The most important thing is the fit. Go to the store, try them on, and even then you won’t know. Only after the boots have been tested in the field will you really know.
There has been a lot of great brand recommendations, and I’ll throw in Lowa boots as my favorite.
If I’m backpacking with anything heavier than 10 pounds or so, I wear the boots. For all other hiking, I think trail runners are fine and provide the right amount of tread and traction when you aren’t carrying a large extra load.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
This is what I wear:
It’s a $400 boot but I have no problem putting up the bucks for quality in certain categories like Things You Really Need in This Life.
*Made in Italy (where folks really know how to make boots)[/quote]
I have a pair of these that were issued. I have yet to wear them as I am waiting for a pair of Merrill’s to wear out first. Maybe I should get them out and start breaking them in.
If you live near an REI they do fittings and will help you get the boot that best fits both your needs and your foot. Before I went to Afghanistan in 2004 my unit had REI come out and fit everyone. I ended up with a great fitting boot that I finally had to get rid of after about 6 years of abuse. I wish I could remember the name/brand.
**EDIT - this was supposed to quote Varq and his post about the Combat Hikers.
[quote]sjoconn wrote:
**EDIT - this was supposed to quote Varq and his post about the Combat Hikers. [/quote]
Yeah I was wondering about that. “Whoa,” I was about to say, “when did the Army start issuing its special ops guys $400 Italian boots?”
Then I saw your edit.
It’s funny, since I started wearing these I’ve run into a lot of Afghanistan vets who remember their own boots fondly from their time over there. So it’s not just me.
I think you’ll find them more than adequate for hiking up Mt. Pinatubo.
I have a pair of Asolo Fugitive GTX boots. I really only use them for rucking, but they have held up well and are a comfortable fit. Haven’t had any real hot spots or blisters with them.
http://www.asolo.com/en/products/hiking-en/energy-en/fugitive-gtx-0m3400-00-en.html
I’m not sure if I would pay $250 for them, but I was issued them so no complaints here.
[quote]Varqanir wrote:
[quote]sjoconn wrote:
**EDIT - this was supposed to quote Varq and his post about the Combat Hikers. [/quote]
Yeah I was wondering about that. “Whoa,” I was about to say, “when did the Army start issuing its special ops guys $400 Italian boots?”
Then I saw your edit.
It’s funny, since I started wearing these I’ve run into a lot of Afghanistan vets who remember their own boots fondly from their time over there. So it’s not just me.
I think you’ll find them more than adequate for hiking up Mt. Pinatubo.[/quote]
Definitely not just you. I really need to arrange a volcano hike. Rainy season is getting ready to start so maybe I will wait until about November and do it.
[quote]MrMuzik wrote:
The most important thing is the fit. Go to the store, try them on, and even then you won’t know. Only after the boots have been tested in the field will you really know.
There has been a lot of great brand recommendations, and I’ll throw in Lowa boots as my favorite.
If I’m backpacking with anything heavier than 10 pounds or so, I wear the boots. For all other hiking, I think trail runners are fine and provide the right amount of tread and traction when you aren’t carrying a large extra load.
[/quote]
Maybe it is just me and my wide foot, but I bought a pair of Lowa in a pinch when I wore out my rockies in Moab and they just never fit well. I wore them for the rest of the trip but not since. Damn things are almost like new and I bought them in 2000 or 2001.
Palladium boots are exactly what you want.
I ordered two pairs of Danner Crater Rim Lights (two different sizes) before that sale ended. Thanks for sharing that link. I should get those later this week, so I don’t have much to say about them, other than they get raving reviews almost everywhere I looked.
In the meanwhile, spent some time at REI, and found three low-cut shoes that fit pretty well:
Adidas Terrex Fast X GTX - http://www.adidas.com/us/terrex-fast-x-gtx-shoes/D66170.html
Lowa Renegade II GTX Lo - http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/renegade-ii-gtx-lo-classic-wide-width/3109559449/3
Oboz Tamarack - http://obozfootwear.com/mens/low-hiking/tamarack
The Adidas seemed like a hybrid of a running shoes’ fit, a weightlifting shoes’ rigidity, and a hiking boot’s traction.
The Lowa’s, from what I understand, is just a low-cut version of one of their most popular boots.
I’ve never heard of Oboz, but those ones just fit well among the many I tried on.
I didn’t try on any boots while there, but looked at/manhandled a few to check out quality, rigidity, design. The nicer ones were (imho):
Asolo Fugitive GTX - http://www.asolo.com/en/products/hiking-en/energy-en/fugitive-gtx-0m3400-00-en.html
Zamberlan Vioz (but didn’t have much for toe protection) - http://zamberlanusa.com/catalog/?lang=en&pg=prod&idprod=13&idcat=2
Salomon Quest 4D II GTX - http://www.salomon.com/us/product/quest-4d-2-gtx.html?article=373259
I haven’t gotten a chance to look at any Kenetrek or Danners in person yet, nor Palladium. But, there’s a number of other hiking and outdoors stores around here besides REI.
Still not sure whether I want more or less of a boot. It seems that what I perceived as “ankle stability” comes down more to torsional rigidity, and how well the heel fits.
