Continuing the discussion from I finally replaced my:
This is a placeholder while I get my words together.
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Yes, very much. I have a pair of the last proper black leather British Army boots, which I wear sloppily laced so I can slip them on & off. They are incredibly comfortable, sturdy and waterproof. They’re the best. I wear them everywhere.
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I love, love, love my Carolina boots. Waterproof yet very breathable, tough as hell, and yet more comfortable than all my other footwear. I’ve worked as long as ten straight hours on my feet and never once did they feel fatigued or achy. Even my over-prone right knee is happy with them. $140 very well spent.
Sure do.
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I thought that said boobs. It doesn’t say boobs, does it?
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Hate 'em.
I wanted waterproof shoes for a trip I was taking. Expensive hiking boots were expensive - and they no longer come with replaceable soles so they seemed like a bad investment since the boots will only last as long as the molded on soles do. Thus I bought the cheapest comfortable pair of hiking boots I could find that were waterproof. Well there was no rain on my trip so I have no idea how waterproof they are. But I do know that they are utterly sweat-proof. Meaning that if it is anything other than freezing cold outside my feet get hot and sweaty on the inside of the boots, thus making them nearly useless as hiking boots, and likely to encourage athlete’s foot fungal infections.
If I ever buy a pair of waterproof hiking boots again I will pay the extra to have a “breathable” waterproof system.
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You have the power to make it so, if you choose to (ab)use it…
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Ah, the power of being Regular…
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Sweet boots seams are made of this…
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I have 20+ year old red wing Pecos boots I wear everywhere except to work. They have been polished at least once during the time I’ve owned them, but not more than twice, and saddle-soaped at least three times… maybe even five times. I climbed a 100’ cliff in these boots while wearing armor and I’ve done full contact medieval sport combat in them hundreds if not thousands of times. They replaced an identical pair that I wore out (after having them resoled once).
The old models had a neoprene impregnated cork sole that was awesome but wore out faster than the current full plastic soles. They have no tread, no steel toe or counter, and can easily hold any size boot knife you can fit on your leg. The heels are nailed on, and after a decade or so of hard use the nails start coming through and pricking your feet, which tells you it’s time to get new insoles (or new soles, or new boots).
The thing that is not good about these boots is that they have pointy medieval toes. Modern round toes are healthier for your feet than Texas style boots that are optimized for stomping cockroaches in corners and riding horses while drunk.
These are not boots made for traction. Quite the opposite! These are boots for controlled sliding at very high speed.
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I’ve heard good things about eVent-lined boots. It is similar to Gore-tex but somewhat more breathable.
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I don’t have any boots right now. Even if I order men’s shoes my feet are too wide for many shoes. I’m just trying to get a decent pair of dress shoes before I get some sneakers. 
I like the concept of boots but it’s really unpleasant for me to have something so solid (compared to socks) encase my legs. I don’t even like high top sneakers.
My restless angsty feet can give it a rest any time.
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My friend, who has Reynaud’s, has a pair of boots with this liner. Loves 'em.
Who am I to disagree?
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These are my all-time favourite bushwalking shoes:
http://www.kathmandu.com.au/teva-evo-men-s-lightweight-shoes-black.html
There are two schools of thought in hiking footwear: heavy and light.
The heavy school is epitomised by traditional leather mountaineering boots. Their advantage is that they’re extremely durable, have very stiff soles (protects against underfoot stones, good for edging on steep climbs) and provide protection against rolled ankles. The downside is that they’re expensive, heavy, uncomfortable, and don’t give a good feel for the terrain underfoot. Weight matters a lot for fatigue; as a general rule of thumb, one kilogram on your feet is equivalent to eight kilograms in your pack.
On the light side, you lose a lot of durability and don’t have any ankle protection. But they’re cheaper (so durability is less important), a lot more comfortable (no blisters), a lot lighter (so you get less tired, which makes you less likely to do the sorts of dumb things that require ankle protection) and give you a much better feel for the terrain (again, less likely to roll your ankles).
At the extreme end of the lightweight option is the classic Dunlop Volley, which are almost universally used in the Australian canyoning scene. These are very cheap, very light, very grippy (especially on wet rock), and let you feel every pebble on the trail. They’re basically condoms for your feet. The downside is that you’ve got zero padding under your sole, which rapidly becomes painful if you’re not accustomed to it.
The Tevas make a nice compromise. They’re as light as Volleys, but have a decent amount of padding so that you don’t need to be as careful on rocky terrain. And they’re great in hot weather and water; they don’t keep the water out, but they dry out again almost instantly.
Remember that waterproof boots are only waterproof until your socks get wet. Once the water is over your ankle, waterproofing just holds the moisture in.
If you’re planning on walking through snow, you need boots. If not, forget the boots and get some good lightweight shoes.
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I’ll still use heavier boots when bashing around, but I love Tevas for general outdoor romping, especially when it’s hot and or sandy. My main go-to for anything that gets somewhat technical but I don’t want to put on dedicated rock shoes for “getting there”,
has been the Scarpa zen for the last several years:
I wish they had less exposed foam near the bottom, but they’re the only light weight I’ve found recently where you can push them comfortably into rock climbing terrain. They’re pretty warm too but sometimes you really want the ability to do some technical climbing moves, while getting somewhere, without putting on rock shoes and roping up. They’re pretty darn good in that respect. Stickier climbing oriented rubber means the soles wear a bit faster too, shoes are always a compromise.
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I am the opposite, My ankles thank me daily for the support.
I got a pair of these after years of wearing leather doc martins or sketchers.
when the kid was much younger and wore them near daily for 4 years and finally went through the rubber soles.
I now have blue pair that I just love. Great shoes for urban hiking and quite comfy when I am out walking all day though they are bit clunky around the house.
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These are my boots.
I uh … don’t really hike. I do like ridiculous footwear.
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I haven’t warn them in years, but I used to have a pair of these for shows.
(Non-hiking boots anyway. Better mosh / pogo footwear.)
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