What new boots do I buy?

[Georgie]

I bought a fabulously comfortable pair of Kathmandu suedy hiking boots for the OT last December, guaranteed to be waterproof, with Gore-Tex and waterproof lining, Vibrim sole, very squishy upper sole, so comfortable from the minute I put them on, although I knew they would not last as long as more rigid soled boots. The very first tiny puddle I walked in (when doing the right thing by keeping to the track, no matte how muddy),the boots filled up with enough water that I could pour it out like a waterfall every time I took them off. I returned the boots to Kathmandu, who gave me a new pair without hesitation, but even though they were comfortable I didn't like my feet being saturatingly wet for the duration of the walk. So now I am going to buy new boots, and would like some advice, please. I am 60 years old, 5 foot 3in, weigh about 70kgs, and carry a pack to about 18kg. I tend to stick to fairly reliable pathways, ie no boulder hopping. Thanks, Georgie

PS I know it is hard for you Tasmanians to have to pay to walk your own tracks, and I think you should be exempt from that payment, but I am amazed how cheap it was for us, considering we got to use the huts, and the toilet thingies are air lifted out to protect your amazing environment. As a visitor, I was happy to pay, knowing it is to maintain the huts and toilet service. G

[Son of a Beach]

Footware is a very personal thing, and I expect you'll get a wide variety of answers (as you can see in several other boots topics).

If keeping your feet dry is the aim, then I think you should be prepared to be disappointed. All boots and shoes will let water in sooner or later. The boots that will keep your feet dry for the longest will also dry out more slowly once they do get wet.

Personally, I prefer one-piece leather boots, and keep them sealed using Nikwax (or Snowseal), both of which also preserve the leather. Along with gaiters, these keep my feet dry for the majority of walks, however, once water gets through the gaiters over ankle deep (eg, and long wade through a shallow river, or a short wade through a deep river), the boots take a couple of days to dry out again.

There are some people on the forums that prefer to use sneakers (jogger, runners, or speacialist walking shoes). They generally get saturated easily, but some of them can also dry out quickly too. Of course they weigh less on your feet than full leather boots.

Boots generally provide more ankle protection if they are laced (and periodically re-laced) correctly, but there is considerable debate over the value of that (I think it's worthwhile, but some do not think it makes any significant difference to the likelyhood or extent of injuries).

The most important thing is to make sure they're comfortable. Have a good walk around in the shop, and if there is even the slightest comfort issue, you can be sure that it will get worse out on the track, so do not buy them (no matter what the shop assistant says about them wearing in after some time).

[Ent]

The dreaded boot question. Glad you mentioned your height and weight. Generally in my experience the heavy you are the less flexible the sole needs to be so tyhe lighter you are the more flexible the sole can be. I suggest reading AKU and Scarpa website to get a handle on the technologies out there as my personal favourite, Scarpa SL, is not a boot that many lighter walkers enjoy as very rigid and more so in the smaller sizes. Regardless of you choice good fit is the ultimate need so while I personally recommended only buying boots of European origin rather than Asian made boots be wary as they tend to be narrow. Asian boots in my experience do not last. Check if they are available in various widths and select the best width for you. As for low cut versus high cut the simple answer is what works best for you.

Boots is one item that a good sales person is worth paying for as Ebay is flooded with boots that did not fit or work for a person. Do not take printed sizing for granted as I can be anything from 46 to 49 European.

Cheers Brett

[whiskeylover]

Hi Tassie lover!
I agree the parks fee is not much for the services provided. Your problem with your previous boots would be the waterproof lining which is great until water gets in but then won't let it out as easily. Expect to have wet feet at the end of the day - if not from water then from sweat and prepare accordingly. Carry dry socks for camp wear. Wear two pairs during the day - a thin liner sock and a thick outer quality sock. Wear your boots in slowly doing short walks at home or even wearing them around the house or wearing them wet. Tape any blister prone areas as soon as you get 'hot spots' and you should have no problems. I personally prefer Scarpas, before that always wore runners, but a couple of years ago scored a pair of Zamberlans in my size hardly worn from a garage sale for $10, and have no problems with them either. I believe quality socks are part of the answer to why I have never had trouble with my feet.

Incidentally, I used to only snow seal or nikwax my boots but a leather expert informed me that this only seals and does not condition the leather - hence the large cracks that formed in my first Scarpas. I now use saddle Beeswax leather dressing from the hardware store to condition in between sealing them which has made the uppers on other pairs last much longer.

Your main issue may be getting a quality pair of boots in your size as I know I have trouble getting 38-39's and as you are shorter than me you may also have smaller feet. In fact some manufacturers do not make below 40's!! Same as cheaper brands of reflective, work, outdoor wear that make their smallest size a 14 womens or Small men's. Unfortunately us smaller women have to pay more again due to the economies of scale - marketers don't think women our size work in industries where overalls, reflective clothing, boots and general 'get dirty' outdoors type of stuff is worth making.

