Tough hiking boot brands

[hikin_jim]

Dang! Big boots for a little girl! Did you guys do so much hard snow that you needed heavy boots like that?

HJ

[cgundersen]

jim,
Yes, that is the pattern that was a disaster for me. As I said, it's fine on dry trails, but once things get slick, that pattern slides. Curiously, I just realized that La Sportiva puts the standard vibram lugsole on their next model up (Makalu), so next time, I'll probably get Maks.

fishmonger,
great shot; I wish I'd had such great boots at that age!
cg

[whrdafamI?]

I bought new boots this year and went with Zamberland Cervino Gt's. "Old School" boot for sure with the Vibram Montagna bloc soles. I love em. Killer boots man!

[freestone]

Bill, I'm with you on Zamberlan. Go to Endless.com, they have a great selection and return policy. I purchased a pair of Zamberlan Braies which is basically a trail runner made with leather, with a leather lining (don't like Gortex). I like my ankle free for agility so I now prefer lowcuts like trail runners. Purchased them in May so they would be well broken in by September and I'm glad that I did. They certainly were not plug and play! They are made in Italy, not China although some of their products are. I go back and forth with shoe materials. Synthetics are light, comfortable, but carry a big carbon footprint. Put 500 miles on them right out of the box, then into the trash they go. Leather is heavy, brake them in, watch them age with beauty and mold to your foot, then resole if they can. I like that kind of sustainability. I just got out and saw three young women and two young men doing the JMT. All were wearing leather boots, not "barefoot" Vibrams or trailrunners. As a side note, I also purchased a pair of Patagonia Screes (panic!) because I did not think the Zamberlans would be ready. They are also leather, but much lighter, thinner and lined with synthetics. As it turned out, I went in with the Zamberlans and they were great. Next trip will be with the Screes and then see how they do and which pair will end up in the trash can first.

[fishmonger]

Dang! Big boots for a little girl! Did you guys do so much hard snow that you needed heavy boots like that?

HJ

[Garbanzo Bean]

Great thread! I've used a variety of boots and none, so far, have satisfied. Several pairs of Asolos have been the best but when looking to have them re-soled, I was told that the leather was either too "greasy" or I had used too much waterproofing.

Just when the boots get really really comfortable, the sole is worn out. Anyway, I bought a pair of Limmer midweights. Damn! The break-in period appears to be a chore.

Any suggestions for breaking them in?

[RoguePhotonic]

I would say that the Zamberlan Vioz GT are awesome boots. After 95 days of hiking over every type of terrain possible they still are holding together which is more then I can say for any other boot I have used. For now I wouldn't buy anything else.

[Vaca Russ]

I purchased a pair of La Sportiva Glaciers based on this post:

"I'm with fishmonger. I'm on my second pair of La Sportiva (Glacier) and they are the most comfortable boots I've ever found. Great for snow, scree, talus and bushwhacking. Broke in my last pair over Sawmill Pass with nary a blister. I've used Lowa, Raichle, Galibier and Asolo (all with Norwegian welt, and all with lengthy break-in needed) and had the soles fall off every pair at more-or-less inopportune moments."

I broke mine in on my daily dog walks (3.5 miles) but like cgundersen said, they really need no breaking in.

I just got back from a long back country snow shoeing trip (11 miles in deep post holeing snow). My feet got a little cold but stayed completely dry.

This outdoor gear topix board is really priceless! I want to thank everybody who contributes!

Thanks again,

-Russ

[tim]

I love my leather Scarpa Manta boots (an earlier version of the M3: http://www.scarpa.com/scarpa/products/T ... 66002W-S07" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

I bought them in the UK 20 years ago and when I started hiking in the Sierra I went for more lightweight boots because its usually so dry and dusty here compared to the UK. Last summer it was so snowy/wet (for our Miter Basin trip at the end of June) that I took my old leather boots instead and realized just how much I'd been missing in terms of comfort. Despite the dry weather I definitely think I'll be using them again this year.

I'd note that Scarpa are particularly good if you have wide feet like me. A lot of the other brands (Zamberlan for example) work better if you have narrower feet.

[Vaca Russ]

Well, after a little over a year and many, many miles I just noticed this:

Boots1.JPG

Boots2.JPG

Boots3.JPG

I guess the La Sportiva Glaciers don't last forever.

Anybody know a good cobbler? I don't want to drive all the way down to Fremont to see Al Grasseschi.

Thanks,

-Russ