Good price for Burma Pro's?

[tenohfive]

I mentioned in another thread that I'm on the hunt for new boots and I've settled on Meindl Burma Pro MFS's. Any idea on what's a decent price to pay? I try not to buy boots often so I'm not sure what the going rate is for the mens version. I've seen the womens for as little as £90 on Field and Trek but the going rate for mens seems to be about £150.
The cheapest I've managed to come up with is £133 using the GO price match plus 10%.

Do they come up cheaper than that often? I'm not in a rush but if they're about the same sort of price I'll get them sooner rather than later.

[ceaser]

i,d go for that ,decent price !

[lochlaggan]

Yep great price!

My boots are only just still going after 250+ munros, will buy again.

[stevesey]

Mine were £90 inc p&p 14 months ago - new, boxed, with tags on from ebay - had been sat in the bottom of a wardrobe for a year (someone's impulse purchase = my bargain). If you are confident in your size in a particular brand there there are some good bargains on ebay - some never worn (purchased with the best intentions of taking up hill walking?) and others worn once and found to be the wrong size (make sure the photo's look like they have just been worn the once though).

There's also a guy in Ambleside (one of the shops I assume) who puts a couple of pairs on a month - if you know your size and don't mind waiting a bit (I was waiting for my size when the pair I got came up).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MEINDL-MENS-B ... 1c3095cd53

[tenohfive]

I've been checking eBay from time to time but I've saved him now - thanks. The 'best price,' I posted above would appear to be a fairly standard one as a lot of places sell them for £150, and GO's price match -10% isn't anything new. Of course it relies upon them having stock...

I'll keep shopping for a month or two and see what deals come up. I'm not above paying £135 for them - I'm sure they're worth it - but if I can save a few quid it'll go towards something else. Expensive hobby, walking.

[Ossian22]

Have you tried a pair of the Burma's on? I went for a pair of Borneo's much the same boot but with a leather lining instead of goretex. The clincher was picking them up for £99 from GoOutdoors in one of their deals.

I find the boot to be quite a narrow fit and when I first put them on they felt that they were going to cause problems, especially across the top of the foot. I did try a size up but they did not feel any wider and walking around the shop in my normal size felt far better. I took the chance and hoped that they just needed a bit of breaking in. Funnily enough once you start doing a bit of walking outdoors they feel pretty comfy, my only complaint is the insole could be improved upon. Time will tell if they are going to break in fully, I hope so as I am planning a coast to coast this May and is the main reason I bought them.

If you have a wide foot I really would suggest trying the Burma's on. You don't want to spend a lot of time and effort getting a pair at the right price, just to find they are not for you!

[tenohfive]

I've tried them on - frankly I wouldn't buy any pair of boots or shoes without having done so. I spend my days on my feet so I feel very strongly about decent footwear. The Burma's fit nicely - not in a feet pillow sort of way, but walking around in a shop with them on I was impressed.

As for the Burma vs. Borneo, I don't really know to be honest. I don't actually know how much benefit the goretex brings but if there is some I'm happy to spend another £30 or so.

[Belgian_Hiker]

From experience, I'd strongly suggest you go for the non gortex liner.
Sooner or later the gortex liner fails and you end up with leaking boots/wet feet.
A problem you won't have with the leather liner.
Goretex lined boots also tend to make your feet sweat more when the weather warms up.

[Lenore]

I have these boots, the goretex version. Replaced them last year as it did indeed start leaking, but that was after 9 years! I like them and wouldn't go without goretex. I do think, however, that it depends on what kind of walker you are. If you live near hills and go for single or maybe two day outings on a regular basis on weekends, leather might be fine. Probably dries quicker as well. But I live far away and when I come to Scotland I go walking from anywhere between a week and a month continuously. If leather is wet all the time, I think it will eventually stop keeping my feet dry. Also, I have no time between walks to dry them out properly. And to counter the sweaty feet in summer I bring an extra pair of hiking socks and change them mid walk. I'll also take my boots off if there's some time to sit about on a summit.

[Lenore]

Oh, and 90 is a lot less than I paid!

[stevesey]

I find the boot to be quite a narrow fit and when I first put them on they felt that they were going to cause problems, especially across the top of the foot.

Funnily enough once you start doing a bit of walking outdoors they feel pretty comfy, my only complaint is the insole could be improved upon. Time will tell if they are going to break in fully, I hope so as I am planning a coast to coast this May and is the main reason I bought them.

Similarly I was concerned about the width (especially as lots of people report them as being "narrow")
like the OP I tried on in shop first and then looked for the cheapest price (online in my case). Wore them around the house for a whole week then walking the dog - have a pair of spongier aftermarket insoles that make them slipper like and feet feel fine after several successive 20km days.

[Rudolph]

like the OP I tried on in shop first and then looked for the cheapest price (online in my case).

I wonder if there will ever be a business model for a kind of 'gear library' where you can go in and try on lots of stuff for a fee and get some proper advice so you can order off the interweb with confidence. I can't imagine the shops will continue to offer this service for free.

Maybe the upmarket ones would offer some sort of cafe with balanced slow release carb drinks and oat biscuits?

[tenohfive]

If you get your advice from the shops you're on to a loser right there. Whilst I was trying on the Burma's I was listening to the shop assistants 'advice,' to others and I certainly won't pay anything for that. I'll do my own research every time.

The vast majority of online shops have a physical shop as well with the same overheads, whilst making a significant profit from people who've never come into their shops. No small number of them do price match - including with online shops. They incorporate it into their business model. I don't have enough disposable income to stand on my morals frankly, and I don't consider which large business gets my custom to be an ethical matter.

[Rudolph]

If you get your advice from the shops you're on to a loser right there. Whilst I was trying on the Burma's I was listening to the shop assistants 'advice,' to others and I certainly won't pay anything for that. I'll do my own research every time.

Yes I agree about the standard of advice. I came out of Nevisport yesterday with a pair of leki Albula walking poles marked 'titanium ultralight' - check on the web and they are made of aluminium! The assistant was quite happy to let me believe titanium was a major part of their construction. I should have researched before hand myself but I trusted the shop and the brand.

I was trying to avoid making a moral judgment on this - (your moral standards are none of my business) so apologies if it came over like that. I was just conscious that the current way of doing things seems unsustainable and the ability to go into a shop and try things on is something of real value which we may end up paying for directly.

[mrssanta]

I like the local independent outdoor gear retailer. no price matches, but he knows all about the gear he sells. Also he gives my daughter kendal mint cake. And although there are no super sales, his prices are not always more than the big companies, in fact often less. The poles I bought from him were cheaper and lighter than Rudolph's fancy Lekis, made in Britain and the proprietor knows the guy who makes them (Mountain King). And you always get a tale and a bit of a moan about the state of the world which always makes me feel better!