need a boot upgrade, ideas?

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Feb 25, 2019
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chorley
i currently have the 'Soloman Quest 4D 3 GTX' i have worn them every day for a year and a half, they need replacing in the next 6 months. does anyone know of any longer lasting all terrain boots for my next pair?

price is not a problem if the quality reflects it.
 

baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
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i guess it depends on what you use them for. there are so many different makes and styles out there and some will fit you and others (that look great) will be awful.
i do like the Saloman fit, but i generally wear my Lundhags, which last forever.
Generally speaking, all leather boots will last much longer than fabric, but they are heavier and warmer.
Also, have a look at the Brasher range, pretty lightweight but leather and last a good time.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
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Buy another pair of the same. If it ain't broken, don't fix it until it is.
I wore Greb Kodiak boots for 20 hunting seasons. 6-7 pairs. Absolutely trashed them.
Fit, finish, comfort, hardly knew they were on.
 

Nomad64

Full Member
Nov 21, 2015
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What sort of mileage have you been doing on what sort of terrain and what has worn out?

If it is just the soles then these can be redone but IMHO if you have been really hammering them then two years out of a pair is not bad.

FWIW, my mother who is a fanatical hill walker would get about 9 months out of a pair of Brashers before they were destroyed. She loved the fit and comfort and was prepared to accept the attrition rate but switched to Meindl about the time Brasher was taken over by Berghaus as the fit slightly changed. That was when she was in her late 70s and she is still doing 25-30 miles a week now in her early 80s.

If the uppers are gone then as Baggins says maybe a decent leather upper is the way to go. I love the fit of the Scarpa range and have 3 or 4 different pairs for different seasons/terrain but if I could have only one pair I would go with Scarpa SL.

TBH though there is not much point in asking this kind of question on a forum like this - everyone’s feet and bodies and walking style are different and going to an old school outdoor shop during a quiet period and spending time with someone who will measure your feet, make recommendations on fit and let you try on lots of different options and walk around in them is far more useful than the many and varied opinions you will get here. IME staff at Snow & Rock and Cotswold have the patience of saints but if you have a good independent near you give them a go.

Edit: PS Welcome to the forum.
 
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MrEd

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Feb 18, 2010
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Scarpa in full grain leather. I love mine, I got a pair a few years ago and they are by far my best boot yet.

I spent a while wearing out non-leather walking boots - prob about 5/6 pairs over a decade before I stumped up for leather and have easily outlasted non-leather Boots by atleast twice.

I re-treat mine every couple of months but otherwise do nothing special to them. When these wear out I will replace them straightaway
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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I think it's better if you look for double stiched boots like they are offered by Steinkogler, Trabert, Völkl, Meindl and Hanwag for example.
In German double stiched means "zwiegenäht".

They last longer than the modern glued stuff and every good shoemaker is able to repair them.

http://www.steinkogler-bergschuh.at...uhfabrikation_Steinkogler_Katalog_09_2014.pdf

https://meindl.de/product-world/mountaineering-hiking/models-genuine-double-stitching/?lang=en

http://www.trabert-onlineshop.de/Jagdstiefel.html

http://www.voelkl-outdoor.com/de/outdoor/produkte/

https://www.hanwag.de/kollektion/zwiegenaht/

Exclusively in individual measures produces Geiger. It is necessary to visit him in the black forest area in southern Germany to take the measures.
(The prices aren't higher than the other offers.)

http://www.geigerschuhe.de/html/schuhe/wanderschuh_bernina.html
 

baggins

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Apr 20, 2005
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Hmmm, fit is a very subjective subject. i have 2 pairs of Lundhags, both are comfortable but they are different fits. 1 has a opti last (wider fitting), which i fin great in the colder months, the other pair is a much older style with a basic fit, and i wear them alot in the summer up in the highlands.
They are a much stiffer and higher boot than Salomans, which i find are more like trainers.
So, as i said before, i all depends on the planned usage.
As Nomad said, decide on their intended usage then spend time trying as many makes and styles as you can to get a good fit. Trying them on at the end of the day is always a good plan, when your feet have swollen up a bit.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Yes, most shoemakers make several models in several cuts for different feet. Some like Meindl offer the same model for different feet in two versions.

