Walking Boots


 

Karrimor Bodmin mid shoe
The Karrimor Bodmin was my first purchase coming from a leading brand of entry level boots direct from England. Back in the old days I climbed Helvellyn in the Bodmin, grip came a plenty but the mid shoe lacked in ankle suppoirt. Karrimor are still a leading brand to this day and are a great purchase for those just starting out.

 

Karrimor KSB Tour Event Boot
The KSB Event boot is just what the entry level fell walker should have wrapped around ones toe unless you have a much healthier budget of course.

 

Raichle All Degree Light GTX Walking Boot
My first major purchase in Hiking Boots came in the form of these lovely Raichle’s All Degree Lights which I purchased from Cotswolds outdoors in Liverpool. These boots saw me gain over 200 Wainwright summits until they came to a sorry and watery end when my feet couldn't take no more of them leaking in. Raichle was taken over by Mammut which still to this day recreate a robust walking boot but I didn't make the cross over from Raichle's to Mammut.

 

Salomon Quest GTX Hiking Boot
The Salomon Quest are, and have been my preferred footwear for the fells for sometime now, so much so rather than to go out looking for what’s new on the market come the time for replacement I simply return to what I know is best.

 

Salomon Cosmic 4D 2 GTX Men’s Walking Boot 2012

My fourth pair of Salomon’s in wicked green look great in winter above a coating of crisp white snow, no need to wear the new additions in as they as always fit like a glove without the need to wear the boot around the house before hand.


 

Salomon Cosmic 4D 2 GTX Men’s Walking Boot 2013
The Cosmic series continued well into 2013 with another new addition with the 4D 2 GTX.

 
Meindl Vacuum GTX
I purchased the Meindl’s after letting go of the synthetic Salomon’s after four or so years. I’ve always been put off by leather walking boots by their weight but with advancing technology has decreased along with Vibram soles and in the Meindl’s case a memory foam lining that gives the foot and heal that bit more cushioning and support. Along with this, the Vacuums only outweigh the Salomon’s by 300g a pair which really goes to show how advanced the Meindl Vacuums really are.

Meindl Bhutan Walking Boot
After two years of wearing the Miendl Vacuum's I had the opportunity to try out the Meindl Bhutan and they did not disappoint. Comfortable straight out of the box, hard wearing, robust and less to purchase than the Vacuum's, there's nothing more you need, nor require from a hill walking boot than the Bhutan's.

Meindl Softline GTX Walking Boot.
Awaiting review.

Scarpa Delta GTX Activ Walking Boot
A great well put together hill walking boot but sadly too narrow for my feet. I purchased the Scarpa Delta GTX' after reading five star reviews. With the Scarpa insoles removed I tried three different insoles along with packing the boot with newspaper when not in use but I just couldn't stretch the leather enough to accommodate my feet which just goes to show how well the Scarpa Delta's are made. It's back to the Meindl Bhutan's for me.

Salomon X Ultra Winter CS WP Walking Boot
Salomon continue to impress with the Ultra Winter WP Walking Boot, on the first day I wore them across a vert boggy Whinfell ridge it had been raining all week and the ground underfoot reflected this heavily yet my feet were kept warm and dry throughout, in fact due to the fleece lining too warm at times but this would only be a bonus in colder weather. A great Winter boot up to now I'm very impressed.

Scarpa Ranger GTX Active

I'm a huge Meindl fan, mainly of Bhutan's, of which I've owned four pairs by now. After six months of my most recent Bhutans, I noticed an 8mm gap between the upper and toecap, so with the boots still less than a year old, I sent them back to where I purchased them, who subsequently sent them back to Meindl Germany for the repair. Great,  you'd think. Well, it would be if the repair time wasn't between 8 to 10 weeks, which would only see my Bhutan's return in spring 2024. I was never informed of the excessive repair time and argued this out with the retailer, but after getting nowhere, I decided to purchase a pair of factory Scarpa Ranger's GTX. My first pair of Scarpa boots didn't go down well, as they are known to be narrow, but I'm reliably informed that the Ranger's were made for the wider foot. We shall see when I test them out over the next few weeks.