Proper leather shoes

Without rereading the whole thread, hiking boot recommendations?

are they for practical, looking the 'part'/ or more moneys than would be reasonably expected - very reputable brands often put their walking boots up for a very reasonable price it's just hit and miss for when

what's the use case?

i have "difficult" feet and don't get on with goretex lined shoes / boots.

my current boots are these:

https://www.meindl.co.uk/product/mens/boots/borneo-2-mfs/

My favourite ever were a pair of Zamberlan but they don't make 'em like that anymore :(

The shoes that I get on best with are Scarpa Mojito, although they don't give much support.

Walking footwear is a really personal thing. I find that I can't tell if they are going to work for me until I've walked for over an hour, so as much as I've spent many hours trying on shoe in shops, walking up and down in the shop, it's really luck as to whether they are still comfortable after 10km.

I've bought and given away a rather large number of pairs of shoes as a result.

Yeah, hiking boots have largely been superseded by much more appropriate footwear, unless you’re mountaineering or carrying heavy loads chances are classic hikers will hinder more than help your progress.

Got these cheap on sale and rate them highly
https://www.berghaus.com/men-s-hillwalker-ll-gtx-brown/13140036.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8J6wBhDXARIsAPo7QA-BRuZ-E-il8Q8h-tVNrKZ5IJIMCIXjAY8yAVtA5Eaa4XZlTce0BEMaAlJ1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

As others have said, it’s a very personal thing. Other boots have given me extensor or Achilles tendonitis - these haven’t and are light and thus far have been good for trudging typical British muddy trails.

Thanks all. Use would be mostly dog walks, 3 to 10 miles or so, in often very wet and muddy terrain. So would usually want gore tex, and a grippy sole. Occasional proper hike up a Brecon Beacon or similar but rarely

I overpronate badly and have issues with plantar fascitis so generally think more structure/support is better

Most recent pair were some Merrel MOAB Gore Tex, picked up in the sales and which are meant to be good but are falling apart after not much use

obviously this is a personal hobby horse for me, i don't think that goretex is necessary to make boots or shoes reasonably waterproof. good quality leather with suitable wax, sown in tongue, welted sole, will keep water out in averagely wet conditions.

for me, goretex is just boil in the bag for feet.

Buy army surplus altbergs from eBay. Graded, £40 for a £200 pair of waterproof lined tall, leather comfortable boots that come in wide, medium and narrow fitting

^^ I'm up there with this biased, would prefer to trust the soles and have the uppers breathing

good quality leather with suitable wax, sown in tongue, welted sole

Any other recommended models that do this, and aren't quite as pricey as the meindls?

^^^ https://www.altberg.co.uk/

as above, army surplus is worth a look:

https://goarmy.co.uk/collections/combat-boots/products/german-army-black-combat-boots-leather-lining

Some great boots there. These are meindls without goretex

I'm a big fan of Meindl. As mine are now almost 20yo and have taken me all over Latin America twice - including some pretty serious fully laden treks, plus surved along NYC winter. I'd also echo the point about decent leather being fine in the wet. I've been in seriously wet conditions without issue.

Generally I'm much more into finding the price point, than a reflexive "buy the best" sort of person. But I think you do really get vfm out of them. Especially if you have funny feet.

That said the army graded Altbergs do seem a good shout. Although I'm not sure about boots that been designed for desert combat being the right choice for wet UK walks.

which ones do you have? the boots are are certainly very well made.

i'm not so sure on their more modern styles - i recently (stupidly) bought some of their goretex lined shoes which my eldest kid is now wearing - he says they are the most comfortable shoes he has ever had so I guess something good came of that experiment.

having said that, i'm tempted to try these:

https://www.meindl.co.uk/product/mens/shoes/lugano/

I think the Meindl Borneo Pro, or the old Burma Pro.

This is them after getting a shoe shine in Peru on my second South America trip.

I'd also say while they're great for walking, ultimately they're designed for serious hiking, so may be OTT.

Eg there is clearly a weight penalty. And while they weren't cheap BITD, they're pretty fucking pricey. Then again compared to many of the more fashiony shoes in this thread they are quality.

looking great, very similar to the borneo 2 i have.

Cheers.

Sadly a bit more cracked in places now. But still great when I get them out.

They've got hipster red hiking laces now. Just to make them less dorky when we lived in the States.

You may well be right that jungle / desert boots aren’t the best for wet dog walks, on reflection.

I have altbergs, and after seeing the price/quality my nephew and brother also do too now.

I think for dog walking + occasional proper hikes, some form of army surplus is the way to go - lots of choice and sizes and much more boot for your buck.

Mine are goretex (cambrelle? Something or other equivalent) and the only pair of boots I’ve ever had with a big enough toe box that after two or three hours my feet are toasty but not sweaty/crushed and they actually get feel comfortable.

I've got a pair of these also with the memory foam cushioning around the ankle (cuff?). 2006 I bought them and still going strong

some form of army surplus is the way to go

Yeah, I had a bit of a curiousity browse of Altberg in some surplus shops and Ebay last night and they really are great value.

VGC ones seem to be sub£50 and new MOD ones pop up here and there for around £100 eg
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256456219824?

I think mine are leather and I remember tooing and frowing between which was the more comfy of the two, essentially identical, pairs. Would have been a 2005 purchase.

MFS. That's it. Remembered. They are heavy though I will say that. My Salewa Winter crampon compatible boots are way lighter

If anyone wants a cheap pair of those altbergs in uk9 pm me as I'm not using mine.