Thread: Advice on new boots

Hi there always have two or three pair of hunting boots on the go , norm is a couple of lighter pairs for day trips and farms etc , and one heavy pair for bigger hard out trips , wet , rocky , shaley shit. Well I've all but worn my heavy pair out ( possibly 10 yrs old ) . Went to have a look at new pair and there was too much choice , not to mention the mortgage needed to obtain a good pair . Any advice as I don't skimp on good gear like this , but do not want to get this wrong . cheers Munsey

Personally I like Scarpa's with thei vibram sole. Good simple boot, will last you another 10 years. They are a classic design that will hold up to the hard yards but still be comfy/have a good relationship with your gaitors and crampons.

Meindel (sp?) have quite an extensive range (the 'rise' of the boot being different in each model) but also have a good rep and good vibram sole. I found it hard to decide on which pair was right for me though! Too many to choose from.

With both of these brands though I have heard that farms will perish them easily as urine breaks down both the glues and stiching to attach the upper to the sole. Good luck on your search Munsey oh and a question - do you have the standard kiwi issue wide feet? Or are you a bit skinnier down there? (Feet I mean!)

Thanks Dougie , had a look at the scarpas they looked like the what I'm looking for , feet are not wide so don't have trouble there . I want the style with the rubber that comes up the sides . Won't be wearing them on farms , it will only be deer urine that will rot them , I can live with that .

Assalos. Scarpas. All gud lowa tibets are comfy as duno how theyd take the alpine stuff tho

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I got some German Army Alpine boots from kiwi disposals for $125. They are Haix, but others in the line up were Meindel (sp?), and Lowa. The gadget girl (aka TimeRider) ended up with a pair as well. They were hardly worn and a great fit. I don't have the legendary kiwi wide foot I don't think. Ezidirect sell the Haix at a reasonable price, shame kiwi disposals shop got closed down for good 10 days after that photo of TimeRider trying on the boots was taken.

Previous pair was assolo with Vibram sole which disintegrated after two trips.

EZDIRECT.CO.NZ - Your Haix Distributer

Have a look at the BESTARD Serak good boot

Originally Posted by Munsey

Thanks Dougie , had a look at the scarpas they looked like the what I'm looking for , feet are not wide so don't have trouble there . I want the style with the rubber that comes up the sides . Won't be wearing them on farms , it will only be deer urine that will rot them , I can live with that .

Awesome yeah I have skinny feet so normally find I am swimming in Meindels. Scarpas were good though (I have previously had a pair, believe it or not I actually grew out of them! Sold them on TM as they had plenty of life still in them)

I'd have a look in Cabelas Bargain cave tomorrow ,their boxing days specials are worth considering.Ya get a choice of width with a lot of the boots too & insulated or not.

Haix!

I got some Lowa's from bakershoe.com
Worked out landed here in NZ less than half price of what they retail for here and heaps less than wholesale price as well.
Baker's were very helpful and shipping only took 6 days (4 of which they sat in Auckland doing nothing) to get to me.

I had Asolo's for a very long time and when they finally gave out, I took ages to find what I wanted. I went into every boot store to try all different boots.
If I was going to spend a heap of coin on boots, I wanted the right fit etc.
I tried the exact boots on in stores here, then ordered them via Baker's.

Out on the hill I have never had sore feet in these boots.
I would recommend these Lowa Tibet Pro GTX to anyone and Baker's the place to get them from.

I have the Lowa Tibet pro GTX and they seem a good boot. They are comfortable and have taken quite a bit of abuse from wet bush bashing and scree/rocks and are holding up well...buying them in NZ was expensive though...lesson learnt!

Also had Meindel and Scarpas which have both lasted well and been comfortable too.
If your buying any of these makes I don't think you'll be disappointed and they should last you a long time.

Best advice I was given is to buy the ones that fit best and wear them around the house for a few hours, walk up and down stairs, steep drive ways, etc as its hard to tell in the shop alone how they feel/fit.
Try them on with the socks you'll be wearing them with too.
I made sure when I bought mine that I could take them back after a few days in their original condition if they didn't feel right.
The different makes have slightly different characteristics fit wise so try a few on if you can...better to be comfortable in a properly fitting boot than have the 'best' pair money can buy if they give you blisters!

Originally Posted by Chris

I'd have a look in Cabelas Bargain cave tomorrow ,their boxing days specials are worth considering.Ya get a choice of width with a lot of the boots too & insulated or not.

yeh i agree with that Chris, Cabelas \have a wide range of boots at very reasonable prices (particularly now with the relative strength of the Kiwi dollar)

The Spanish brand BESTARD seem to get very good reviews here in Europe. Anybody tried them? ( Also imported by EZDIRECT )

The same for CRISPI boots, anybody tried them?

Irish settler boots are pretty darm good on steep rocky hills, and in the wet, i like them, cheap on trade me, well worth th money

stoney creek rusa boots. high sealed boot for river crossings, soft sole for quiet bush stalking and darn comfortable, light, no need to wear in. good all round boot.