Decent priced walking boots

[LondonTom]

On 3/14/2016 at 3:27 PM, CaledonianGonzo said:

It's easier to dance in walking boots.

But I'd never bother with gaiters, but then I'm in shorts regardless of the weather.

[JanieM28]

On 14 March 2016 at 11:32 PM, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

In the past I've bought two lots of expensive enough gaiters. I bought the second pair after losing the first pair without ever having worn them. Now I have just one gaiter out of the last batch which I also never got to wear. So, to conclude, if there's any one legged people out there who need just one gaiter then please PM me and it's yours - on a first come first served basis.

Try contacting The Last Leg at Channel 4. :-)

 

[russycarps]

Anyone seen any good boot bargains recently? I'm a welly man at Glastonbury but need some for actual walking. Cheers!

[russycarps]

Cheers, was hoping to spend about £50. Is there no chance of anything half decent for that?

Also leather is out!

Edited October 16, 2016 by russycarps

[CaledonianGonzo]

Karrimor do decent boots for that sort of price, but I think most of them will have some suede on them somewhere.

[russycarps]

1 minute ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

Course it is mate sorry I wasn't thinking. You should get half decent for £50 though I would have thought. 

 

Karrimoor have a decent rep from people that I know. I'm just not a fan of that kind of material when it comes to hiking boots (No need for the murderer reply, I'll just take it as red that you've thought it, bud). Not sure if any would be totally leather free to be honest. Even these style have suede.

 

 

Ta mate, I'll have a look. I saw some regatta ones that seemed to get good reviews too.

No murderer comments from me, it's unbelievably difficult to avoid all animal products

[CaledonianGonzo]

My £50 Karrimor boots coped with this year easil.  I've often thought about paying more for a decent set of Scarpa boots, but the soles are usually the first thing to go and almost all boots have Vibram so I dunno if paying an extra 100 quid is going to make any difference at all.

I think anything vegan-friendly is probanly going to have a mark up on the price as standard due to the relatively low numbers that they shift. 

Edited October 16, 2016 by CaledonianGonzo

[balti-pie]

If it's for proper hiking - upwards of 20 miles a day - then I'd do all I can to spend more than £50 on a pair to be honest. Brasher are a very decent make, though I like salomons - you'd get some on sale for about £70ish and they're really comfy and will last a good few miles. 

Karrimor/regatta are good for festivals and the occasional country wander, but I wouldn't rely on em for a lot of walking - I've got a couple of pairs of merrells that were about £50-£60 and they've lasted pretty well, but 3 years on they're pretty much ready for the scrapheap. A shame, cos they've been all over the place with me! 

In short: spend as much as you can, try out your sock regime, and try em on at the end of the day so your feet are quite big and swollen. You want them to be a tiny bit big at the start of a walk, and perfectly perfect at the end of a walk. I'm the veteran of some absolute bastard blisters and must be an expert on knackered feet by now. 

[Nice hymer]

Keep an eye here, they often come on offer £35 - £40

http://www.mandmdirect.com/02/fts/?Search=berghausboots

Edited October 16, 2016 by Nice hymer

[russycarps]

26 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

If it's for proper hiking - upwards of 20 miles a day - then I'd do all I can to spend more than £50 on a pair to be honest. Brasher are a very decent make, though I like salomons - you'd get some on sale for about £70ish and they're really comfy and will last a good few miles. 

Karrimor/regatta are good for festivals and the occasional country wander, but I wouldn't rely on em for a lot of walking - I've got a couple of pairs of merrells that were about £50-£60 and they've lasted pretty well, but 3 years on they're pretty much ready for the scrapheap. A shame, cos they've been all over the place with me! 

In short: spend as much as you can, try out your sock regime, and try em on at the end of the day so your feet are quite big and swollen. You want them to be a tiny bit big at the start of a walk, and perfectly perfect at the end of a walk. I'm the veteran of some absolute bastard blisters and must be an expert on knackered feet by now. 

Cheers for this. I am going to be spending more time in Wales soon and going on some long ish walks. Do you suggest I buy a size bigger then to allow for swelling, i.e. Buy a 10 if I'm usually a 9?

