UKC

I usually go trekking in Nepal, a few weeks at a time, as I spend a lot of time in nearby Bangladesh for business. I was spending 3 months a year in Nepal, treating boots like expendable items and using whatever came to hand eg Karrimor nothing special boots from Sports direct. I didn't spend much time in the UK so I had limited chances for shopping.

Then I bought some lovely La Sportiva Stream GTX boots which I took on a single trek of 3-4 weeks. Covid hit, and I didn't end up going back to Bangladesh, and my boots, for 3 1/2 years. This is the state of them now. The rubber/plastic elements have started to fall apart.

Just recently I bought these second hand German army mountain boots (Haix brand) for about £42 in an ebay sale vs £200 for the La Sportiva. They are about double the weight of my La Sportiva boots, but they offer amazing ankle support, which is is useful as I had a motorbike accident last year and my ankle is still a bit stiff. The fit is very good. But the La Sportiva boots held my feet like no other. Even with the boot wrecked (as seen) there is a comfortable pocket in those boots which keeps feet warm, dry, and comfortable.

Has anyone here done a long trek in the sort of army mountain boots which I have bought and care to share their experience?

My leather summer Scarpa boots, about 8 years old at the time and going strong when stored in a plastic box in in my attic over Christmas. Sole pealed off them after their first use after Covid.

I asked Scarpa why this happened and didn't really get much of an answer other than it can happen if not stored correctly.

Not done anything in army boots, but did have some old heavy Scarpa Mantas a while back and the weight does get to you. It would put me off them.

The glues used don't have an infinite life span.  I have some old running shoes and spikes from my glory day (hah!) and they are not very solid any more.

I'd say also that storing shoes dirty, and especially very muddy doesn't seem to benefit them too much

Re. the army boots.  If you like them use them.  They're tough enough ,and you might like the ankle support, but they're pretty clunky, like any old style leather boot. Wouldn't be my choice but c'est la vie

I've had a pair of lowa boots since I was in my teens, they're similar to what you have there and were popular with the military at one point. I think they're just called lowa combat boots. They're quite uncomfortable but they're on their second pair of soles and more or less impossible to break. They don't have a waterproof lining but they keep the water out if they're polished up, dry quickly and are light enough to jog in. I have walked hundreds of miles in them and also used them for work boots in the garden at times and working on the vehicles during winter. When they finally give up the ghost I will be replacing them with a pair of lightweight fabric boots and my feet will be grateful, but they sadly don't show any signs of needing to be replaced for some time! 

The shoes were clean when I stored them and they fell apart. Since then, I used synthetic rubber glue to stick the sole back on the shoes. I wore them back from Bangladesh. They are still really comfortable. I wore them on some walks through the park, where they got dirty.

My golf shoes also fell apart over the period I was away. The upper was fine. But the lower plastic parts disintegrated. Bangladesh is a very harsh environment.

I still like the fit of scarpa and their capability. For the weight, they are fantastic boots for trekking.

I had a pair of Haix boots, similar to yours but a canvas/goretex model. Really comfortable, wore them in a variety of conditions including trekking to over 4000m in Africa.  Some of the best ‘non-technical’ boots I have had.

Haix are some of the best boots I've had, second to none in the chainsaw boot world. Last a long time and are comfortable, had a set i used almost daily at work that lasted 7 years, could probably extended them with a resole. I like the lightness that comes with the newer stuff, its costs more and wears out in less than a year though so plusses to both 

Several threads have mentioned hydrolysis as causing early breakdown of shoe components especially adhesives.

Apparently many boots should be fully dry and ideally stored in sealed poly bags with dehydration crystals.

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helps with smells too!

I use haix for work and home. 

Most comfortable and durable safety boots I've had.

Currently use the non safety boots for non work use. I need the extra ankle support they provide, so far proving durable and comfortable. 

Years ago, I used late model British issue 'Boots Combat High' as summer walking and scrambling boots and got on well with them. They gave reassuring ankle support. At one stage, I think I led 4c in them.

I currently have a couple of pairs of issue Altbergs (part of the 'scrounge new boots before you leave' programme!). Super comfy on me and, again, reassuring ankle support. I tend to use those where I expect complex ground. 

The Aku boots are brilliant for scrambling and very light and agile

for their weight they give amazing stability on reasonably steep slopes even when carrying a load of radio equipment