UKC

I don't often wear a walking boot. Mostly I walk in Camp 4 approach shoes and if I get my feet a bit wet I put up with it. If I need crampons I wear an appropriate mountain boot, but I don't enjoy normal walking in those boots for obvious reasons. I have just thrown away a pair of worn out Berghaus grey-and-orange boots, Gore-Tex lined, which were not bad but the soles weren't grippy enough. They cost me lot of money in physio bills after I took a heavy fall on to my shoulder when slipping on wet rock nearly 2 years ago.

So, what's out there at the moment to fit the bill? Tell me about your favourites or ones to avoid. Thanks in advance.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

You'll find that most lightweight boots have lightweight soles - and a resulting lack of grip...

However, I bought a pair of Saloman Cosmic 4D GTX's last spring, and spent the tail end of winter (that's spring to most people), summer and autumn in them. Not slipped, but do pay closer attention on steep wet grass. Can't fault them - feet are comfortable and dry - and they have performed well over multi-day trips as well.

In reply to forcan:

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll follow that one up. Not sure I agree with your suggestion that lightweight soles necessarily implies less grip. I think it's more about rubber characteristics. Many years ago I bought a pair of early Merrell walking shoes, in which (not boasting) I seconded Mississippi Buttress and led Thomas at Wallabarrow (both times having forgotten to pack rock shoes!). They wore out quickly, as a result of the rubber stickiness I believe. I then bought the next version of the same shoe, which had a different sole. They never wore out and I eventually threw them out as I got tired of slipping over in them.

In reply to forcan:

Came upon this, which is food for thought:
http://www.stridingedge.net/Salomon%20Cosmic%204D%20GTX.htm
Probably I wouldn't give them so much hammer as this guy obvs does

In reply to forcan:

I had Cosmics and they were the comfiest boots i've ever owned, but they are very fragile and the waterproof lining will split and leak even with light use- although i dunno if the second generation are any better than the first incarnation i had. Have a look at Salewa Mtn trainer mid which are also damn comfy and very grippy. Alternatively, what about an approach boot like La Sportiva Ganda or Scarpa Ascent Tech gtx?

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Camp 4 approach shoes

In reply to Jonny2vests:

Smile! I know what you mean - they're super comfortable, would grip grease and you can walk in an inch of water and stay dry. Trouble is it's just so wet here at the moment I feel compelled to have something where I can walk in four inches.

In reply to crustypunkuk:


Thanks, I'll look those up. Who makes Cosmics? Mind, you're not selling them to me.

In reply to Rog Wilko:


Fair one, I don't have that to deal with, British mud is somehow way more hardcore than the North American stuff.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

they are Salomon Cosmics. I work in outdoor footwear and tbh I bought a pair of quest 4d's, but after seeing how many i get returned and how mine leaked when i took them out for a proper walk I wouldn't recommend them anymore. The old ones are great the new ones, the quality seems to have dropped.

Scarpa Ranger 2's are popular and (despite the reviews on some websites) I cant remember getting a pair back. Also, I know the guy in that blog didnt rate mammut but some of their stuff is brilliant, Brecon for example.

The only major advantage of Salomon (bar the comfort, due to them being based around a running shoe) is the 2 year warranty, within which time they seem to just give you a replacement pair, or credit for one.

In reply to Rog Wilko:


I have a pair of Merrell Chameleon goretex boots, which after much perseverance, I'm relegating to gardening boots as I've also become totally fed up of slipping over in them. Basically, the Vibram sole is simply not aggressive enough for use in mud or on wet ground. Also, the compound is very hard, so grip on rock, even dry rock, isn't exactly that good either.

I recently spent an interesting few minutes looking at the soles of a range of brands of walking boots in Sports Direct - Karrimor, Brasher, Merrell, Salomon, Hi-Tec, Meindl, Asolo and Scarpa. IMHO, all the Merrell boots had cr@p soles in comparison to the others - because of grip pattern, rounded edges and shallowness of grip, despite all having Vibram soles. I wonder if they're primarily designed for use on sand or gravel soils in North America?

From my very brief and subjective examination, I thought that the Brasher boots they had on display seemed to have the best soles for mud and wet grass, followed by Karrimor, Scarpa and Asolo in no particular order. However, I have no idea which brand/ model would be the most fit-for-purpose as a lightweight walking boot though.

