Best footwear?

[Grendel]

Ok as a few will gather from my past post all this bushcraft stuff is new to me. So I was wandering what is the best footwear for bushcraft. I have some UK Army Para Hi-leg boots but they don’t tend to be comfy 24hours and the sole being plastic offers little shock resistance or insulation and they take a while to break in. I also had a set of soft walking boots from Cotton traders which where very comfy but leaked if you stood in water even though they where advertised as waterproof. So basically should I be looking for leather, textile, waterproof or easy drying Ect?

Reason I ask is my thinking of heavily dubbed leather is probably a bit out of date.

[Nagual]

I guess it's all down to personal preference. Many go for the likes of Mendle, Lowe etc. Lots like army surplus etc too. I like my German Para boots, cheap enough @30 notes and tough as erm... old boots.. I wear mine all the time and find them comfy enough.

[ged]

As Mark said, it's a very personal thing. There's as much (if not more) to find out about your own body as there is to find out about kit. Some people have tough feet which can endure horrendous abuse (I seem to be one of those) and some people need to work on their feet with surgical spirits and sticking plaster. Like almost everything else in your body your feet can be trained, and they can get used to things. You might prefer shoes to boots or vice versa. You might be happy with something like trainers, lots of people use them even in wet weather. They dry out fairly quickly and you can probably carry a spare pair and they will still weigh less than my boots.

My favourite boots are Alt-Bergs. Other people here will talk about other boots that might well be better for you, but I do want to say that the pre-sales advice and the after-sales service that I've had from Alt-Berg have been the best of any supplier of anything that I can think of. They are a real old-school company and I can't praise them enough for the service they've given to me. After about ten years of wear I've just had a pair of motorcycle boots refurbished, and I'm just about to send a pair of walking boots off for refurbishment because they finally succumbed to all the abuse when I was away in Europe for about a month in the winter. Both pairs were really great for waterproofing for the first few years but the walking boots gradually became more sponge like as I gave them more and more abuse. I think if I'd looked after them better they'd have been more waterproof for longer. The soles are fairly hard and not very grippy.

On the minus side, my feet (like the rest of me) sweat a lot when they're working. I've tried gore-tex lined boots which can be very good for waterproofing, but they stink to high heaven after I've been walking in them for a couple of days. I mean really, really, bad so you can't bear to have them in the tent with you. A lot of sales people won't mention things like that about their products, so be careful what you buy if you're spending a lot of money on things you haven't personally experienced.

In your position I would definitely want to see what the (real) army surplus stores have to offer, if you can find comfortable issued kit it will be way better value for money than some of the expensive brand-name stuff where you're basically paying more for the advertising than you are for the product.

[woof]

Both Nag & Ged are giving good advice. I wore altberg field & fells for 10yrs, but due to my feet changing shape i don't wear them at the moment, but wear the Geman army para boot, these are very good, but very heavy.
I find altbergs come up narrow, so always went for the wide fitting. I cuurently wear meindals(non-gotex)for walking & find them a lovely comfy boot.

Rob

[Itzal]

Go for Lowa boots every time, they cost more but take no breaking in and I have had mine for 8 + years and i am only just looking at replacing them, they have been all over the world, on exercise up mountains and in war zones.

[Shewie]

All good advice so far, the best idea is to try as many on as you can before buying.

I'm still getting good service from a pair of Lowa leather civvy boots which are knocking on for 12 years old now, the goretex lining is still sound and I've not had soggy feet yet. My other boots are Lundhags Ranger Highs, a full length boot and unlined. Apparently goretex boots take much longer to dry out if you go in deeper than your boots are tall.

What sort of terrain will you be covering ?

[Grendel]

Only starting out in bushcraft really so only need working boots since cant say I’ll be doing lots of walking due to a dodgy knee. So I suppose it will be UK woodland mostly.

[Greg]

I've had Altbergs & Lunhags aswell as various other military type boots, but as ged has mentioned the after care you get from Altbergs is outstanding. I have a lot of mates in the Army who swear by the Lowa Mountain boot aswell. They are brilliant I have to say.
But at the same time they do cost alot, and for some one just starting with bushcraft its a big outlay!
It all depends on how much you want to spend. What ever you decide to do, try a few pairs and go for the best option for you.

[John Fenna]

Only starting out in bushcraft really so only need working boots since cant say I’ll be doing lots of walking due to a dodgy knee. So I suppose it will be UK woodland mostly.

In that case you will not need realy top of the range boots - some folk swear by wellies, some by moccasins, some by suede boots.
Personally I wear a lot of Magnum boots as I find them well up to Woodland wear (and everday use) and their lasting fits me perfectly.
I love Altbergs as well ...but the cost difference is amazing!

[geordienemisis]

The best pair of boots that I ever wore were Danner Arcadia, They are so light and well put together. Used them for years when i was serving in HMF good all round sturdy they always have been expensive but seems if you get online and import from US you get a good deal. I have no real use for that kind of boot now so I wear Brasher which I find wide and comfortable.

[TomBartlett]

I've been won over by 'barefoot' shoes and now wear softstar moccasins pretty much all the time.

[Grendel]

A lot of people recommending German Para boots over UK army boots for some reason?