Thanks again everyone.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Still not sure whether I want more or less of a boot. It seems that what I perceived as “ankle stability” comes down more to torsional rigidity, and how well the heel fits.[/quote]
Are you going to carry a pack?
If you intend to have anything more than a light day pack/camel back I strongly recommend a real backpacking boot that goes above the ankle and has a stiff mid-sole.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
I ordered two pairs of Danner Crater Rim Lights (two different sizes) before that sale ended. Thanks for sharing that link. I should get those later this week, so I don’t have much to say about them, other than they get raving reviews almost everywhere I looked.
In the meanwhile, spent some time at REI, and found three low-cut shoes that fit pretty well:
Adidas Terrex Fast X GTX - http://www.adidas.com/us/terrex-fast-x-gtx-shoes/D66170.html
Lowa Renegade II GTX Lo - http://www.lowaboots.com/catalog/renegade-ii-gtx-lo-classic-wide-width/3109559449/3
Oboz Tamarack - http://obozfootwear.com/mens/low-hiking/tamarack
The Adidas seemed like a hybrid of a running shoes’ fit, a weightlifting shoes’ rigidity, and a hiking boot’s traction.
The Lowa’s, from what I understand, is just a low-cut version of one of their most popular boots.
I’ve never heard of Oboz, but those ones just fit well among the many I tried on.
I didn’t try on any boots while there, but looked at/manhandled a few to check out quality, rigidity, design. The nicer ones were (imho):
Asolo Fugitive GTX - http://www.asolo.com/en/products/hiking-en/energy-en/fugitive-gtx-0m3400-00-en.html
Zamberlan Vioz (but didn’t have much for toe protection) - http://zamberlanusa.com/catalog/?lang=en&pg=prod&idprod=13&idcat=2
Salomon Quest 4D II GTX - http://www.salomon.com/us/product/quest-4d-2-gtx.html?article=373259
I haven’t gotten a chance to look at any Kenetrek or Danners in person yet, nor Palladium. But, there’s a number of other hiking and outdoors stores around here besides REI.
Still not sure whether I want more or less of a boot. It seems that what I perceived as “ankle stability” comes down more to torsional rigidity, and how well the heel fits.
Thanks again everyone.[/quote]
I’ve owned the pair of zamberlain’s you mentioned. Great boots.
I enjoy having a pair of light hikers/trail running shoes and a pair of leather boots. I can cover ground fast on good terrain with the light hikers. For rough nasty ground heavy boots are great for support and protection.
I tried on the Salomon Quests and they were very comfortable, felt almost like sneakers. I went with the Asolos as I wanted something a bit stiffer.
So, I decided to go with a boot. While I haven’t really carried a pack up until now, it’s something I want to be able to do.
The Danners arrived late last week, but neither pair fit out of the box. There was too little volume in the toe box with the stock insoles (but I did find a lower-profile SOLE insole that worked).
I visited several of the outdoor shops here, checking out and trying on boots, trying to find the best fit. Tried on a lot of good boots: Salomon, Asolo, Scarpa, La Sportiva, Danner, Salewa, Lowa. Worked with some really good salespeople too, mountaineers, backpackers and climbers. All of them reiterated the point that fit is most important, once you’re in the right “class” of footwear (trail runner vs hiking boot vs mountaineering boot).
As of the weekend, I’d narrowed it down to two pairs: the Danner Crater Rim Light (with the insoles), and the Scarpa Kailash. https://www.scarpa.com/kailash-gtx-15
I wore them both around the house this week, throughout the day, just getting a feel for breathability and comfort, and spent some time moving around with 50lbs thrown in a backpack.
Both are great boots. The Scarpa uppers are a bit stiffer in their design, with a more solid structure that encases your feet, whereas the Danners are more flexible and sort of mold to your foot. The Scarpas also have a rolled toe, so they roll forward as you walk. Both are Goretex lined, but the Scarpas are a bit cooler. Slightly different lacing systems, slightly different materials, but overall both are pretty interchangeable in terms of design and construction: heel and toe reinforcement, glued and stitched rubber rands, goretex lining, gusseted and cushioned tongue and deep Vibram outsoles with multidirectional tread.
I’ve decided to stick with the Danners, after giving them both a shot. They just seem a slight bit more flexible as far the fit and distributing pressure on the foot as it changes shape over the course of the day.
If they fit your feet (both run a bit narrow), I’d recommend either boot. The differences really are pretty subtle. One’s a really well made American boot and the other’s a really well made Italian boot [built in Romania].
*The Crater Rim Light is a variant of the Crater Rim, which is based on the Combat Hiker. The Combat Hiker has eyelets at the top, since hooks can get snagged on things while jumping. The Crater Rim is basically the same boot, but with hooks at the top instead of eyelets, and a slightly shorter tongue. And the Crater Rim Light is the same as the Crater Rim, but with a Cordura/ballistic nylon upper instead of nubuck. It makes it somewhat lighter, and probably more breathable.
REI has (or at least used to) a very liberal return policy with hiking shoes. You could wear them on several hikes, and freely return them if not 100% satisfied, no matter how beat up the shoe was. I did that with 2 different boots until I found that the Lowa’s I like were perfect. It’s hard to beat that kind of service.
