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What backpacking/hiking boots do you use?


cruze

31-May-2010
2:48:17 PM

Sounds like a got off easy then! I know the sections you mean. The boggy area on the way to Campamenton Dickson had a few logs here and there which were pretty squishy underneath and booby trapped. Falling off there would have been fairly terminal... Above Campamento Los Perros through the tree roots could be avoided to some extent with a bit of balcning on the roots. Round the front side I wasn't entirely convinced that the streams we were walking along were tracks until we met a party coming the other way every now and then.

I take your point about water though. You can resist it for a while, but it will find you... And once it does find you it can take ages for full leather boots to dry out. Then again I tend to find that my Scarpas don't retain too much water with repeated application of snoseal using a hair drier. I mean you can be applying snoseal for hours...


nmonteith

31-May-2010
3:02:05 PM

Another vote for hiking in runners. I just get my feet dunked in the first puddle I come across and once that's all over and done with I'm happy to just plod through water all day with wet feet. Just bring a spare pair of 'camp/hut' shoes for when you want your feet dry at night.


ado_m

31-May-2010
3:25:48 PM

i don't like runners, if my feet get wet i end up getting manky skin and blisters and it's all downhill from there. i wear scarpa rangers, they're a relatively light hiking boot with a fairly flexible sole. i've had them for 5 years and they've worn very well, very comfortable. before that i used army gps for years, but tended to roll my ankles more in those.


BoulderBaby

31-May-2010
5:10:33 PM

I've got a pair of XT wings GTX by salomon which are rad. I've taken them on a few trips in wales, and they've been great. The soles are a little bit slippery, and wear through quick, but otherwise no complaints.

I mostly wear Scarpa Mojitos, as the soles are made from vibram 'spider' rubber and are really good for the peaks.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

31-May-2010
9:20:22 PM

Dunlop volleys.
~> Good for anything I have done in Australia.
~> Several pairs were good for three years of hiking in Papua New Guinea; ... though I admit I did try stiff ankled leather boots there for a while, with poor performance by comparison, as they are hopeless on slippery logs and slick-clay surfaces, as well as insensitive on scrambling terrain; plus as ODH has pointed out, they retain the water once it has entered.

I disagree with Wendy, and find the Guide Tennies pretty good for Oz conditions as they are a more precise fit than volleys for serious scrambilng (plus they fit wide feet well), though I wouldn't care to rubbish them in wet conditions (due cost), and would go back to the volleys for that.


JamesMc

31-May-2010
10:08:27 PM

Those who debate which boots suit the width of their feet should be aware that good brands (I'm thinking Scarpa but the same probably applies to others) come in a range of widths.

Don't just ask for a boot the right length, ask for one the right width.

JamesMc

Wendy

2-Jun-2010
7:36:41 AM

http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/catalog/product/view/id/8531/s/scarpa-trek/category/266/

Their webmaster can't sort out the trek from the londra, but the picture's the right boot at least. And it is as cheap as I've ever seen them. Sadly, the standard model doesn't come even close to small enough for me. If they had them in my size, i'd stockpile a pair at that price.

Wendy

2-Jun-2010
7:45:51 AM

On 31/05/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Dunlop volleys.
>~> Good for anything I have done in Australia.
>~> Several pairs were good for three years of hiking in Papua New Guinea;
>... though I admit I did try stiff ankled leather boots there for a while,
>with poor performance by comparison, as they are hopeless on slippery logs
>and slick-clay surfaces, as well as insensitive on scrambling terrain;
>plus as ODH has pointed out, they retain the water once it has entered.
>
>I disagree with Wendy, and find the Guide Tennies pretty good for Oz conditions
>as they are a more precise fit than volleys for serious scrambilng (plus
>they fit wide feet well), though I wouldn't care to rubbish them in wet
>conditions (due cost), and would go back to the volleys for that.

Yeah, but we're talking about walking not scrambling. Scrambling is the only thing the guide tennies do well, but you don't need anything as expensive as them for the sort of scrambling you do whilst walking with a bloody great big pack on. I don't quite understand the drama people are having with scrambling in walking boots because of stiff soles. Try scrambling in mountain boots. They are stiff soles, yet people do way more scrambling/actual climbing in them then walking boots. Guide tennies are 1 step up from going walking in your climbing shoes. They really aren't made for it and they really don't cope with much of it. For the $200+ they cost you, you're much better going for a walking boot and it will last you so much longer.

I reckon that all these approach/trail shoes are basically just bloody expensive sneakers some of which happen to have sticky rubber on them. At least the tennies have some shape and actually climb better than sneakers. I'd still go proper boots or cheap sneakers.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

2-Jun-2010
9:07:11 AM

On 2/06/2010 Wendy wrote:
>I reckon that all these approach/trail shoes are basically just bloody
>expensive sneakers some of which happen to have sticky rubber on them.
> At least the tennies have some shape and actually climb better than sneakers.
> I'd still go proper boots or cheap sneakers.

I agree. The PNG nationals that I saw who never wore shoes of any description, could scramble and climb places you wouldn't believe. Mind you I also saw some horrific cuts they had experienced.

I did a loop trail in the Grand Canyon in thongs. The yanks I met down there were all dolled up in the latest hiking boots, and typical of the comments I received were "What are you doing down here in those? I slip over in the shower at home in them!" Mind you I did the circuit in a day trip with basically a camera and water, while they had huge packs and were overnighting...

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