Boot Suggestions

I need to reboot myself. The uppers on the Vasques I've been wearing for years bit the dust this weekend. I had already decided they weren't worth new soles and the upper on one cracked this weekend, so it's off to the (probably virtual) shoe shop.

I often carry a bit of a load when I'm out with the camera, so I think midweight backpacking boots would be appropriate. It has been over 10 years since I've bought new hiking boots. Does anyone have any suggestions of where to start? Or, better yet, where to end?

Pete D.
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It depends a whole lot on the size and shape of your feet, Pete. If you are outside the normal range, getting just the right boot can be really tough, especially if you have to order them rather than sit down and try them on in a store. For example, my feet start the morning at EEEE and by the end of a long day are somewhere north of EEEEEE. About the widest boot you can find in a catalog these days is EE, plus there are other details in my foot construction to complicate the search.

The best off-the-shelf boots I've found for my feet are from White brand boots. Their off models are diverse and very well designed, plus their custom shop is superb. Not as cheap as others, but their service and repair shop is the best of the best, and you can keep a pair going for most of your life.

Before they stopped making boots wide enough for me, my feet also agreed well with Danner. They're available from Cabelas and other online outlets, as well as from many local outdoor stores.

I'm on my 4th pair of Vasque Clarions. I suppose you could get a little more ankle support with a heavier full leather boot, but these fit well, wear well, and stay pretty water proof with the Gore Tex lining until the rest of the boot is shot.

Hi
The best boots and shoes I ever have worn come from Berlin Wisconsin. They are comfortable beyond belief, and never wear out. If you take care of them you can resole them at the factory. It is frankly the best US product I ever bought(no offense), and they are made in Berlin not China. The order take some time but you wont regret it. Check out; http://www.russellmoccasin.com/

I love my Asolo's. I had some 520 GTX's and replaced them with the Fugitive. Just did a three day backpacking trip in them and they were wonderful. But Asolo fit my feet well.

First, you need to decide what conditions you are going to wear them. I have two pairs, one for spring/summer/fall and one for winter. The winter boots are Danner Sequoia with 600 gm Thinsulate, GoreTex, and a very aggressive sole. I bought them to fit over heavy winter socks. They are superb. My summer boots are Browning kangaroo leather hunting boots with GoreTex. They are as light as tennis shoes and very comfortable all week long. I got the ones with the more aggressive tread. They are expensive though--$250 at Cabelas. Another excellent brand for the money is Rocky Boots. They mostly cost a hundred or less. I also have a pair of North Face trail shoes. They are basically tennis shoes with a very aggressive tread and GoreTex. They are perfect when I don't need the ankle support.


Kent in SD

I'm with Andy. I've been wearing Asolo Fugitive GTX for over a year now, and love them. I've done multi-day backpack trips with a heavy pack without a problem.

Pete:
If it is a good hiking boot you are looking for, you may want to take a look at LL Bean (Gore-Tex Cresta Hikers). In the past years this has been one great boot for me. I had very little break in time with them. They felt great out of the box and very rugged.
MK

I also have a pair of Asolo GTX that have seen use pretty much every day for nearly two years, I highly recommend them. They are comfortable and fit my feet very well. They have a fairly narrow heel (which I need) and the Goretex has been worth it's weight in the water displaced. The only negative is that the toe of the sole is somewhat rounded upward toward the upper, i.e. there is no 'edge' to the sole as there is with a Vibram lug sole. So, they tend to skate on steeper rock or on smooth rock if you go onto your toes. If you don't anticipate doing anything technical, you'll be fine in this boot.

To my mind, there is only one way to fit a pair of boots, and that is go to a reputable shop and try them on. Walk around in the store for a while so that your feet heat up. Be sure to wear the sox you will wearing on the trail. With the price of good boots being what it is and the fact that blisters or other discomfort can ruin your trip; you'll be glad you did!

-PB

I'll second the LLBean Cresta Hikers, and also have had good luck with asolo's. But for the pricepoint, I'm with the beans!