Dave

In reply to Rog Wilko: Inov8 roclite 400, they are the business, comfortable lighter than most trainers and waterproof. I did the Cape Wrath
trail in them last May with dry feet the whole way and they still look new(ish) also great for running on wet or snowy days.

In reply to Removed User: I'd never heard of Inov8 before - thought it was a typo! They look interesting, for sure. What is the grip like on wet rock? You must know if you've done Cape Wrath in them.

In reply to Jonny2vests:


A bit of hard core would be useful sometimes. (Ho,ho)

In reply to BAdhoc:

Thanks for your help.

In reply to Dave Williams:

Yes, Brasher boots have a lot of adherents (and adherence?). I've just never had a pair of leather walking boots I've really liked, so a bit prejudiced against.

In reply to Removed User:

Unfortunately you can no longer get hold of the Inov8 Roclite 400s as they have stopped producing them, just as I was looking to get a pair. Shame, they looked like a really good boot.

As for the Salomon Cosmic/Quest. They do leak quickly (I got about a year out of my Cosmics before they started leaking, but I am reasonably light footed). From observation it seems to come in from underneath, I suspect where a crease creates a hole between the incomplete Gore-tex "sock" and the sole.

Salomon do however replace within the 2 years almost without question, so it's not bad if weight is a priority (and comfort).

In reply to johang:
I've hammered my Cosmics all year - it being Scotland, mostly boggy wet squelchy type stuff (on the approach/return anyway), and mine haven't leaked (yet!) I do make a point of cleaning them after each trip to remove the grit from the fabric, maybe that stops it wearing quite so fast? Or maybe it's the fact mine are the bright green versions!!

Interesting reading the stridingedge review posted earlier - his boot lineup is exactly the same as mine, Raichle Mtn Trail GTX's, Cosmics and Mantas, until I sold my Mantas a few weeks back and replaced them with Dolomite Cougar Pro's.

In reply to forcan:
good that someone else mentioned the Inov-8 I had the mudroc 290 and they were great for walking or running.
Ill be getting the roclite 295 next I think, much better than boots imo and good with yaktrax pro, but then yeah proper mountaineering boots when its needed.

In reply to johang:

Is it really worth a risk? I have Asolo Flame GTX boots which leak like a sieve and I noticed that only in an overnight trip where loads of bogs were unavoidable. I did Beinn Bhuidhe on first day and then Ben Lui and Beinn a'Chleibh another day. It was late Spring and it was raining, but not much. My boots were soaking wet after the half of the first day. I ended up with so terrible feet and many blisters that I had to wear Crocs at work for few days.

It's a miserable feeling when you wake up in the morning and realise that you will have to put your warm and dry feet to a soaking wet boot.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

A bit of a bugger inov8 stopping the roclite 400 as they grip like their roclite trail shoes which are great but the 286 should be nearly as good but no leather uppers mores the pity.

In reply to Rog Wilko:
Have you seen the Scarpa Baltoro GTX? It's a lightweight walking boot with, from what I have read, good grip and good support. 1260g the pair brings them to within 20g of the Salomon Cosmics, and they don't have the bad reports of leaking or falling to bits.

I'm a fan of leather boots myself, and don't like goretex linings, but even I am tempted by these for days when I really don't need my SL's.

Bargain at £110 in some stores at the moment, or £99 if you take advantage of Go's price matching...

In reply to Rog Wilko: They may not be the most fadhionable for UKCers but I have just bought a pair of HOTTER walking boots Claimed 100% waterproof gortex lined nubuck outers Fit excellent ....no breaking in .... no blisters £49 half price in sale. Hotter shoes in my opinion are the best value and fit .

In reply to Rog Wilko:
Until a recently I swore by Merrell Continuuum Gortex lined fabric boots but replaced them earlier this year and the new ones leaked. I took them back and got a replacement pair which also leaked. I had been so impressed with the original boots for comfort that I went back to the shop yet again, but they had no more of my size in the shop. It was a choice of waiting until the next delivery or they offered me something similar in price. As I need boots quickly I chose the latter and opted for Brasher Hillwalker ll GTX Tech boots which are proving excellent with all this sodden ground around,

They are leather with Gortex linings, light, waterproof and comfortable. RRP £110 less 10% BMC discount.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Salomon SpeedCross. They even climb decently (edging though is out of the question). But not very durable.

In reply to Trangia:

+1 for the Brashers. The leathers a bit thin and will probably crack after a while, but they are very light and seem to grip well.