I find it extraordinary that boots have such poor footbeds. I've just bought a pair of Aku Icaro boots. Very impressed so far..except for the footbeds. After walking a couple of times I changed to my trusty Superfeet. What a difference! The ones that come with the boot give minimal support and are next to useless. This is not just an Aku issue, Zamberlan, Meindl, Brasher and just about every boot I've had has been the same. Is this a conspiracy by boot makers and Superfeet to get you to shell out an additional 35 quid for decent footbeds? I think we should be told.

I've complained about this many times in print. I don't think it's a conspiracy. I think makers don't want the extra cost of putting in decent footbeds. It is extraordinary that even top quality expensive boots and shoes come with cheap and useless footbeds. They'd be better off not putting in footbeds and saying that buyers needed to buy them as extras.

How does the "fitness for purpose" laws apply? If the footbeds don't support the feet over the journey the boots make then they aren't fit for purpose.

As many boots are made in the EU, one would hope that the EU laws would apply.

But, hey, what do I know. I failed to answer a couple of British Citizenship questions in WH Smiths today.

I can't believe that they can't make a cheap, half decent footbed. How expensive is a bit of plastic and foam?

Rant over

Chris, I know you hate membrane boots (so do I), but these Icaro boots are nowhere near as sweaty as leather boots with a membrane. They're also very lighweight. Unfortunately the other pair of good membrane boots I've had (Montrail Stratos, see a previous thread) had a defect and the sole split. They were fantastically comfortable, more like very supportive running shoes. Hopefully they'll modify them and sort out the problem. I got a refund from Rock + Run. Jolly decent of them as they were a sale item.

I find that my Salomons don't need the superfeet but my other boots certainly benefit from them - and it's not a new problem either. I found my old Scarpa Manta's in the garage last week so snowsealed them and used them today, however the Superfeet went in first and made a significant improvement.

My Keen trail shoes have what seems to be a decent footbed though.

i just got some new footbeds instead of my superfeet ones...they were recomended by someone on here and i saw them in a few places so i thought id give them a go....they are called montrail enduro soles and are £17 inc delivery.

You put them in the oven for a few mins then put them in your boots and stand still for 2 mins, this moulds them to your feet.

They are a bit more cushioned than superfeet and absorbe impact well. so far i have been very impressed with them.

I know Aku are looking to change their footbeds, they will not be like Superfeet but will be an improvement on the current ones.

Footbeds? When I were a lad we didn't have anything like that. It was assumed that feet were designed specifically for the job we demanded of them but if the nails in the inner sole stood a bit proud we would occasionally cut a piece of orthopaedic felt to size and guess what? The simply act of weight bearing seemed to mould it to all your bumps and lumps so that it ended up looking much like a modern and expensive footbed. Boots were simply for protection.
I guess that boot manufacturers don't provide expensive footbeds because they realise they are not strictly necessary for normal, healthy feet.
I hasten to add that due to my advanced years and decades of over use, my feet are no longer normal and healthy so a good footbed is a boon to me but I never used a separately bought one until recent years.

Keen shoes come with quite a good footbed (haven't tried their boots), my Raiche's aren't bad either.

As Chris says, it's about cost rather than a sinister conspiracy orchestrated by podiatrists... Interestingly, the new Brasher winter boots we've been using do have a more sophisticated footbed with a pronounced heel cup and more supportive instep area. Not as sophisticated as Superfeet, but more advanced than most OE units so it is possible.

Footwear is a cut-throat industry. Everyone has to have something on their feet, and there's no shortage of suppliers and retail outlets. Somewhere along the line, corners get cut to achieve a particular price point, or a manufacturer goes all-out for quality and hopes the ordinary plodder on the hill will pay the price. I think most manufacturers let themselves down on footbeds, but what's the solution? Unless all of them agree to put something decent in there, then you'd be faced with a serious price discrepancy between those with decent and those with useless footbeds. If half the manufacturers put Superfeet in there, for instance, then a £50 boot would leap up to £90!