I'll vouch for the Asolos also. So comfortable & so durable. They went up & down Kilimanjaro with me & explored all Africa, and the Okanagan here. And I'm sure they have many more years in them. I love them!

Hey Pete

Like Hank said, it all depends on your feet. That's a HUGE deal -- it's all there is that matters.

I've spend more hours than I care to acknowledge in stores trying on boots, walking around and around and around in them, finding ones that fit. The Asolo FSN, and the Fugitives fit my feet about as perfectly as any boot can .. I've taken a pair of Fugitives right out of the box and done a 12 day backpacking off-trail trip over some ridiculously rough terrain and not even had a hint of a blister (something I don't recommend peope try ) .. but, (here's my caveat) I don't find them very durable .. a seaons or so about all I get out of them. I've tried their haavier leather boots, but they're made on a different last, and don't fit my feet well. I wish they made a boot like their Fugitive without all the excess sewing and easthetic cr** they put on them .. they're not the most waterproof of boots, even though they are gore-tex lined, and every pair has torn along the seams - but I'm carrying pretty heavy loads of terrrain that they're probably not really made to walk over (off-trail).

I don't think Vasque make as good a quality boot as they did 10 years ago, and wouldn't recommend their newer stuff. Zamberlan make some great boots. I have a heavy pair of Garmins that are bombproof - but they're heavier than I want, so i don't use them as much as I would otherwise - only on really rough hiking trips (which I'm trying to do less of).

I'm sure none of this is any help to you .. go to the store, and spend a day there .. do it one weekday morning, when they're not busy. And insist on a sales rep who knows what they're talking about .. there's a lot more to fitting a boot than many people realise.

Cheers

Carl

I've worn the same pair of Vasque Clarion boots on camping and photography trips for 5 or 6 years. I don't get out much, so that probably compresses to one year of real time. They have less ankle support than I wanted, but I live with it. They are light, which is good, but I can feel the difference when I put a loaded pack on. You guys make some great suggestions. Maybe things have changed, but last time I tried, local sources were poor here in the Ohio River Valley. Unlike Kent "Big Foot" S., I have a relatively easy to fit foot. I expect I'll try something from an online retailer. Keep those cards and letters coming in.

Pete D.

Pete--

It was Hank that wears the full time snowshoes. I'm just a size 9 wide. There are basically four things you need to consider:

1. GoreTex or not (I love it myself)
2. Height (I need ankle support so I get 6-10" boots)
3. LIghtness (Kangaroo leather is light and flexible)
4. Tread (for mud, rock, general trail, etc.)

I suppose you could add #5--insulated or not, but you weren't asking about winter boots specifically. For me, I have different needs in a winter boot than the other three seasons. I am blessed where I live. Even though it's a small city, virtually all men go hunting and both men & women are into outdoor activity, so I have three major outdoor stores to choose merchandise from.

Another hint: I've come to think that the socks are every bit as important as the boots. I don't buy cotton, and generally buy several pairs of the $8+ socks. I have different socks for different times of year and different hiking conditions. Don't go cheap on the socks!


Kent in SD

I still don't know enough about Pete's boot use to make a recommendation.

Insulated or not?
How high? Ankle, up the calf? Rocky hiking while carrying loads demands ankle support, so do you really need an 8- or 9-inch boot?
Prefer leather or Gore-Tex?

Kent is dead on about the socks. I've been outdoors in extreme weather my whole life, and what I used to do only in winter I now do in summer to a lesser degree.

The big message is this. Cotton BAD! Wool, silk and polypropylene GOOD!

Cotton holds perspiration and other moisture against your skin. In summer, this will cause blisters for the walker/hiker. In winter, this will cause cold feet for anyone and blisters for those winter walkers/hikers. Blistered feet are unhappy feet. Cold and blistered feet are a disaster that will send you home long before you've gotten all the images you want.

I used to wear cotton sweat socks in summer, but have thrown them all out. Of course, summer up here in the boreal forest is short-lived and pretty cool.

