Author Topic: Boot Expectations  (Read 4491 times)

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #15 on: 16:14:18, 10/02/18 »
A quality leather boot should never fall apart, it all depends on how well their maintained and looked after from day one.
If the leather uppers are dried correctly (never force dried in front of a heat source such as a radiator or fire) and treated with a high quality shoe polish, then good quality boots can last a significant time.

I still have a pair of my original 1980s Brasher Boots in my garage, the ones i failed to reach my LDWA Hundred target on two attempts. 

The sole and footbed are way beyond repair, having collapsed in the centre, but the leather uppers, even though they have dried out, are in still good condition, an indication  how well they were made.

Look after your boots, and treat the leather with the respect it deserves, and the boots can last many years.

Mel

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #16 on: 21:09:18, 10/02/18 »
A quality leather boot should never fall apart, .....

....I still have a pair of my original 1980s Brasher Boots in my garage, .... 

....The sole and footbed are way beyond repair, having collapsed in the centre,


I guess they're not a quality leather boot then seeing as they've....well....fallen apart  ;)








I shall wait with baited breath for the next rendition of War and Peace  O0


PS.. NEVER use shoe polish... baby unicorns die when you use shoe polish on walking boots.  I (apparently) have killed many baby unicorns  :D

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #17 on: 10:34:32, 11/02/18 »
I had nearly seven years constant use out of them, using them for well over forty or so Challenge Walks on the English border and in Wales.
The original Brasher boots were made here in The Uk, and think the newer ones, are manufactured in Italy.

They were resoled as well, by the company that used to operate out of Preston arcade.

It all depends on how well you look after your gear.

High quality boots should last a minimum of seven years of regular use, possibly longer  if their maintained well.

Its the walker who throws their boots into the back of his or her car, and never cleans or maintains them after each walk, their usually the ones who complain my boots are falling apart, or have only lasted a few years.

Everytime i visit the Pen Y Gwyrydd, i marvel at the equipment used on the successful 1953 Everest assent,  the boots are still in fine condition.

tonyk

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #18 on: 11:37:57, 11/02/18 »
Yes a part of the sole problem is what the boot manufactorers has to use new environment friendly materials such as new glue for the sole.

 I should imagine that was the problem with the Millets trail shoes that I purchased.I used them for a coast to coast walk and by the time I reached Robin Hood's Bay both soles had become detached and were flapping.Took them back to the shop when I got home and they admitted there had been a problem with them and gave me a full refund.

meems

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #19 on: 17:15:17, 11/02/18 »
Hi, I got some £50 walking boots for christmas. think the brand was highgear. I did about 100 miles in them in January over stony gravel + sand footpaths. Disappointed to see the soles already had significant wear on them after just 1 month. The rubber heels had formed holes to pre-existing hollows within soles. At this rate I would imagine the soles would be worn thru in 6 months. About as bad as some cheapo outdoor shoes I got from JJB, which were wrecked in many ways after 6 months offroad walking.
I was hoping to do a lot more walking during nicer months, so maybe only get 4 months before the soles are worn thru. I can't imagine the army would tolerate this rate of sole erosion. The rest of the boot was fine.
Gonna try get my money back on them.

How is this not such a common problem that this forum has a boot tier list? U must get a lot of people discussing this problem here. How long should soles last? How quick does the army get thru boots? Which boots have the best soles?
 

Mel

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #20 on: 17:38:23, 11/02/18 »
Durability of soles is a pretty subjective thing.  I go through footwear quite quickly because I'm overweight and do most of my regular walking on gritty disused railway tracks so the combined action is like scrubbing really hard on sandpaper  ;D   Some folks are light and nimble on their feet so would get longer wear out of the same footwear.  Some folks don't walk all that often so their footwear would also last longer.  My experience is that cheaper footwear has softer soles - great if you want grip but pants if you want longevity  :-\   On the plus side, you can buy two or more pairs for the price of one more expensive pair  O0


My more expensive shoes have lasted me 2 years and probably done around 600 miles.  They're showing their age now with plenty of wear on the soles, but they're not ready for the knackers yard just yet.  I think they'll see this summer out before I need to replace them *sobs*


sussamb

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #21 on: 21:08:25, 11/02/18 »
Hi, I got some £50 walking boots for christmas. think the brand was highgear. I did about 100 miles in them in January over stony gravel + sand footpaths. Disappointed to see the soles already had significant wear on them after just 1 month. The rubber heels had formed holes to pre-existing hollows within soles. At this rate I would imagine the soles would be worn thru in 6 months. About as bad as some cheapo outdoor shoes I got from JJB, which were wrecked in many ways after 6 months offroad walking.
I was hoping to do a lot more walking during nicer months, so maybe only get 4 months before the soles are worn thru. I can't imagine the army would tolerate this rate of sole erosion. The rest of the boot was fine.
Gonna try get my money back on them.

