Author Topic: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?  (Read 6007 times)

AFANASIEW

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Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« on: 19:51:00, 31/03/18 »
I have a pair of Saloman Quest which I'll wear for the SWCP this year, but I want to break in a backup pair for LEJOG next year. Recommendations please. It'll be from late Spring to Summer, I'll be carrying 30lbs for a few days but mostly 20lbs. Ànd I prefer leather because I understand how to maintain it. So, GTX or not?
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

scottk

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #1 on: 00:18:27, 01/04/18 »
Not leather but I have Salomon Ultra 2 mid GTX and they are great. They also do an unlined version. They are incredibly light and comfortable.

Slowcoach

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #2 on: 10:44:32, 01/04/18 »
I wore Berghaus shoes for a 3 week walk along the GR10. The saving in weight on the feet and lega was great.
It's all uphill from here.

bricam2096

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #3 on: 11:04:50, 01/04/18 »
At the risk of starting the usual "Boots V Shoes" argument....I would say that in ;late Spring and during Summer, most National Trails would be more suited to wearing shoes rather than boots, especially Coastal Paths which should be firm underfoot and not needing the kind of support that maybe boots would give you if you were doing hill walking rather than trail walking.

Shoes are more suited when you are walking longer distances each day, especially coastal paths where the walking might be faster than other LDWs.

Heavy boots thumping down on faster firm coastal paths are surely at a disadvantage against lighter shoes....in my opinion  O0
LDWs done - 32 in total including 16 National Trails and 3 C2C

Wainwrights 176
www.brians-walks.co.uk

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #4 on: 11:06:55, 01/04/18 »
Hmm, not sure I'd wear shoes north of the Tan Hill Inn, Slowcoach. I rely on ankle support, too, which keeps Brasher/Berghaus boots off my shortlist.
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #5 on: 11:16:51, 01/04/18 »
How do shoes fare on wet days, bricam? Do they work with gaiters?
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

bricam2096

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #6 on: 11:30:16, 01/04/18 »
How do shoes fare on wet days, bricam? Do they work with gaiters?

In the warmer weather I don't usually wear gaiters, I find them a bit restricting plus I like the airflow. In Summer I tend to wear convertible trousers and this means if I get the bottoms of them muddy I can just unzip them at the end of the day and give them a good wash and let them dry while you sit about in the shorts rather than your knickers  :D :D :D

On the coastal walks that I have done, wet days don't really matter as I am walking usually on good paths and it's really just the bottom of the shoes getting wet off the paths, not the tops or sides.
LDWs done - 32 in total including 16 National Trails and 3 C2C

Wainwrights 176
www.brians-walks.co.uk

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #7 on: 12:06:36, 01/04/18 »
On the coastal walks that I have done, wet days don't really matter as I am walking usually on good paths and it's really just the bottom of the shoes getting wet off the paths, not the tops or sides.


I wear shorts, bricam,a and really don't enjoy rain running down my legs and into my boots, hence gaiters.
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

Slowcoach

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #8 on: 12:09:03, 01/04/18 »
In the summer i wear merrell moabs not waterproof. They keep feet cool and aired and if they do get wet they dry very quickly.
The Berghaus goretex shoes have the best gripping sole of any footwear i have had. They were superb on wet rock all along the Pyrenees over 250 miles and some very narrow paths.
It's all uphill from here.

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #9 on: 12:09:50, 01/04/18 »
Not leather but I have Salomon Ultra 2 mid GTX and they are great. They also do an unlined version. They are incredibly light and comfortable.
I'm liking the look of those, scottk. What sort of weight do you tend to carry as a max when wearing them?
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

gunwharfman

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #10 on: 12:21:11, 01/04/18 »
At present I wear Berghaus Superlite 2s, full leather and light. This is my second pair. My first pair, when they were made by Brasher, was tried and tested before I too hiked the GR10. By the end I had worn them out. The inside leather cracked at the toe end in both boots and made my toes red raw and sore. I threw them away and finished the hike with a cheap pair of trainers. My present boots have shown no such problems, they fit me like a soft pair of gloves and with my Sorbothane inserts under my feet I love em!

The boots work well with my Rab gaiters. I wear them underneath my trousers, bit odd maybe but I still get wet feet wearing them on the outside this way, for me, solves this problem. I hate wet feet!

The boots main weakness, as with most brands I assume, is that they can be slippry on wet rock surfaces. No real problem, I'm just that bit more careful, especially when stepping, or jumping across wet and large boulders in particular. I once flipped straight on my back when going down a chaos. My rucksack saved me thank goodness or I would have done serious damage to myself.

scottk

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #11 on: 13:06:19, 01/04/18 »
I'm liking the look of those, scottk. What sort of weight do you tend to carry as a max when wearing them?


My rucksack weight at the heaviest is about 13kg with food and water. I use super feet insoles in mine as I have flat feet!

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #12 on: 14:47:43, 01/04/18 »

My rucksack weight at the heaviest is about 13kg with food and water. I use super feet insoles in mine as I have flat feet!
That's the weight i carry. Are they ok a) over rocky, uneven tracks and b) through boggy ground, in your experience?
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

scottk

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #13 on: 15:59:07, 01/04/18 »
You can certainly feel rocks through the sole but I don't find it too bad. Great in boggy ground but I find the sole slippy in mud so I need to slow my pace a bit. The tongue is connected to the upper most of the way up so water proofing is not an issue as long as it doesn't go over the top.

AFANASIEW

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Re: Boots for LDWs - what do you wear?
« Reply #14 on: 16:51:15, 01/04/18 »
Ok, thanks, I'Il certainly add them to my shortlist.
It's simple - one foot in front of the other.

 

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