched to trail runners for everything but winter trips, and seriously rocky terrain. Infact I'm looking for a pair of mountaineering boots right now, but I doubt you would need much more than TR's for 70 percent of what we do.”

“Trail runners do not give me enough ankle support. I have a pair of light weight and medium weight boots. My leg nerves have been damaged and my balance is not what it was. I am much more confident and comfortable in my boots. I'll even wear them around town if I know I am going to be doing a lot of walking. But that's not to say anything about any one else.”

“I was just going to say.... You're going to get all sorts of answers on that one, from one end of the spectrum to the other.”

“I need ankle support to! I definitely need the support boots give.

I just struck the mother lode on the Sierra Trading Post website. Close outs on Asolos, Scarpa , Vasque and others - most priced @ $100.

Another quandry I have, I want to buy one pair of boots. I don't want to buy winter boots and sweat during the summer but I'm afraid that if my boots are to light weight, my feet will be cold in ther winter.”

“My winter boots are hunting boots so they have 1000gram thinsulate in them and they are very tall. WAY too much for hiking. My feet sweat like crazy during the day, then at night when you take your boots off, they freeze before they dry. Not so good. I would not buy anything more than probably 200 gram thinsulate and be sure it has a really good wicking liner, then wear good wicking socks year round. You should be ok. But that is what I would do for me, in the future.”

“Sounds like you're headed towards three or four pairs, to cover all contingencies,   [grin]”

“I'm an indecisive woman. What can I say?”

“I've got a pair of La Sportivas that have done well (in the more heavy duty department).  Unfortunately they were discontinued, but something similar -with goretex added- showed up on STP recently, so I got a backup pair -- the "Latoks".  They're fairly light for full leather boots.  (and you have to deal with the European sizing...)

For mailorder boots, I always order two sizes and plan on sending one back (if not Both) .

I got some overboots as an experiment for cold weather applications........ Now I just have to wait to see if it ever gets cold enough!   LOL”

“I can tell you this: Don't buy Columbia boots. They have absolutely no warranty and mine, the mid soles crumbled long before the rest of the boots were showing any real wear.”

“One word: Lowa. IMHO they make the lightest, best fitting boot. go to their site and youll find last years models at a discount. I have 2 different pairs. Theis winter boot is so good at venting I wear them all year and my feet dont heat up.”

“i got rid of my vasque boots and would not buy them again. i did a warranty exchange and then returned them to REI (after all, it's not rei's fault but i wanted my money back). i goto the asolo fsp 95 gtx boots:

http://www.rei.com/product/667406

...i am very pleased with them.
last edited: 8/25/07 8:16:30 PM”

“I have a pair Asolo boots and I really like them.”

“I have three choices so far:

Asolo Stratus Ultralight with wool lining and goretex. $68

Scarpa Trek II - goretax, waterproof, leather $120

Keens Targhee II Event - lighweight, waterproof $120.

I'll try the other two websites yall mentioned. Thanks!
last edited: 8/26/07 1:49:46 PM”

“you might check out REI right now. They are having a Labor Day sale.”

“ya, the fsp 95 gtx boots are like 40 bucks off”