How is this not such a common problem that this forum has a boot tier list? U must get a lot of people discussing this problem here. How long should soles last? How quick does the army get thru boots? Which boots have the best soles?
 


To be fair not sure you can expect much more from boots that cheap. 
Where there's a will ...

KimE

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #22 on: 21:26:00, 11/02/18 »
My new armyboots have so hard sole i have to use my winter army boots. I think the army may get 1,5-2 years continuse use from a pair but many soldiers buys civilian outdoor boots instead.

meems

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #23 on: 13:02:24, 12/02/18 »
To be fair not sure you can expect much more from boots that cheap.
Rest of the boot is sturdy and decent. What's the magic ingredient in a durable sole that costs so much these days?

20 years ago my grandad give me his old walking boots, they were tougher than any other boot I've known. He'd used them for decades and they were still solid, soles included. One day came back from college to find my mum had thrown them away, along with dozens of other good shoes in one of her random 'clean outs'.

I don't believe manufacturers have lost the ingredients list handed down for generations of boot manufacturers to make durable soles that don't wear thin after 500 miles of walking. If car tires had the same poor durability they'd be worn out within a week. You'd have to change them every time you went for petrol.
Its a conspiracy - make boot soles as soft as possible without consumers self-organising their own supply of decent soles. For the average consumer who averages a 10 mile outdoor trek once a week, they get a year's wear from a boot (500-600 miles ) before the soles are gone. But a serious walker can easily do 100 miles in a week.
I'm just hoping there's an alternative market, sustained by the army perhaps, for soles that aren't made of cheese.

So I have to pay £100+ just to get some soles made of slightly more durable cheese? bah. I'll rather go to the old car tire dump and cut my own soles from old tires. Tell other people. Supply them, build a community, have a net forum, youtube channel - how to DIY 100+ years worth of boot soles from a single car tire. Then see how the cheese-boot racket reacts, maybe panic and lobby the gov to make cutting soles from car tires illegal cos it breaks safety regulations.
« Last Edit: 13:11:27, 12/02/18 by meems »

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #24 on: 13:23:03, 12/02/18 »
I always remember the Vibram sole fitted to a pair of Scarpa Mantas i owned many years ago.
Even back then, the boots were not cheap, but the materials used were very high quality, and the sole was almost bullet proof.
Even after a few seasons use, both on hard rock and grass, there was not a lot of wear on them.

I have not seen a recent pair of Scarpa boots, or Mantas, if they still make them,  but the attention to the stitching and over all construction of the boot, was of a very high standard.

This was well over twenty years ago, so either the manufacturing process has become less focused on quality, or Scarpa still make a very high class premium product.

meems

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #25 on: 13:24:08, 12/02/18 »
lulz. knew i wasn't crazy. there's much more DIY in 'merica, and they've been applying this idea for a long time.
its easy to find DIY webpages that do just this :, but i can't link to external sites on this forum. ( hmm wonder why? maybe cos they cheese sole racket sponser this site and they don't want you seeing that handymen make their own durable soles from car tyres!).

tonyk

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #26 on: 13:29:33, 12/02/18 »
 I think manufacturers use a softer compound to give better grip.Bit like racing car tyres in that a softer tyre will give better grip but will wear much quicker.The old vibram sole was a bit slippy on wet rocks and also made from a hard compound.

NeilC

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #27 on: 09:14:57, 13/02/18 »

To be fair not sure you can expect much more from boots that cheap.


it's true. People are happy to spend £75 on a pair of fabric trainers which are stamped out of factories for pennies but not so keen to invest in a pair of quality boots.

BuzyG

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #28 on: 22:34:30, 13/02/18 »
Good to hear the OP got a replacement pair of boots.    O0


I had a pair split their stitching.  I decided, after discussion on here, that it was likely my own fault for drying them too close to the boiler. 

gunwharfman

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Re: Boot Expectations
« Reply #29 on: 13:09:58, 14/02/18 »
Thinking about the cheap Czeck boots I bought in the 60s suggests to me that modern boots are designed to have a short life, so we will buy them all over again. My 60s boots lasted for years! My conclusion is that the manufacturers done this deliberately to further their profits. Modern day boots have rubbish grip as well, the manufacturers would have us belive its all in the sole pattern and their 'modern' materials, which I would suggest is nonsense! Every boot that I've purchased in the last 10 years are let down by their soles in particular! As I've said before, I just do not believe in the idea you get what you pay for, its more complicated than that.

 

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