Walking boots and the Holy Grail

[FleetwoodHack]

Having accepted that the holy grail - the all purpose walking boot that supports you sufficiently in winter and doesn't hurt you in summer does not exist. I'm looking at the jump into a second pair of boots.

I have a pair of Scarpa SLs which are brilliant, even if a little narrow for my ageing widening feet which was rectified with Smart Feet soles, they are hugely penalising on approach and walk out. They are fantastic on every terrain except for well maintained and flat paths. I'd go as far as to say with a slightly weak right ankle i'm scared to go with anything with any less support without strapping up my ankle.

So i'm looking for, I presume, some wider fit fabric gore-tex boots that can handle the obvious terrain and not make me seriously consider amputation on well maintained paths. I don't mind strapping up my ankle to compensate for the lesser support.

My question lays however in, is this normal? And if so, what have people's ways around it been? Multiple boots. swapping shoes after a few miles approach at the foot of the hill? Dealing with the pain? Just interested in people's experiences, received wisdom and recommendations.

[mrssanta]

that does sound a little weird. Maybe a podiatrist could help

[rockhopper]

Like you, I've always used full leather boots as I like the extra support they offer; they also generally dry off quicker on the outside and seem sturdier. From Scarpa Asolos in the '80s to, more recently, Meindl Burma Pro, Scarpa SL M3 and Scarpa SL Activ. However, also in the last few years I've started to suffer from metatarsalgia - it starts after about 14km and tends to get progressively worse, so it's far from ideal on longer days. I use special insoles with a supporting "bump" just before the ball of the foot which take some of the pressure off the metatarsals but the pain does still come back on long walks. My wife got a pair of Salomon textile/suede goretex lined walking boots and found them really comfortable so I thought I'd give non full leather boots a try. I got a pair of Salomon Quest Prime GTX boots a couple of months ago and tried them out on some recent walks - a mixture of donalds and corbetts with some very wet underfoot conditions and very steep slopes with no paths. Must say I was impressed with them - good grip, comfortable (didn't use my special insoles), didn't leak despite some very wet conditions and they're a lot lighter than the leather boots. Only issue so far is that the outsides take a very long time to dry - sometimes a couple of days or more and I don't find the water repellent sprays work. I'll be keeping them for summer/autumn day walks (will still use either of the Scarpas for camping trips) and will see how they get on - touch wood, so far so good, but time will tell as to how robust they are - cheers

[Ben Nachie]

I wear Meindl Borneos all year round.

[gman]

Give trail shoes a try - cheap, light, comfy on approaches and fine on the hill. Keep the boots for the snow.

[BobMcBob]

They are fantastic on every terrain except for well maintained and flat paths. I'd go as far as to say with a slightly weak right ankle i'm scared to go with anything with any less support without strapping up my ankle.

I think you might actually have too much ankle support, based on your description of the rather odd symptoms. Your ankles and feet work as a system and need to flex. I myself cannot wear boots with high ankles or very stiff soles or I get terrible pain. I thoroughly recommend seeing a podiatrist, explaining the problem, and taking your boots with you.

[kaiserstein]

I also thought I had weak ankles. I over pronate quite badly due to flat feet. I once went to tiso intending to spend as much as required on superfeet insoles moulded to fit. The guy in the shop took one look at my feet and recommend I go to a qualified podiatrist!
SLs were my first decent pair of walking boots and I found them pretty painful. I now use trail shoes (currently TNF hedgehogs) untill winter and get on fine if with wet feet at times. For winter I use salewa ravens which are lightweight alpine boots. I definitely don't suffer as much as I did with the SLs.

[FleetwoodHack]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Think I may well see a pediatrist but I should mention for clarity the weak right ankle isn't related to hillwalking but a long term issue i've had from other sports, so my avoidance of trail/approach shoes other than decent terrain is to avoid exacerbating that injury. Or even find myself without being able to walk on the side of a hill.

