Proper leather shoes

I'm on the train - no worries.

yasi - what size are you after?

size 6 apparantly the half sizes are just wider

Are you venturing out to APC surplus?

Ou est ça?

They undervalued them a bit (not at my request obvsly) and there were no extra charges. However, CBSA is fickle and you never know, YRMV.

i just had to google YRMV ha. it might be worth it as they're £99 here :/

I'm on the train - no worries.

Much appreciated, they cost a fortune here in the UK.
Cost nothing in Paris.

Like I say, no worries.

I might even make the effort to get over to you with these beasts.

Ha!, you don't worry about that :)
We need to meet soonish, I still want to snap that bottle off you :P
Lemme know when's convenient for you.
Merci mon cher ami.

De rien.

size 6 apparantly the half sizes are just wider
your google skills can't be beaten..
Office had them on sale not long ago :( and I've got some vintage size 9's
(2 pairs BNIB)

Ou est ça?

20 Rue André del Sarte Merci!

[QUOTE=jaw;3174499]your google skills can't be beaten..
Office had them on sale not long ago :( and I've got some vintage size 9's
(2 pairs BNIB)

do office sell them, will have to look

i just had to google YRMV ha. it might be worth it as they're £99 here :/

and you didn't need to google CBSA?

i thought that was the border people and i was right :) plus yrmv was the only thing that didnt make sense int he sentance :/

quick study, you are

Anyone need anything from Paris?

Pair of these would do :)

I bought these in Paris last week:

He's currently changing the patina of the lower part to a dark chestnut brown.

Needs spats.

Anyone need anything from Paris?

suprise me with something from here

Been lurking for a couple of days, reading about boots. I'm after some new boots to be used for general wintery/cold weather use plus walking/hiking. I'm moving to New Zealand for a few years and I just want to take some good boots with me and buy some cheap canvas shoes for summer while I'm there.

I think I've narrowed it down to:
Doc Martens 'For Life'

pros being they look good and have a lifetime guarantee, cons being that the lifetime guarantee costs £20 admin fee + postage from New Zealand, and I've had three pairs of modern DMs in the last decade and they've all split (specifically where my little toe pushes on the upper - I think they are too narrow here - and I've read some unimpressed reviews of them) plus they're not particularly suited to hiking.

Solovair boots

Solovair used to make Dr. Marten's and still make their shoes in the UK - apparently these boots are just as good quality as the original 'Made in England' DM's. They're cheap, too.

Timberland Earthkeepers

Very handsome and quite cheap too. I think they'd make far better hiking boots than the DMs (warm, waterproof, comfortable) and you can specify wider shoes. I've heard that the quality is hit-and-miss, and they're a bit fashionable.

Redwing classic work boots

Again very handsome, but £100 more than the others.

Grenson Cayton boots

Look great, but £375 is far too expensive for me at the moment

I've looked at Danners, Viberg, Wolverines, Redbacks, Blundstone... didn't really like the look of any of them. Meindl look like fantastic hiking boots but I'd fear I'd end up not using them very often - they're a bit specialised.

Have I missed any boots, or has anyone got any advice?

Looks like you need two pairs of boots, one for hiking and one for general use. I've done 10 mile walks in my Wolverine's but I wouldn't go hiking in them

Get the meindls!

Redwings look nice but their quality has dipped dramatically over the past couple of years but they've remained expensive. Eg: the all used to have nubuck lining which was wünderbah but they removed it for no reason other than cost and time saving while increasing the rrp.

/axetogrind >>>>>>>>>>>>

^ yup. Don't own any redwings but had a good look in store, leathers and finishing doesn't live up to the price tag

Hmm, shame about the Redwings.

I've done a fair bit of walking and backpacking just wearing DMs (most of the south west coast path, Skye, Carneddau) and they were okay. The only real problems are lack of padded collars and severe lack of grip (and the fact that my latest pair fell apart this summer, less than a year old). I think I'm of the persuasion that unless you're doing some serious performance hiking, specific hiking shoes aren't essential (although they are, of course, preferable if you have the money, which I don't).

At the moment I'm thinking that the best course of action is to buy some boots above and see how I get on with them - if the walking is serious enough to warrant a pair of specific hiking shoes, then I'll get some - or in other words, I definitely need some normal boots whereas I only possibly need some hiking boots.

The Timberlands were my favourite option until I found out that they're not welted, they're glued. edit - actually I'm unsure if they're welted or not. They're not listed as welted, but they look like they are.

I've pretty much done the same rounds that you're currently doing and have settled on meindles which only look a tiny bit Ray Mears compared to DMs but they're still doable as casual boots. Just.

Hmm, starting to look at the Danners again. Mountainlight seems to be an excellent boot and it doesn't make you look like a plonker. With difference laces they'd be pretty fashionable, probably.

Or Merrell Wilderness. Can't seem to find them in the UK though, only the Wilderness Canyons which aren't the same.

Salomon do some great boots based on their trail-running shoes.
I had a pair with gore-text lining whilst I was in NZ and they were awesome. Slate grey so fine for normal use (but not formal)
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=salomon+hiking+boots&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-gbGB478GB478&aq=0&oq=salamon+hiking&sugexp=chrome,mod=9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=salomon+hiking+boots&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-gbGB478GB478&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&psj=1&ei=OtJ2UO6BCaq40QWV74DYDA&ved=0CHAQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=6a436c3b0836a3ef&bpcl=35243188&biw=1777&bih=898

I'm seriously pondering a pair of Danner Mountainlight as a grim weather / hiking / go back to sweden in winter boot