Hill Walking

[ossian]

I would appreciate advice on the purchase of a good pair of hill walking boots. Some of my friends go on and on about the necessity of getting a pair of boots with a Gore-Tex or similar so-called breathable membrane lining. They maintain that without such a lining the boots will not be waterproof. I have just read a piece by an experienced hill walker who maintains that such a membrane, in his experience, actually results in wetter feet, caused by increased sweating of the feet. He maintains that a good quality boot made with a good, thick, quality leather and without such a membrane but maintained properly will serve him better. In fact I am finding that some of the most expensive boots do not actually have a membrane liner. It may help to keep water out but, at the end of the day, it matters little where the water comes from, the outside environment or sweat from the feet.

Many Thanks

Stewart,

[woofgang]

I've got goretex bots and my feet don't get sweaty in them. The membrane lets moisture out but not in so the feet stay dry. Leather treated with wax or dubbin does the same thing but the hook is that leather boots need much more care to maintain the waterproofness and if they do get wet, need to be dried carefully and re proofed so the leather stays supple. My books are goretex and man made fibre, they won't last as long as cared for leather, but will last a heck of a lot longer than leather which is not cared for and fussed over. Boots are a very personal thing though, you need to try loads on. The one thing i do like about mine (they are Berghaus) is that the body of the boot and the insole are memory foam type stuff that moulds to the exact shape of your foot. This makes them very comfortable.

[Fitzer]

As per Woofgang it's a personal thing, I have found the effectiveness of Goretex really depends upon how much you sweat, I sweat a lot(including feet) and find it isn't much use as it can't pass the sweat out fast enough, my partner however sweats very little and it works well for her. Full leather boots tend to be heavier as well which may also be a problem for some whereas the manmade ones tend to be lighter. I've got a pair of Dachstein's (full leather) which are nearly 30 years old and I don't really look after them and they're still superb, it also depends on what you consider faff, if you're the sort of person who polishes their leather shoes weekly then caring for walking boots won't seem like a lot of work. Your best bet in my opinion is to not spend too much at first to see whether the walking is going to be something you're going to do in the long term and then upgrade as necessary, if you spend £300 on a pair of boots that you wear three times you'll kick yourself :-)

[woofgang]

fair point fitzer, my leather trainers go in the washing machine!!

[ossian]

Fitzer,

Your remark about sweaty feet was very interesting. I am beginning to think that several of my walking colleagues are changing their boots wrongly believing that their boots are faulty. They just will not accept that heavily sweating feet can leave your socks dripping wet. I think I'll go for a pair without a polymer membrane as my feet do sweat moderately.

Many Thanks,

Stewart

[sandyRoe]

You can buy socks which 'wick' away some of the moisture.

http://walking.about....socks/bb/bybsocks.htm

[Zacs-Master]

A good pair of socks which breath are also important. A poor pair will make expensive boots much less comfortable.

[Zacs-Master]

Snap Sandy.