[Calvin Klein]

I got a pair of cheap Campri walking boots for Glastonbury 2013. They were 20 pounds. I'm sure they must be pretty shitty. They are a bit hard but ok. I thought I'd just use them for that one time so I got them. They've been though 3 Glastonburys now including the last one and they are still going strong.

 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

18 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

I tend to, but I also wear a pair of normal socks under hiking socks too. 

Same approach here, and hasn't failed me yet - mind you, I am writing this from Stoke Mandeville .

 

 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

6 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

I think I've just remembered that I bought my Braschers after seeing that you'd recommended them on here years ago. I must have been fairly new to this website cos I never once thought whether your judgement or state of mind could be trusted. But now that I've seen a few more of your posts.................. 

I don't know what you are talking about, I'm sure!  lol

I wasn't wrong about the Brasher Supalites though was I?  They really are like wearing slippers, in my opinion - especially if you add some decent shock absorbing insoles.

[balti-pie]

I go a really thin pair of liner socks, bamboo ones or sexy technical ones, and then a normal sock on top of that - so hopefully they rub together instead of bits of my feet rubbing. A size bigger is definitely advisable in my experience - but it's a problem for me cos I'm a size 11 and most walking shoes/boots are commonly in 6-11, with size 12 only available on line! 

My number one walking tip for feet though - And i can't stress this enough - if it feels a bit dodgy, don't battle on. stop and sort it out there and then. Hot spots on your feet are the initial tip that it's all gonna get a bit shitty, but rearranging socks, maybe rubbing a bit of Vaseline on your toe, or getting rid of gravel - will endure you don't end up with a massive bubble on your sole and two weeks of walking like you're on ice skates! 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Some people have said to put talcum powder on your feet when you go back to your tent to sleep too. I've only done this once before and psychologically it felt nice, but not sure if it was physically better for my feet.

[Skoo]

I've just purchased boots for myself and Mr Skoo after his toe nail fell off after this year's fest.

Have gone for Regatta based on some decent reviews. Had to order online as he is size 12 and it's hard to find those in-store. Can always send back if they're not quite right, but keeping fingers crossed.

 

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/regatta-lady-garsdale-mid-womens-walking-boot-p307216

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/regatta-burrell-mid-mens-walking-boot-p380995

Edited October 16, 2016 by Skoo

[Nice hymer]

Bargain Berghaus boots. Limited sizes available, have just ordered the missus some for Christmas 

http://www.mandmdirect.com/01/details/be1187/berghaus-womens-expeditor-aq-tech-waterproof-suede-hiking-boots-brown-natural

[Stokesy10]

http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-mount-low-mens-walking-shoes-183075?colcode=18307522

I have a pair of these walking shoes, I know a lot of you have boots instead of shoes but I'm going to give these a blast next year as my wellies have met and end. The thing is, surely these boots/shoes aren't very waterproof and if get submerged in mud you're screwed? These are the same material as some of the boots previously posted.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Walking shoes will be fine in the damp, but if there's deep mud you really need the extra height and ankle support that you get from boots.

[TheBurns]

I got a pair of regatta boots for around €50 and they did me great last year, no problems at all so I'll be sticking with the boots from now on. I also got good hiking socks from aldi, I think they were €4 a pair but they were nice thick double layered ones my feet were fine for the whole festival even with the limited amount of breaking in I did.

[Mezhyp1]

Solomon Ultra Mid 2 GTX. They're about £100 but I seriously cannot recommend them enough, they made it through last year absolutely fine and my feet were dry and comfortable the whole time. Really waterproof and really lightweight 

[The Nal]

Football socks FTW!

[Stokesy10]

2 hours ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

Can't comment on those linked to but never an issue with the leather walking boots I own. And submerged is better than wellies cos the boots never get stuck leaving you hopping in your socks.

Good point. That vacuum that forms when the wellies are submerged is a right ball ache. Someone else has mentioned about lack of ankle support with the shoes as opposed to boots...which might not be wise for me given a dodgy ankle ligament history!