UKC

Thinking of getting some hiking boots tomorrow because I could pretty much feel every pebble through the soles of my 5 year old £35 ones from Millets up Kinder last weekend!

Should I go leather or synthetic? I always thought leather was the most waterproof but the store lady said synthetic is just as good.

I'll be hiking and some scrambling around peak District snowdonia lake district etc.

Should I bother reading any reviews or just see what's comfy?

Taa

In reply to elliot.baker:

I've found that synthetic will always leak, sometimes sooner rather than later.

In reply to elliot.baker:

Depends how good you are a looking after boots.
If you are diligent at cleaning and waxing boots then leather is great. If your idea of boot care is bashing the mud off the soles against a wall before bagging them until you want them a week or two later then leather is not the answer.

One thing to remember is that the synthetic boots rely on the waterproof liner (gore/event...), and the guarantee on gore-tex liners in boots is for the reasonable lifetime of a product which is totally subjective. If you take a battered/poorly looked after 13 month old pair of boots back to the shop because they are leaking you probably won't get very far. If you take a well looked after 13 month old pair of boots back because they are leaking you will likely get them assessed and replaced.

In reply to elliot.baker:

What's comfy is the vital bit!
As to material JEF is spot on that leather will keep the water out for longer - you just need to decide if that is important to you. FWIW I hike in fell running shoes (unless there is snow on the ground) and cope with wet feet as I find them more comfortable...

In reply to gethin_allen:
I've literally never cleaned my leather boots in about 5 years and they actually had mould on them at one point between hikes, which only got washed off by the mud of the next hike! I've always found them to be reasonably waterproof still! I think I'll stick with leather.

In reply to elliot.baker:

I have a pair of Altberg leather boots in great condition for sale, size 10.5. Yours for £50. Let me know if this is any good.

In reply to elliot.baker:

Comfort trumps material every time. No Goretex leather for preference for me though

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:
Are you Arthur feckin Daley ???
Ps. Do you have any women's Brashers size 6.5