Boots

[sbornia]

I’m enjoying a pair of Asolo Falcon GV boots for 1-4 hour hikes in fairly steep, rocky and rooty terrain.

[BBB]

I've had two pairs of the Kailash GTX. They are good boots. But, as is mentioned above, hiking boots do need to be paired with good socks.

[Chik]

I was issued danner gortex boots for a 2-week exercise in Alaska in 2000, desert tan color. Too warm for anything but winter hiking, which honestly I've done infrequently since, but they are still great. At the time, danner was a storied name, no idea if that is still true, but they are tough and durable.

Definitely. If you're doing winter hikes in the catskills, you definitely want something different than you might pick for summer hikes, or real backpacking.

For day hikes, generally speaking, I like to wear my trail runners; good underfoot protection and light. Don't underestimate how much a heavier boot will slow you down and sap energy.

If the hiking will not be too long, I've had good luck doing some challenging hikes in the catskills in traditional insulated logger boots. They take a little getting used to, but they are excellent.

I don't consider myself a hiker because I never go out with hiking in mind. However, I do a bit of walking off tarmac with the dog on various terrains, for somewhere between 5 and 15 km. As such, here are my two pence, but take them with a pinch of salt.

I have a 37 year old pair of leather boots that I keep saying, "This is probably the last year." They were sold to me as US Navy special ops (SEAL) artic mission standard issue slippers by a retailer in Boston. The odd thing is that the eyelets and hooks are nickel plated, which would be slightly awkward for military application. Steel shanks, metal toe caps, and some kind of interlining -- I'm guessing felt -- to keep warm although I happily wear them year round.

If you didn't know about the supposed Navy link, you would describe them as logger boots. I don't recall seeing, or caring about, the maker's mark, but the design patent number stamped inside tells me that the patent owner was Chippewa Shoe Co (now called Chippewa Boots). Waterproofness has been maintained with the use of SnoSeal over the years. They are very heavy, but I go everywhere with it: blizzard, mud, sand, whatever. Superb ankle support, outstanding grip and puncture resistance with the high profile Vibram outsoles attached to leather midsoles, storm welted. They're tanks. So, yeah, I'm with Angry in the logger boots camp.

There are some great boot makers in the US, still making some or all models in the US (with the remainder outsourced to China). Danner that Jim mentioned still make some models (hiking and logger, amongst others) domestically and so do Chippewa. And if you have a slightly difficult fit, White's are worth a looky.

[j44ke]

37 years - those Chippewas should be just about broken in now.

If you want to go through the full process of break-in with a really nice pair of hiking boots, you could contact Peter Limmer and get a custom pair made. My father was a climber when he was younger, and he had a pair of Limmer boots made for him in the early 60's. He stopped climbing when my sister was born (contractual obligations to my mother) and put his boots in the closet. About 10 years later he pulled them out and sent them to Peter Limmer for rehab and they came back good as new. Finally killed them during a trip in Alaska about 15 years ago.

They have a fancy new website, so I hope that's not a bad sign. Custom process is still labeled as "Peter Limmer" but they've also had a ready-made line for a quite a while. All good options for a traditional hiking boot.

https://limmerboots.com

You might also look at gaiters if you are going to do winter hiking in snow or snowshoeing. I've been very happy with my Outdoor Research Verglas Gaiters. You wouldn't think they were necessary, and maybe they aren't, but they are a heck of a lot better than having the ankle of your boot crammed full of snow. One of those "you don't know until you try them" things.

Socks - Smartwool, Icebreaker, Darn Tough.

Family soles. My wife's in back - Zamberlans ranging from Vioz to a lightweight model. She's had the left ones for about 5 years, the middle one for 15, and just got the right one this summer for an Icelandic trip. Mine are Lowa Renegade on left, Scarpa Kailash and Lowa Renegade All-Leather. The left ones are about 10 years old, Scarpas are about a year old and the All-Leather Renegades are new and in break-in. Same name as the other Lowa but different heavier (and taller) boot with all-leather construction. My wife rarely cleans her boots, so their longevity is a testament to Zamberlans' build quality.