FGL - Those nails... those nails... don't ya miss those nails! I remember having to walk on tip-toes once when semi-circular rows of nails 'grew' round the heels of my cheapo Czecho boots!

if they put superfeet in there then i would still have to throw them away and buy some footbeds. mty feet don't like superfeet at all.

post-bought footbeds are transferable from show to shoe so you only need to buy one pair anyway. call it a base layer for your feet.

i use custom formed conformable footbeds (i have four sets) which blow away any that a manufacturer could fit.

All I'm saying is that for a very modest extra amount, boot manufacturers could provide a proper moulded footbed that is fit for the purpose. It's only a bit of foam after all. I agree that Superfeet are worth it, although they aren't cheap for a bit of plastic and foam.

Paddy, I walked the Pennine Way in in 1978 in a pair of Zamberlans with no footbeds and nails pushing through the leather lining sock. Those were the days....not!

Moggy, I've ordered some Montrail Enduros to give them a whirl.

Robin... then I'm sure you remember the days when a lot of boots had something like a cardboard layer inside them, which would turn into papier maché when it got wet, destroying not only the inside of the boots, but also a good pair of socks. Once the cardboard was gone, the nails would make their presence felt one at a time!

My first jaunt along the Pennine Way (at the tender age of 16) involved following over half of the route, then heading across to the Lake District, and back home through the Yorkshire Dales... all in a pair of ill-fitting rubberised boots that someone had kindly given me. Walking on nails would have been blessed relief!

Yes, those were the days. £50 (two weeks wages) for a pair of heavy, stiff, goodyear welted boots in thick cordovan leather. Six months of painful breaking in (I always thought it was the feet being broken in to the boot) and lashings of dubbin, neatsfoot oil or any one of a dozen preservative, waterproofing nostrums from jealously guarded, handed down, secret recipes. Waterproof? Schmaterproof, such "waterproofing" usually lasted about five miles through wet grass. For anything better you had to spend another two weeks wages on "guaranteed waterproof" boots but at least they could easily be resoled (for yet another weeks wages). Those nails holding the heels on though. The heads would sometimes push back up in even the most expensive boots. Admittedly the higher the price tag the less the likelyhood.
While we're in such nostalgic mood, cast your minds back all you oldies and remember the obligatory green cotton drill or canvas smock and canvas gaiters, derbyshire tweed britches or trousers, wragg wool socks and the advent of the non waterproof waterproof, the pu coated, thin nylon cagoule or if you could stand the additional weight, oxford woven nylon mountain cagoule.
Remember carrying all your kit, including your 6lb half of the lightweight two man tent in or on your leather and canvas Bergen with its triangular steel and leather frame with leather and felt harness? Sleepmat? Sleepmats were for wusses. Sleeping bag? Yeah, superlightweight down, weighing in at only 5.5 pounds for three seasons.
Any other old fart wish to carry this on?

FGL - I'm sure I must have met you on the hill somewhere and thought... "If only I had all that flash, modern gear like him!"

When I started, a well-meaning uncle offloaded some of his own old and battered kit, although I had my own 'modern' tent. The cast-off boots were horrendous. The sleeping bag I remember with nausea. It was heavy and smelly and quite incapable of keeping anyone warm. I turned it inside out and found that the foot end had completely rotted. It looked as if someone had spent a month walking through muck and manure, then slept every night while wearing their boots. The fabric was rotted, discoloured and torn, revealing clumps of capok filling.

I'll never forget my shapeless canvas pack, bought brand new, but featuring a steel frame and leather straps. There was no padding anywhere, but there was a 'quick release' that allowed you to get the thing off your back in a hurry. The welded steel frame broke at an early stage and I had to endure what amounted to a knife stuck in my back for weeks. Still... I was at school... and as I'd been top of the class in metalwork... it was easy for me to fix after the summer holidays. Imagine my old metalwork teacher's surprise when I kept turning up with that broken frame long after leaving school!

I've always claimed that I started with all the wrong gear, and I've spent the rest of my life trying to put that right. If anyone ever comes across the 'perfect' backpacking kit... let me know.

I've been searching for a source of mens Montrail Enduro soles for £17 but the best I've come up with (in UK)is £27.99 from Physiosupplies, although they're flogging off their stock of wimmins Enduro soles for £9.99.

Any suggestions folks?

John

John, try http://www.fastandlight.co.uk/

they have them for £17 including postage,

cheers
Andy