[corvus]

I bought a fabulously comfortable pair of Kathmandu suedy hiking boots for the OT last December, guaranteed to be waterproof, with Gore-Tex and waterproof lining, Vibrim sole, very squishy upper sole, so comfortable from the minute I put them on, although I knew they would not last as long as more rigid soled boots. The very first tiny puddle I walked in (when doing the right thing by keeping to the track, no matte how muddy),the boots filled up with enough water that I could pour it out like a waterfall every time I took them off. I returned the boots to Kathmandu, who gave me a new pair without hesitation, but even though they were comfortable I didn't like my feet being saturatingly wet for the duration of the walk. So now I am going to buy new boots, and would like some advice, please. I am 60 years old, 5 foot 3in, weigh about 70kgs, and carry a pack to about 18kg. I tend to stick to fairly reliable pathways, ie no boulder hopping. Thanks, Georgie

PS I know it is hard for you Tasmanians to have to pay to walk your own tracks, and I think you should be exempt from that payment, but I am amazed how cheap it was for us, considering we got to use the huts, and the toilet thingies are air lifted out to protect your amazing environment. As a visitor, I was happy to pay, knowing it is to maintain the huts and toilet service. G

G'day Georgie,
I am a wee bit older than you 5inches taller and weigh the same and my new boots(18 months old) are AKU full leather "GTX" or something like that ,only had wet feet when the boots were submerged in creeks or when it rained so hard that the water ran down my legs
They are Italian design well made in Romania and very competitive in price I think that you can only buy them from Snowgum well worth a look in my opinion my size 45 weigh 969gm each and they look like they will see me out .
corvus

[whiskeylover]

When I say wet feet I should clarify that I mean that at the end of the day my socks are damp. Good boots, gaiters and the two pairs of quality socks guarantee that my feet have never been sopping wet for extended periods as the water wicks away and if your boots do fill on a longer or deeper creek crossing (- read deeper than gaiter height or longer than run across in about 8 steps)then I would generally take them off - empty them, ring out socks and reapply. I also (shock horror) sometimes wear the same damp socks again the next day on a longer walk although of course prefer to start with dry. I especially do this if it is raining heavily or I know I have some creek crossings early in the day. The dry camp socks give your feet a break at the end of the day and yes I am also a CCC - closet camp croc wearer after the Tevas caused too much trouble in adjustments to be convenient. And the plastic bags and dry socks back in the boots leaked a few times, and didn't give my feet a break from boots.

[Chrisbulldog]

Just throwing my 2 bobs worth in , ive had a pair of Hi-Teck boots for near 12 years now ,and still going stong.This brand is still available and is generally cheaper than most.

[SueOfTheSouth]

I also have a pair of Hi-Teck boots, though they are the soft suede leather. I wonder if they make a leather boot as the comfort of them is great for me.

[ninjapuppet]

I recently did the overland with my army terra desert combat boots which have 2 massive vent holes on each shoe and they totally let water in.

however, i used a pair of injinji trek socks (wool) and an outer seal skinz waterproof sock.
one of the sealskinz only goes up to my boot height, and i did find a little bit of moisture accumulating or maybe puddles getting in, but nothing to complain about.

My other sealskinz were calf length ones ordered form the US because paddy pallin didnt have them, and they worked marvelous! it was a rainy day, i had injinji socks as a liner and these seal skinz, water proof pants and gaiters. after a long hard rainy day, my feet were pretty much dry even tho my boot was soaking wet! and the next morning when the boots were cold, i had no problems putting my seal skinz on again and popping my shoes on.

my other friends with goretex boots had slight moisture in their boots in the morning. Their faces displayed discomfort in the morning when putting their shoes back on because the moisture from boots soaked right thruough their socks as soon as they put their feet in.

I would highly recommend the calf length seal skinz to anyone, despite what shoes you are using.

[Taurë-rana]

Hi Georgie,
I'm a bit shorter and lighter than you and have La Sportiva boots which are mid-weight and supposed to be waterproof but aren't really. They are comfortable and I've had no quality problems with them.

[corvus]

As a "rite of passage" if you have wet or even damp boots in the morning never put on dry socks always put on the damp or even wet ones from the previous day because the dry ones will get wet within a few mins thus defeating the purpose
The secret is to wash out your socks every day if doing a multi day trip wring and hang them somewhere (out of the rain and frost if possible) or you may end up with a five day or more bag of wet smelly socks
Just my experienced opinion
corvus

[Georgie]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for your suggestions. I trawled the shops in The Valley in Brisbane and bought a pair of Vasque, Wasatch GTX men's backpacking boots from K2. They are so comfortable, very wide for my very wide feet, size 42 for my very big feet. They are nubuck, which I can waterproof with snogoo, and don't have any little water-letting-in vents like my other boots had. Unfortunately they are made in China, but god-bless-em, the box is made from recycled cardboard! The sole is a hybrid, ie spongy in the middle and Vibrim on the outside, but the salesman said they were tougher but not quite as soft as most other hybrids. We shall see. But together with my Injinji merino toe socks, I reckon I am made. Now to get them worn in! Thanks again for your help and suggestions, I appreciated them very much. Kind regards, Georgie.

[freemandale]

Boots have been a huge problem for me. With an unusual fitting I despaired finding a comfortable boot until visiting Passion8 in Hobart. Nigel was extremely helpful and although he wasn't able to supply me with the most appropriate boot he did explain what to look for when trying on boots, how to fit them and was more than happy for me to take his advice to the next store. I now have the best pair of boots that I've had for the past 5 years. It's not about brand, material (they all get wet) but it is about comfort! Whether walking for one day or a fortnight, particularl;y in Tasmania, boots must be correctly fitted and appropriate to the terrain. I am, by most standards, a small lady, but have ended up wearing a unisex boot, giving much more toe room than most boot styles aimed at females. Shop around and be adventurous when trying on sizes and styles - there are so many differences!

Good luck!