Hi all need some advice my tnf hedgehog shoes have just died now looking to replace will have to last for a long time money now tight do i go for light wht boots or shoes which will last the longest ? duribility now more inportant than wht walk 3 seasons in scotland willing to pay about £100 or just over any advice would be much appreciated yours andy
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 Scarpa SL3's are heavy and need breaking in but will last for a long, long time.I've found all lightweight stuff hit or miss, I have a pair of salamon quest 3D's and even though I hardly wear them the soles are showing far more wear than I would like, if you get something well draining and unlined they will be light and you wont have to worry about the lining failing? A tough question really
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 Lightweights, there's not much difference betwen boots and shoes at any given point in a range except an ankle cuff. I'd expect chunkier walking shoes to last longer than, say Inov-8's very light boots but then again I'd expect a lot of boots to last longer than trail runners. In other words, I don't think you can say boots will last longer than shoes or vice versa as a general case. Look at individual models, see if they fit and then choose on a mix of comfort and perceived chunkiness. Pete.
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Problem you may have is your budget - for real lasting stuff, you may need to look towards a boot like a Manta (proviso..other makes and models etc) but they will be well above your price point - though you might fall lucky second hand TBH I have two sets - lightweight but cheap as I can get (often second hand off ebay, £5 to £25 a pair) and if I get a year out of them well and good. Other set - a pair of big leathers (I like the weight/solidness for winter cramponing/kicking - its a personal choice) - paid a lot more, but last for years.
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 Grumpy, I'm seriously NOT taking the piss but do you honestly buy/use secondhand shoes?
I'm thinking along the lines of fungal infections etc and also shoes tend to mould to peoples feet.
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Yup...sure do. Usually all I do is change insoles - they are either knackered or if the boots are worn at all, well moulded. I used to have access to a bromine chamber - and used that once or twice to disinfect but since losing access to that (actually, lost access to the bromine when it was banned) havent done anything else since to no ill effect. I'm not the only one either - most of my keen walking/climbing mates use second hand foot wear of one kind or another. That said...I am blessed with bog standard feet (size 11) and always assess the soles. If the heel blocks look worn, then I tend to pass by as well worn, needing resoling soon and probably goosed. On the other hand, I bought a pair of Garmont fabrics which the owner said had been worn once (looking at the sole I would say one afternoon strolling round a park) for £5. As for infections - either I've been lucky or I have an immunity, never had an issue - but then I had a fungal infection for nearly 30 years (predating any walking boots of any kind) which was only cleared up with modern antifungals in the last couple of years.
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One possible difference between some boots and many shoes/trainers is repairability - some boots can be resoled, few shoes can. A 'classic' lightweight boot which can be resoled and is within your budget is the Brasher Hillmaster GTX. A bit more expensive, and tougher, and goretex free is something like a Meindl Borneo. An alternative strategy would be to look around for last years models of light shoes at good prices - places like Rock and Run are good places to start. You can't get light, cheap, long lasting, sustainable.
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| Edited: 29/06/11 12:10 |
 grumpy is a git for having bog normal feet. if i didn't have such problems trying to find things that fit my strange feet i would quite happily buy 2nd hand. i understand that putting 2nd hand footwear in the oven for 30mins at 180C will kill anything in them. or was it just kill them. i can't remember the last time i bought footwear that was full price. it's a bit of a balance but i think i would prefer three pairs of quality bargain £30 shoes than one pair of £100 boots (bargain or not).
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lol. i've just bought a pair of 2nd hand shoes from ebay to replace the same model that have now seen better days.
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180C for 30 minutes....mmmm...likely to melt many bits of boots and shoes...try explaining that to SHMBO... TBH, the thought of the footwear being moulded to another foot is, IMHO, a bit of a falicy these days. Perhaps relevant when you had to spend 3 years of agony "breaking in" a new pair - so would doubly suffer rebreaking a second hand pair, but now everything is "wear from the box" so whats the difference - a new pair that has to mould...or an old pair that has to mould to a foot?
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Bought some great Scarpas off e-bay for crampon use,£25. Other shoes i just wait for sales and look for type of footwear rather than brand.
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