Best Boots

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platbuck

Joined
Nov 16, 2006
Messages
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looking for your thoughts on the best boots to buy. these could be brand name or otherwise, but quality, for all tasks: hiking, survival everyday. Rugged, long lasting, etc.
 
I have a pair of colemans that are just faboulous.

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I got these last month(timberland Cadion mid XCR), their great, good reviews
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waterproof, gortex, great support, nice traction..
 
I love my asolo 520's. I have a wide foot with a narrow heel, and I have a hard time finding hiking boots. Got these in the wide width, and broke them in now they fit like fine gloves. I have probably 100 miles or so on them so far and they are doing great.
 
I use Meidl Island Pro, I've had them for 9 years and I'll get a new pair just like them when these wear out. The most comfortable boots I have ever worn, even when carrying the big backpack.

I have probably 1000 miles in these. I use them all the time. With a little maintainence they last.

Pit Man: The Burma is a solid buy imo, personally I like them a little higher upp the leg for stability.
 
I gotta vote for Asolos...

I wear my Fugitives during the warmer months and their full leather model (don't remember the name) in colder months. Both are waterproof, durable, have great traction and fit like they were made specifically for my feet. Only down side is the price, but I think they are worth it...
 
If you REALLY want to get the absolute best boots you can own, there are two brands I can think of, one Canadian and one American.

The Canadian brand is Viberg. They hand-build boots in the same little shop out here that they have been in for about seventy years. The leather is 8 oz premium stuff, often cowhide, sometimes buffalo, which is tougher.

I have a pair of Vibergs that are about six months old. I wreck a normal pair of boots in a year, every year, without fail. I would guess my Vibergs are MAYBE 5% done in, tops. My dad, who was literally born in a mining camp on top of a mountain here in BC, has had the same pair since before I was born (I am thirty.)

Every other pair of boots I have owned, even the expensive stuff, I've needed to wear expensive insoles in to make them all-day tolerable. My Vibergs were built specifically for me, and I don't wear any insoles in them. They are more comfortable than any other boots I have owned, no matter what insoles I've had in them. They really are the best boots you can get.

The American brand which is similar (or was at one time but I haven't seen a pair made since about the 1980s) is White boots out of Spokane. The ones I saw were built very similarly to Vibergs, similar shape, similar construction. But again I don't know what they are like today, although I hear they still build good boots.

If you had a time machine you could buy a pair of Daytons from back when they were still in the logging boot business, or Paris boots before Punchy Paris packed it in and became a judge of all things. But Vibergs were just as good back then and are still available now.

No mass-market boot exists that competes with the small-market high end.

A pair of Vibergs built to your specs should cost around $450 Canadian, or $400 US.



Finally, here is an example of what the Viberg people are like to deal with. I went in their shop last August and told them I wanted a pair of boots made. The woman who was working their was about seventy, and wearing a pair of vibergs, of course. I remember her working there when I was a kid, twenty years ago. She measured up my feet in a bunch of spots, explained why normal boots would give me trouble (Huge feet, narrow heels) and wrote up a bill for a new pair of boots that would custom-fit me.

"Okay," I said, "so, how much for a deposit, then?"

"What deposit, for what?" she asked.

"For the boots," I said, "Do you want a deposit on custom work like that?"

"Well," she said, "you can put down some money if you want. But you're coming back for the boots, eh?"

"Sure," I said. "When will they be ready?"

"Six weeks," she said.

"Okay, then, I'll see you then," I said.

And I left. They didn't want a deposit on a $450 pair of boots that wouldn't fit anyone but me. They just built them and phoned me when they were done.

These guys are really something else. I encourage anyone with the money to deal with them.
 
I'm real hard on boots too. I work around a lot of hot metal, sharp metal and spend a fair amount of time in the mud. like misanthropist above, I never had a pair of boots last longer then a year tops.

I bought a pair of redback boots after reading a post mentioning them a few years back. almost 2 years of daily wear (except in august, by august I'm barefoot or in some ratty sneaks if I'm welding) and they are still going strong. While they are no longer suited for dress boot duty I imagine they have at least another year or two left in them.

Once they are done in, I think I'm gonna spring for a pair of White's. I figure if I can spend what I did on some crappy orthotic insoles I can spend the same amount for a pair of custom, hand made boots that are built like an abrams.
 
White's are indeed great boots as are Nick's. I've worn whit's for about 20 years first as a firefighter. I currently have a least 5 pairs of various models. My wife, daughter and son all have their own pair. All of theirs I bought on ebay for a great price. I bought my daughter a pair of almost brand new 375 vibrams for $ 9.99 plus 6.00 shipping. They are easily worth $250.00, but they are a size 5. She has outgrown them in the last few months. Oh well.

White's and Nick's are handmade to fit your foot or you can buy them off the rack. There are dealers who sell White's such as Drew's boots. They are also heavy and have no cushion system so don't work great on pavement. I highly recommend White's

Russell is another custom maker. I don't have a pair. Yet
 
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