The pain i'm experiencing is mostly in my toes and quite definitely the feel of them being pressed against the hard sole of the SLs. I can bear it to an extent, but any type of long approach or walk out ruins the whole experience.

[Gareth Harper]

I have wide fit scarpa SL’s, and as a wide fit boot they ain’t that wide, they are just wide enough for me and no more. They are pretty darn stiff too, I only wear em if I think I’ll probably need to use crampons. Meindl Borneo’s are definitely not a wide fit. It’s not that easy to find wide fit boots, and frankly most staff in outdoor shops don’t have a clue.

My current boots are 1. Salomon Quest 4D GTX. Pretty light, hold my ankle well with a very flexible sole and plenty of toe space.

I bought the Salomon’s this year to see if they offered any advantage over my other current boot the Altberg Tethera. The Tethera is a three season leather boot that comes in half sizes and 5 width options. I really like them. I’m told they will take a flexible crampon OK but on the few outings last winter I only ever carried the crampons, so never got to see how that goes. But yeah the tethera might just be my do it all boot.
If you are having feet trouble a foot examination and maybe a biomechanical assessment by a podiatrist might be worthwhile. Or maybe you just need a boot with a wee bit more flex.

[FleetwoodHack]

I have wide fit scarpa SL’s, and as a wide fit boot they ain’t that wide, they are just wide enough for me and no more. They are pretty darn stiff too, I only wear em if I think I’ll probably need to use crampons. Meindl Borneo’s are definitely not a wide fit. It’s not that easy to find wide fit boots, and frankly most staff in outdoor shops don’t have a clue.

My current boots are 1. Salomon Quest 4D GTX. Pretty light, hold my ankle well with a very flexible sole and plenty of toe space.

I bought the Salomon’s this year to see if they offered any advantage over my other current boot the Altberg Tethera. The Tethera is a three season leather boot that comes in half sizes and 5 width options. I really like them. I’m told they will take a flexible crampon OK but on the few outings last winter I only ever carried the crampons, so never got to see how that goes. But yeah the tethera might just be my do it all boot.
If you are having feet trouble a foot examination and maybe a biomechanical assessment by a podiatrist might be worthwhile. Or maybe you just need a boot with a wee bit more flex.

This is the dozenth endorsement of Altberg and the second or third for those Saloman boots so that gives me two starting places.

[BobMcBob]

Pain in the toes can often come simply from lacing too tight, which people can do without realising it if their boots are too big. Perhaps you went up a size to get the width but now there's too much volume and you're over-lacing to compensate?

[Gareth Harper]

This is the dozenth endorsement of Altberg and the second or third for those Saloman boots so that gives me two starting places.

Recommendations are one thing, but you have to try them on and see if they suit you. Try on lots of boots and see how they feel.


The great thing about some of the Altberg boots is half sizes plus the 5 width options. If I remember the widths are extra narrow, narrow, normal, wide and extra wide. I take a wide.

Bear in mind also that a boot like a Salomon Quest 4D won’t last anything like as long as your Scarpa SL’s. Leather is tougher and also the stiffer the boot generally the longer it will last.

[walkingpoles]

Try the boots in a store. If you're lucky the guy selling the boots knows a fair share about boots. My feet can't cope with the Salomon to the point where the boots become a showstopper after a week of hiking. Big regrets buying these (and I know of other people who rebuy these boots online because they are so happy with them. It's highly individual). Fortunately mine start to fall apart after less then 28 days of serious hiking, so I'll get a new pair before long.

[FleetwoodHack]

I definitely don't buy until i've tried them on in store and compared it widely with others.

But having a few recommendations gives me a place to start next time i'm in and having a look for something that might be most suitable. Altberg do seem to be what I need. Wide or Extra wide i reckon will be a must though. Is there a decent model I should look into? Won't need them hard enough for crampons but decent ankle support is a must, more than what a fabric boot can offer.

[stinker]

Have a look at the Altberg Tethera, Nordkapp and the Kisdon models.