Gear

Hi,

I have lurked on the excellent site for many years and this is my first post.

I would appreciate your opinion on some serious feet problems my Scarpa Manta were inflicting upon me for a couple of years.

They basically caused  huge heel blisters with a throbing pain on the soles of my feet and bashed toe nails. The boots seemed to be the correct size but just did not suit me. I  tried insoles, new lacing techniques, socks etc etc without success so I have now sold them on.

I have another pair of ancient Scarpa Ranger for general low level walking and they are perfect  (as they are so soft and worn)however I now need to purchase another pair of boots which will take C1 crampons for use in the winter and which can also be used throughout the year in situations where the Ranger's are just a bit bendy-does such a thing exist ??

I live in Scotland so have easy access to plenty of decent hills year round and do mainly Munro bagging and general walking all year but no hard core rope work etc.

I would prefer leather over fabric for longevity as I noticed researching on this site that many fabric boots come apart relatively quickly.

I quite fancied Meindl until I seen the thread about the soles failing.

Are there any 3/4 season B1 boots around that would suit ??-my budget is £200 max

Thanks for reading

A few years back, Cotswold in Glasgow had a 'boot expert', who would spend an hour or two measuring your feet, and suggesting what type of boots would suit you best. You had to make an appointment, it didn't cost you, and he was very good.  You weren't even committed to buy. Might be worth a try there.

The Raichle (now Mammut) Mountain Trail XT GTX is a great B1 boot. Leather with a GoreTex lining, and very durable -- mine have seen four years of pretty heavy use, mostly in snowy conditions, and are still going strong. They're only good if they fit your feet, of course. Raichle did have a few problems with soles disintegrating, but they seem to have got that sorted.

Meindl certainly do B1 boots as well. I used to use their Nepal model, which was an all leather B1 boot. I think they replaced it with a Gore lined model called the Makalu.

Yeah - if you want boots and they fit Raichle (Mammut) Mountain Trail XT are fab.

Get about 1500-2000km out of a pair.

Very comfy.

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies.

 The Mountain Trail XT look very interesting.

What sort of fit are Raichle/Mammut compared to Scarpa?

I think manufacturers can make compromise boots for all year use including C1 crampons but choose not to focus too much in this area as they would sell less!

I've recently bought a pair of Hanwag Alaska GTX's and they are superb, very comfortable for such a sturdy boot, I can't reccomend them enough, Hanwag also do a non gortex fully leather lined version of the Alaska called the Yukon which is a fabulous boot.

Hanwag boots are a nice british fit in my opinion, slightly broader fit than some of the italian brands.

Everyones feet are different. What is right for one person, may not be right for you.

Try to find a shop that offers a boot fitting service. They can measure your feet properly, including width, and if necessary, adjust the boot.

The best boots you can get are those that fit properly.

Hi,

I've had loads of boots over the years with some good and some bad however the Manta's were bought from a reputable shop using a boot fitting service. I was in the shop for over an hour using ramps, my usual socks, checked my crampons fitted etc and they felt fine in the shop but turned out to be the worst fitting, blister causing uncomfortable boots I have ever owned. No guarantee that boot fitting service is the solution.

Seriously hacked off with Scarpa and would not buy again-it wasn't heel slip causing the problem but the ankle cuff padding around the ''3D flex '' area being way to hard along with zero cushioning in the footbed.

Still considering the Mammut mountain train Xt but a bit concerned about the reviews which seem to indicate they can be a bit flimsy.

I'm going to buy something today online as the choice is much better when I've made up my mind.

I can't afford to have a dedicated winter boot lying around half the year hence my search for a reasonable 3/4 season B1.

Appreciate all advice given.

It's easy to get bogged down with all the conflicting reveiws, comparisons of fit, comparisons of different soles, leather vs fabric etc etc when checking stuff out on the internet and end up narrowing your search so much that it'll be just about impossible to get what you have come to believe is what you need, if you search long enough you can find horror stories about any product.

I would suggest that you step back from all the gumph and just go and try on lots of B1 rated boots until you find a pair thats right for you. Even though you've had a bad experience with boot fitting it is still the best way to get boots that are right.