I own three basic weights of socks. 1. Sheer polypro, silk or merino wool liner socks. These materials pull moisture away from your foot and distribute it to the second layer of sock. That means fewer blisters in all seasons and warmer feet in winter. 2. Wool/synthetic blend stretch socks of medium weight. Stretch socks aren't the warmest because their fibers flatten out as they stretch, and thick fibers that trap lots of insulating air pockets are most efficient, but they make a great summer hiking sock over the sheer liner and a very good second layer for the winter triple-play of socks. 3. Thick, no-stretch pure wool outer socks. These are winter socks only, to be put on over the second sock, which was already put over the liner. No-stretch with thick pile are ideal. Wool insulates even when wet, and since you've got one or two wicking layers of inner socks, you can bet your perspiration will make its way to the wool outer sock.

A big key: If you're buying winter boots, try them on with the three-sock lineup. Aside from cotton socks, nothing kills warm feet faster than tight boots. If your blood can't circulate through your foot because of tight boots, it doesn't matter what your socks are made of. Whatever weight boots you're trying on, make sure you try them on with the type of socks you'll be using. Even in summer I use the sheer liner and second stretch sock. It's surprising how much cushion that adds, which can make a big difference after 20 miles.

And if you don't need strong ankle support and do a lot of work in cold winter conditions, take a look at Steger Mukluks. They are fairly pricey, but they are pliable, which means great circulation, they are made in the U.S. (in Ely, as a matter of fact), and they are the brand that Will Steger and Paul Schurke and their expedition took to the North Pole in the 1980s. Patti Steger, Will's former wife, started the company and still runs it. I own a pair. I would never give them up. They still make the equivalent model of the one that went to the pole. Only significant difference is the ones that went north were big enough that TWO of the wool felt liners could be put inside them, not one. I have sat in one place for three hours in -40 temps with these muks without doing anyting but wiggling my toes now and then (and, of course, my three-sock lineup) without getting cold feet.

And cold weather demands fuel for your furnace. You can't stay warm if you don't have a meal in your belly, so don't rush out of the house before getting a good meal.

Lastly, if you have boots you love that have some room in them but are not waterproof, you can buy Gore-Tex waterproof socks at most fine outdoors outlets. There are a handful of good brands. I bought a pair of Munsingwear waterproof socks, and they have performed magnificently.

I don't mean to make this a guessing game. I'm not looking for a cold weather boot. There isn't much cold weather here. I can get the comfort I need with sock control: liner & wool when it's cool, liner & coolmax when it's warm. I'm just interested to hear what you put on your feet. Pete D.

Thanks Pete. For 10 years, I've gone with Cabelas brand boots. I just retired my pair of uninsulated hikers, which are a leather 8-inch lace-up boot that offer nice ankle support. I'm on my sixth year with a pair of leather/Gore Tex 9-inch Cabelas lace-up insulated boots, which I use in spring and fall and sometimes in winter, with 800 grams of Thinsulate.

Neither specific model is still being manufactured by Cabelas, because things change, and all that, but I was just in there the other day and they have comparable models for $100 to $150

I'm into a pair of Asolo Fugitives now and have been happy with them, so far. Prior to these boots I wore Danner Lights for 12 years and loved everything about them, except that I can only find them online. My uniform boots are Danner's and they were amazingly comfortable from day one.

Salomon ProTrek6 or Salomon REVO GCS GTX

I don't think they are as popular here int he US as they are back in Europe but I love them. I use a pair of Fusions as my trail runing shoes and the ProTrek6 boots whem I'm out hiking with the camera pack, If I had to buy a new pair I would go for the REVO GCS.

I think you need to try them on and wear them, with the socks you would be wearing in the field. Different boots fit differently, and what one person likes may turn out to be a blistering nightmare. I think you need to go into a store and try some on.

If there is an REI near you, that might be a good place to start. If they don't have anything that appeals to you, the staff will usually tell you about another store that might.