If hiking is your beloved hobby in my opinion it's worth to think about, if it isn't the best, to go for the next holydays to Austria or the black forest area and organise a meeting with Steinkogler or Geiger.
That has do be done once, the master will keep your individual measures for 10 years. (After that usually feet changed so much, that it is necessary to take the measures ones more.)

Geiger Bernina boots cost currently only 320 €. He needs round about 12 month to deliver.
Steinkogler boots are a bit more expensive. They need perhaps 4 month to deliver.

In my opinion it's better to invest the time and money to go there, (in combination with your holydays), and then the question, what fits, isn't my problem any more.
I simply have to wait a moment and then I get the perfectly fitting boot.

It would be interesting to know an adress of a shoemaker in Britain who offers the service for a reasonable price too.
I guess he exists somewhere.

In my opinion it is far more intelligent to invest money in perfectly fitting high quality hiking boots, than in expensive knives or gas stoves or whatever.
 
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MrEd

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Feb 18, 2010
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I think it's better if you look for double stiched boots like they are offered by Steinkogler, Trabert, Völkl, Meindl and Hanwag for example.
In German double stiched means "zwiegenäht".

They last longer than the modern glued stuff and every good shoemaker is able to repair them.

http://www.steinkogler-bergschuh.at...uhfabrikation_Steinkogler_Katalog_09_2014.pdf

https://meindl.de/product-world/mountaineering-hiking/models-genuine-double-stitching/?lang=en

http://www.trabert-onlineshop.de/Jagdstiefel.html

http://www.voelkl-outdoor.com/de/outdoor/produkte/

https://www.hanwag.de/kollektion/zwiegenaht/

Exclusively in individual measures produces Geiger. It is necessary to visit him in the black forest area in southern Germany to take the measures.
(The prices aren't higher than the other offers.)

http://www.geigerschuhe.de/html/schuhe/wanderschuh_bernina.html

double stitched is a good point, scarpa are double stitched (the more expensive ones anyway) - definitely lasts better.
It is well worth getting measured properly, your exactly right there and often both feet are identical shape or size which can be accounted for
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Scarpa offers still double stiched shoes???

Which model, please?

I guess, we misunderstand each other here.

Look how Meindl attached here the sole to the boot with a double seam:
https://www.frankonia.de/p/meindl/bergstiefel-perfekt-herren/20047

That we mean with "zwiegenäht" and I translate it with "double stiched".

This are the boots that look in this traditional way and cost minimum 250 €, because that is an expensive way to do it by hand, how it was made 100 years ago.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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Aha!

But this is the important point!

A boot like this dies, if you scratch the leather through next to the toes. That happens in the mountains if you scratch over rocks, or by hunting in thorns.

The lower rubber soles are glued to the soles. Every good shoemaker can change them for 40£.

Every part of this boot can be repaired by every good European shoemaker, in every town!

Boots like that usually live between 10 and 30 years!

I think I gave you links to all producers who make hiking shoes, mountain boots, forest boots or military boots in this way.

(The others I know produce only flat traditional Bavarian or Austrian summer shoes.)

They are absolutely worth the money!

Only Hanwag produces "in Europe" , the rest I gave you produce this stuff in Austria or Germany.

Pay attention with the weight!

Meindl Perfekt are really stiff and heavy mountain boots!
"Steigeisen fest" means that you can use them with heavy spikes like horse shoes!
"bedingt Steigeisen fest" are proper universal mountain boots.

Attention: The Badile from Meindl is smooth and flexible for hill walking, but inside the tongue is lined with a synthetic fabric. That's not first quality!
But I guess they are OK too for the relatively low price.
The Meindl Ortler for Example is a good all round boot.

Have a look for the Steinkogler Bundesheer "Feldstiefel leicht". That's Austrian Army stuff. The heavy version "Feldstiefel schwer" is made with the experience of WW II for WWIII to defend every Austrian glacier against everybody in all conditions.
Should you buy this boot new it surely will survive you!
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
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