Author Topic: Boots advice  (Read 5373 times)

NeilC

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #15 on: 11:05:32, 28/08/18 »
I find I am tending more and more towards lighter weight boots such as Lowa Renegades (Which I did the Pennine Way in a few years ago).


They are the boots I have right now. My toe arthritis has meant I've had to move to softer leather. I still count these as half-decent leather boots.
Despite them being nubuck, I've gone and waxed them now so they repel water reasonably well (not as good as full grain obviously) and I'm finding them watertight so far.

RogerA

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #16 on: 13:35:50, 28/08/18 »
After reading lots of advice on various threads here (huge thanks to all but especially kinkyboots), I've now bought myself a new pair of boots.


I went to an alt berg stockist to get properly measured (Lockwoods in Leamington Spa) thinking I'd walk out with a pair of Alt Berg boots.
I'll firstly say that if you havent been to a good shop with knowledgeable staff who can offer proper advice on hiking boots (I hadn't before) I found it very well worthwhile.

What I've come away with is a pair of Lowa Renegade GTX Mid boots with some replacement insoles to raise reduce the height of my arch (I have very high foot arches which I knew already and have had problems with) but not to provide constant support (I dont want my arches to get lazy).

Only slightly lighter than the Alt Berg Fremingtons I was thinking about they seem to fit my feet better.

I've seen them mentioned on here a few times now with some supportive comments so I'm assuming I've not made some ghastly mistake?



kinkyboots

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #17 on: 14:27:20, 28/08/18 »
What I've come away with is a pair of Lowa Renegade GTX Mid boots with some replacement insoles to raise reduce the height of my arch (I have very high foot arches which I knew already and have had problems with) but not to provide constant support (I dont want my arches to get lazy).

Only slightly lighter than the Alt Berg Fremingtons I was thinking about they seem to fit my feet better.

I've seen them mentioned on here a few times now with some supportive comments so I'm assuming I've not made some ghastly mistake?

You've definitely not made a mistake. Everyone's feet are different and as has been said many times on here with boots fit and comfort are everything and should be the ultimate deciding factor in your final choice. As long as the Lowa Renegade GTX Mid suits the type of walking you do now or are likely to want to do in the future and you found them to fit your feet the best and to be the most comfortable then you made the right decision.

Ryanmartin1991

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #18 on: 21:59:19, 29/08/18 »
I'm struggling to find somewhere near me that seems knowledgeable about boot fit I have go outdoors, blacks near me my nearest Cotswolds outdoors is in london but would prob head over to the Canterbury store as it dosent take that long to drive there

Ryanmartin1991

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #19 on: 22:03:58, 29/08/18 »
Has anyone had dealings with snow and rock stores?

Mel

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #20 on: 22:59:58, 29/08/18 »
I've had good experience with Cotstwolds Outdoors - helpful, knowledgeable staff.  Having said that, it was the store in Keswick and it was quite clear from the conversation that the chap who helped me was a keen outdoor enthusiast and knew (a) what I was talking about and (b) what he was talking about.


I could go into my local Go Outdoors and they'd be clueless about walking boots/shoes beyond selling me "a product".  But, if I wanted advice on cycling or fishing gear then they come into their own.


Maybe it's more about the location of the shops rather than the shops themselves  :-\

Ronin83

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #21 on: 10:57:34, 30/08/18 »
After reading lots of advice on various threads here (huge thanks to all but especially kinkyboots), I've now bought myself a new pair of boots.


I went to an alt berg stockist to get properly measured (Lockwoods in Leamington Spa) thinking I'd walk out with a pair of Alt Berg boots.
I'll firstly say that if you havent been to a good shop with knowledgeable staff who can offer proper advice on hiking boots (I hadn't before) I found it very well worthwhile.

What I've come away with is a pair of Lowa Renegade GTX Mid boots with some replacement insoles to raise reduce the height of my arch (I have very high foot arches which I knew already and have had problems with) but not to provide constant support (I dont want my arches to get lazy).

Only slightly lighter than the Alt Berg Fremingtons I was thinking about they seem to fit my feet better.

I've seen them mentioned on here a few times now with some supportive comments so I'm assuming I've not made some ghastly mistake?


I was thinking about them myself, theyretreally comfortable.
My only concern with them is the amount of panels and stitching used. They have good reviews though

RogerA

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #22 on: 11:08:07, 30/08/18 »

I was thinking about them myself, theyretreally comfortable.
My only concern with them is the amount of panels and stitching used. They have good reviews though
Well I've done a couple of ~10 mile walks in them now and decided that I do really like them - they're slightly heavier than my other boots but feel about half the weight when I'm walking. I have however gone back to the insole that came with them rather than the ones I was sold to reduce the height of my arches - I found they led to me putting more pressure on my toes rather than evenly spread across the foot.Obviously too early to say whether the multiple panels / stitching will be a problem.


kinkyboots

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #23 on: 12:28:40, 30/08/18 »
My only concern with them is the amount of panels and stitching used. They have good reviews though

My only slight concern would be Lowa's use of those suede panels which run along both sides at the bottom of the boot and I think also on the tongue. For whatever reason Lowa seem to have used those suede panels for colour contrast effect rather than concentrating on the better performance nubuck would give if it was used in every panel. My guess would be that suede is probably easier to dye and accepts brighter colours better than nubuck but to me suede is a lower quality and lower performing material than nubuck.

