Best......Boots/Shoes for Wilderness Travel

T

totaleclipse02

Joined
Feb 11, 2006
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21
I am looking for a durable pair of boots...there are so many choices I wanted to see what you guys recommend.

I have always liked Dr.Martens but i am sure there are better options out there. I have some Red Wing's I wear to work, but I am looking for something that is super durable/rugged....

Throw out some of your favorites!
 
The best boots are the ones that fit your feet the best. Everyone's feet are different. You have to try to find the ones that fit you the best. The best pair I've ever owned were Zamberlan Civettas that I bought in 1999. I still have them and they're still in good shape but for some strange reason they now fit me tight. I think my feet grew but isn't that impossible since I'm 35 yrs old? I now have a pair of Asolo Fugitives
 
raylaconico said:
I think my feet grew but isn't that impossible since I'm 35 yrs old?
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Are you a pregnant women by chance? Edit: apparently, ss the sole curves upwards with use, everything kind of shortens up.

It's really wear what fits your feet. Get something with good soles, and waterproof is always a plus unless you have hot feet. Try to get something without too much padding, it takes forever to dry.

I think nutnfancy actually did an overview on hiking boots. Hav'nt watched it myself so I'm not sure if he just rambles on about "Heavy duty tactical boots" for 20 minutes, or not. but I'm sure there's some good stuff in it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_leePFYxm4&feature=PlayList&p=86AC4D6CDCE72485&index=0
 
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I've got pretty low arches and have a hard time finding comfortable foot wear. That being said the pair of Irish Setter (trackers?) I bought are the most comfortable boots I've ever had. Got them right before I had to go on a prospecting job and they were perfect right out of the box, no break-in period or anything.

I'm thinking of ordering 3-4 more pairs off the internet in case they discontinue that model :)
 
How much do you want to spend...?

Zamberlan, for heavy duty high-quality Italian made leather hikers/mountaineering boots. I used to go through a pair of boots every field season until I started buying Zamberlan's, I'll get about three years out of a pair now.

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For outdoors shoes, I've been very happy with my all-leather Garmont's, they have been worn daily for the past five years and I am sure I'll get a few more years out of them, expensive but worth every penny. It looks like they don't make my model anymore, but they are similar to these below. Personally I stay away from a lot of seams/sewing/fabric on the boot/shoe itself, more weak points and places for leaks, all leather is best.

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merell wilderness boots the originals full grain leather italian construction they have lasted me about 2 or 3 years so far going strong and they can be resoled a bunch of times... these are boots for life!
 
Hey good to hear a few shouts in this thread for Zamberlan. Been contemplating buying a pair of the 310 hikers they make but wondered if they were worth the investment. I posted a question about them over on backpacker.com but the majority of the people were positive but it was mostly women who answered.

I've been going back and forth between buying a pair of the Zamberlain 310 boots or some of the Keen Newport Hiking shoes because I love the Newport Sandals they make for hiking. Rugged as hell. Maybe I'll get both.:thumbup:

I'm not big on leather boots but the Zamberlains seem to still be pretty lightweight for being leather.
 
raylaconico said:
I think my feet grew but isn't that impossible since I'm 35 yrs old?
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When I was eighteen I wore a size 12E. I just turned fifty and now wear a 13EE. My foot size grew gradually through the years. For what its worth I still weigh the same as when I was 25.
 
Another brand to check out is Bates. I've been wearing a pair almost for work over the past year and half. I haven't hiked in them, but with the amount of walking I do everyday (over dirt, gravel, & cement) I'm surprised that the tread on them has barely been worn down. The leather is very broken in (moccasin like) from use and the stitching/construction is still rock solid!:thumbup: Color selection is easy, black or tan (as they are a military boot), which probably has something to do with how rugged these things are!
 
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x39 said:
When I was eighteen I wore a size 12E. I just turned fifty and now wear a 13EE. My foot size grew gradually through the years. For what its worth I still weigh the same as when I was 25.
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I was told that your arch falls with age, so your foot gets longer.
 
I havew found the Whites smoke jumpers to be excellent longlasting and durable boots. You can either buy standard sizes or they will custom make them to fit your feet. check them out at whites.com or google whites boots.
 
I have had my Merrill Wilderness boots for about 20 years. They have been resoled once but have been through total hell. VERY comfortable, classic boot. I will get another pair soon. My favorite to wear around town even :thumbup:
 
I'm glad I'm not crazy to think that my feet grew. I love my Zamberlans but my toes just don't feel really cramped in them now. It may be a combination of the things mentioned tha made my feet not fit them anymore. I still kept the shoes though.
 
i too am a big fan of zamberlan boots and they have been servicing my feet for the past year. tough as nails, and really beautiful boots.

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these are by far one of the best boots i've ever owned. i wore them backpacking australia for two and a half months. they were worn EVERYDAY, day in and day out, driving, hiking, walking, and even playing a bit of hacky sack :).

they are water proof, dry quickly and are most importantly comfortable.

i recently picked up the zamberlan hydrobloc to treat my boots (was using obaneufs and kiwi before) and will never use anything else. they brought my boots back to life and the original color as they came from the factory. one thing though, they do tend to scuff up a bit. the right toe on mine has seen better days but the scuffs add character :D

definetly a nice pair of boots to consider.

cheers

JC

ETA: i should add some of the conditions that i hiked in. i walked in salt water (ocean) with these boots, mud, desert, the "wet coast" (bc), walked up glacial rivers in them and slogged through rainforest. they are still in great condition and i'll probably wear them for atleast the next 2 years before i even consider buying a new pair.
 
Seems like every quality factory boot has gore-tex or similar built into them these days. Since my feet sweat regardless of the temp I really wanted boots without gore-tex. Also I have a slightly more narrow foot. Last, I dislike boots that rely too much on glues.Needless to say finding boots was tough.

After trying other boots like Filsons, I had a custom fitted set of Whites hiking boots made and can say these are the best boots by far that I have ever owned.
 
Ray, my feet have grown in the past couple years and I'm 38. Don't ask about hair in my ears...:rolleyes:

Kinda sucks now that my nice and broken-in boots are not fitting me correctly. I use Superfeet insoles too. My big toe ends up sore mostly.:grumpy:

Anyway, I'm going to drop some cash on some new Scarpa boots that I've had my eye on. I've had two other pairs and they used to fit me very well. I hope a half-size up will do the trick.
 
I had to get new boots about 6 months ago after wearing the same pair of Rockys for about 3 years.

I went with Rocky's again and I guess when they moved their production to asia, they left their quality in the states. The pair I got were terrible. After suffering through about 20 miles with them not breaking in, I caved and got another pair.

I picked up some Danner Pronghorns only to be disappointed when I found that they weren't US made like my other Danners, I should have known that Danners for $170 were too good to be true.

But they are solid, comfortable, waterproof and haven't given me any hotspots as of yet which is strange for me with my weird feet.
 
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