I suppose I could start out with my current British Para hi-legs and see how they fair then if they fail miserably think about buying more expensive boots.

[woof]

Good idea, use what you've got, and if your not going far, there is no need for expensive boots.

Rob

[Barn Owl]

What about a nice comfy insole for the boots you have.

There's lot's available.

For waterproofing try some of the surplus w/proof socks, cheaper than sealskin.

[Rabbitsmacker]

i got some new unused 'boots combat high' which is what you have in that picture, bloody hell they are stiff, need to get them broken in like yours to be of any use. i have also got standard assualt boots that replaced the ones that replaced your/mine 'bch' very comfy, softer leather and more cushoined sole, not a lot but a bit better. i think your boots in the picture will be fine mate, ideal in fact. i've decided to go for something with goretex after a bit of a boots disaster a couple of weeks ago, but that was civvy boots letting me down.

[Greg]

Grendel, those boots of yours aren't Army Para boots! They are just a pair of standard issue high legs from the late '80s - early '90s. They were replaced by the Assault boot in about 1994.
Those boots of yours aren't exactly the best mate, I wore a pair of those when I did 'P' Company and they destroyed my feet!

[comeonbabylightmyfire]

I've spent a king's ransom in boots over the years and I only discovered the joys of German Army para boots about a year ago. Now I've got three pairs.

[Davey569]

What about a pair of good approach shoes? You dont NEED to wear boots.

[pastymuncher]

If you want to experience the environment fully, go barefoot. The weather is finally getting good enough to do it comfortably now.

[Robbi]

check out a TK Maxx, some good boots in there, got my Danners for £30

[toilet digger]

If you want to experience the environment fully, go barefoot. The weather is finally getting good enough to do it comfortably now.

don't wish to sound offensive but ..........

are you mental?

i have only experianced dog toffee between my toes only once, not something i wish to repeat.

[Greg]

If you want to experience the environment fully, go barefoot. The weather is finally getting good enough to do it comfortably now.

Our own Jock version of Cody Lundin!!! Brilliant...each to their own!

[pastymuncher]

don't wish to sound offensive but ..........

are you mental?

i have only experianced dog toffee between my toes only once, not something i wish to repeat.

No offence taken, mental probably, but not certified yet

I've spent large sums of money on footwear over the years, I currently have Oakley, La Chameau, Sportiva, Jallatte, Hunter and a lot more for sport/casual wear. I've removed the insoles from all of my shoes now.
Approx 2 years ago I started going barefoot as much as possible, yes there are problems initially but the more I do it, the more aware I have become of the environment, and the less I want to wear shoes.

A few of my neighbours are even doing it now as well.

[johnnythefox]

mostly

winter i wear brasher goretex as they are light,comfortable and wateroroof
summer i wear ex army meindles they are superb, comfortable and breathable

what people forget is if your heavy you need a stong and heavy boot to take your weight
as altberg tod me when i bought a pair of theirs once

[johnnythefox]

If you want to experience the environment fully, go barefoot. The weather is finally getting good enough to do it comfortably now.

we have a old rasta around here who is always running [never seen him walk] barefoot with [i think] a holy book in one hand and some sort of ceremonial stick in the other.

there is also a famous old photo of a abyssinian soldier barefoot in rocky terrain with feet like a rhinos skin!

[pastymuncher]

what people forget is if your heavy you need a stong and heavy boot to take your weight
as altberg tod me when i bought a pair of theirs once

I'm down to 18stone at the moment, and carry my toddler in backpack style carrier most days when walking the dog through the woods.

[ex member coconino]

My current preference is for Dickies Cleveland work boots, with steel toe-caps and mid-soles, about £25-£30 if you shop around. They've got very flat soles so are rubbish for walking, probably a couple of miles at the most, under load, but around woods in all kinds of weather and in camp when axing, moving logs, whatever, they're very comfy and safe. Mine look knackered after a lot of use but are still thoroughly waterproof and the soles are remarkably unscathed considering how much "fire management" I do with them.

[789987]

got to watch the steel toe caps if its cold and youre out for a while

as for the best footwear - ignore everyone elses opinions as the answer is leather boots! and you get what you pay for particularly in comfort and durability. i wear various types of boots pretty much continuously and have gotten over 15 years out a pair of repeatedly resoled danners a couple of extremely comfortable years out of a pair of meindls (yet to be re-soled) while the dewalt/ cat steel toecap boots tend to be fit for the bin after 6 months.

so seeing as you wont be doing much walking - i would suggest you get a set of the meindles as they will probably last you the best part of a decade. which works out at around 16 quid a year.

[ex member coconino]

got to watch the steel toe caps if its cold and youre out for a while [...]

I find that once the boots have warmed up they stay warm, and my feet haven't felt cold wearing them, despite spending a fair bit of time in icy and snowy conditions this last winter. But of course YMMV.

[Grendel]

Well wore the Army boots for a couple of days walking and found them to be too narrow at the toes which resulted in sore little toes on both feet due to the sock seam rubbing. But turns out my Dad has a pair of Cotton Traders walking boots he doesn’t wear so tried them out walking around the Needles on IOW and think I’m on to a winner just need to put walking insole in to make them more comfortable.