I have however gone back to the insole that came with them rather than the ones I was sold to reduce the height of my arches - I found they led to me putting more pressure on my toes rather than evenly spread across the foot.

If you have high arches what you actually need is an insole which supports your high arches i.e. the bump on the instep on the insole is higher for high arches supporting your arches. What you definitely don't need is an insole to lower your arches which is deliberately attempting to make your arches fall which could have painful and long lasting consequences! It might be worth looking at something like the Sidas 3FEET or 3FEET Activ' Insole which are available in low, medium and high arch variations. NB there will be other manufacturers who make similar products but it's essential that you know which option you really need before buying.

https://www.sportsshoes.com/products/?q=Sidas%203Feet
https://www.sportsshoes.com/products/?q=Sidas%20Activ

This might be of interest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzpdRi0M2LI
« Last Edit: 12:35:31, 30/08/18 by kinkyboots »

RogerA

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #24 on: 12:44:19, 30/08/18 »
Thanks - as always very useful. I think perhaps I used bad / wrong terminology - by 'reduce the height of my arches' what I meant was reduce the gap between the insole and my arch - i.e. has a bump that partly fills that gap.

The ones I bought were these:https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/sfe5/superfeet-trailblazer-comfort-insoles-%7E-aw18/which I think are similar to the ones you linked.

I'm doing some more fairly short run (~5mile) walks this weekend in the peak district so will try both insoles with them again and see how I get on - perhaps its just a case of getting used to them.

kinkyboots

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #25 on: 13:48:31, 30/08/18 »
Superfeet insoles do take some time for the muscles and tendons in your feet to adjust to them and they recommend that you break them in gradually over a 1 to 2 week period starting with wearing them a couple of hours per day (everyday) and gradually increasing the time that you wear them. The sooner you start this break in period without missing days the better.

From memory I think they also offer a 30 or 60 day money back guarantee  if you're still not happy even if they've been trimmed to fit. Details will be on the box. After a couple of weeks if you're still having problems get them taken back and swapped for one of the ones I linked to or something else suited to your high arches.

NeilC

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #26 on: 13:56:23, 30/08/18 »
My only slight concern would be Lowa's use of those suede panels which run along both sides at the bottom of the boot and I think also on the tongue. For whatever reason Lowa seem to have used those suede panels for colour contrast effect rather than concentrating on the better performance nubuck would give if it was used in every panel. My guess would be that suede is probably easier to dye and accepts brighter colours better than nubuck but to me suede is a lower quality and lower performing material than nubuck.



I have these and my advice is just to bite the bullet and wax them. I found the nubuck and suede absorb water after offering up just a little initial resistance. The Goretex liner in mine is lasting OK so far but obviously that's just a matter of time. It ruins the nubuck visuals but IMO it's worth it. You could just wait until the Goretex fails before going down the wax route if the looks and breathability are more important than waterproofing.


Because it's not full-grain leather, even waxing won't produce a properly waterproof surface so I follow the advice I found on the Lowa site of using a waterproofing spray (I have some Grangers Repel for footwear) whilst they're damp (supposedly the drying action makes it penetrate deeper). Dry them properly. Then wax. They still absorb water more than I'd like but it doesn't go as deep and so the boots stay lighter and dry quicker.


Another point of weakness is the tongue bellows which is fabric. So this needs the repellent spray too.


Overall I'm fairly happy with mine given these limitations. They're no 3 season bog trotters but they're a decent middle-ground between fabric and full-grain boots, and they score highly in the comfort stakes.

kinkyboots

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #27 on: 14:59:59, 30/08/18 »
Because it's not full-grain leather, even waxing won't produce a properly waterproof surface so I follow the advice I found on the Lowa site of using a waterproofing spray (I have some Grangers Repel for footwear) whilst they're damp (supposedly the drying action makes it penetrate deeper). Dry them properly. Then wax. They still absorb water more than I'd like but it doesn't go as deep and so the boots stay lighter and dry quicker.

A lot depends on the type of wax you are using. I've had excellent results transforming nubuck leather into full grain leather on a number of different makes and models of nubuck boots using very soft creamy waxes like Meindl Sport Wax or even better Brasher or Berghaus Conditioning Cream. It takes a bit of work and a number of thin coats but it gets absorbed very easily into the leather and stitching quickly transforming the brushed effect of the nubuck into a much darker water repellent full grain smooth leather finish very quickly.

Once that finish has been achieved I suppose any normal wax of your choice can be used on an ongoing basis. Of the numerous waxes I've used Altberg Leder Gris (applied when it's been warmed and softened) seems to give the best longest lasting waterproofing results with Meindl Sport Wax coming a close second although the finish of the Sport Wax is initially a little greasy and it does take quite a lot of brushing to push it down into the leather to get rid of the greasiness. As I found to my cost when I first tried Meindl Sport Wax if this is not done you end up with two very high power dust magnets!  ;D

RogerA

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #28 on: 15:01:29, 30/08/18 »
I think I need to stop reading this thread :) the more thats said the more I'm worrying I've bought the wrong boots :)

kinkyboots

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Re: Boots advice
« Reply #29 on: 15:04:09, 30/08/18 »
I've already told you that you've bought the right boots......stop worrying!  ;D ;D ;D

 

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