Gear

Hello, this is your chance to ask Brasher's top footwear man Philippe Galland anything you want to know about outdoor footwear generally and Brasher boots and shoes in particular.

Philippe with be live here from noon until one o'clock then again this evening from 6pm until 7pm.

To kick things off, I'll summarise some of the questions you've already asked, but the whole point of this thread is for you to put your queries directly to Philippe, so if there's something you've always wanted to know about outdoor footwear, but were afraid to ask, here's your chance

Hello Philippe, Mike in Edinburgh, Scotland here. No specific question, just happy to sit in and enjoy the show.

We’ve already had a few questions asked in advance by OMers who may not be able to post live today.

In no particular order they are:

Is it true that Brasher is planning to bring out a Gore-Tex-free Hill Master boot again?

What is the point of Gore-Tex and other membranes in outdoors footwear and why do they appear to fail so often?

Why are so few Brasher models made in size 12 and above? What proportion of the population has feet of this size?

Why are boots not sold with the option of mismatched sizes - say 42 on one foot and 43 on the other. Surely modern stock control systems would make this feasible?

Do you have plans to produce a lightweight leather walking shoe without a Gore-Tex liner to compete with the likes of Inov-8?

Why do some brands produce different width fittings and others not? Is it just a question of production cost / viability?

Which Brasher boot models would you recommend for crampon use and why?

Can you re-issue the Original Brasher Boot - I seem to remember there were plans to do this, but they were shelved, why?

Are their plans to revive the original version of the leather Supalite boot but without a waterproof liner?

Do lightweight shoes and trainers offer enough support for lightweight backpacking use and which part of footwear construction is most important for stability?

Why are so many footbeds supplied with boots so basic?

The trend with outdoor footwear seems to be to use more and more internal foam padding for a luxurious feel on initial fit, but does this foam tend to pack down over time making the shoe or boot feel sloppy?

Hello Everyone,
I just hope you all enjoyed the hills this weekend, bit showery and windy over the Northumberland hills.

Hi Philippe, welcome to the forum

Hi Philippe. As I'm planning to replace my boots this year i have 2 questions for you.

Which boots would you recommend for 3 season use (no crampons, nor winter skills of any kind)?

Secondly, what makes your boots more worth my hard earned than any of your competitors?

Ta

Roger

Hi and welcome Phillipe,

Is the Supalite an excellent choice for lightweight scottish munro walking and backpacking?


Many thanks.

Reply to Roger Wingnut

All of our boots are built with quality, comfort and performance in mind and we have a wide choice from casual walking (ie. hillwalking) to serious scrambling.
In addition we have developed our footwear range with the british foot in mind(ie. wider than european foot)
To recommend you a specific model I will need to understand a little more what the usage is for.

Reply to Norbett the Corbett

No, we would rather recommend the Trailmaster GTX or the Towa GTX as they offer more substancial underfoot support while carrying loads during backpacking or Munroe bagging.

Philippe, quite a few OM members have been asking about Gore-Tex and other waterproof, breathable membranes and wondering both why it's now so difficult to buy a boot without a waterproof liner and why they seem to be so prone to failure? Any thoughts?

There definitely seems to be a demand for a membraneless boot, is this something that Brasher is looking at?

In reply to FB

We have massive amount of data compiled over the years to help us measure the outsole performance. All our own soles go through rigorous testing where all kind of parameters are assessed
(depth of lugs, rubber density/wear).

To my knowledge there is currently no database available to consumers with data on sole unit.

In reply to Jon Doran

First of all waterproof liners are still a preferred option by the majority of consumers. However there is still a "niche" demand for non waterproof lined boots.
Secondly our choice of waterproof lining is Gore-Tex which is in our opinion the best available waterproof and breathable option but also the best in terms of quality and durability.
Finally without giving too much away we are potentially looking at developing a non membrane option. But you will have to wait a bit longer for this.

Thanks Phillippe

Thanks for reply - I definitely slot into hillwalker rather than climber or scrambler. Nor am I likely to be fell running anytime soon. 3 season, hillwalking boot is what I'm thinking of.

Cheers Philippe, another question put by an OM member in advance is about footbeds and why the footbeds / insoles supplied with most boots are so basic. I notice that Brasher has started to use a more sophisticated design with arch support and a more definied heel cup, what's the story behind that?

Which Brasher boot models would you recommend for crampon use and why?

Aso GTX has been specifically designed to take crampons. This is because it has a glass fibre insole board to create rigidity suitable for crampons.
Borgue GTX will also be suitable for walking crampon as used during the wear testing by our external consultants.

Reply to Roger Wingnut

Hillmaster GTX would be a really good choice if you prefer traditional leather boots. Alternatively if you prefer fabric/suede upper you can also try Towa GTX.

Reply to Jon Doran on footbeds.

Our footwear performance range is being delivered with a "technical" footbed:
- cradle which provides underfoot support and stability
- heel insert for shock absorbtion
- dual density EVA for cushioning and comfort

This technology is obviously expensive and is only available in performance end products.

Why are so few Brasher models made in size 12 and above? What proportion of the population has feet of this size?

Why are boots not sold with the option of mismatched sizes - say 42 on one foot and 43 on the other. Surely modern stock control systems would make this feasible?

In reply:

Only our top selling styles are available in a size 13. The level of investment to manufacture larger sizes is too high versus the demand.

I can only imagine the nightmare to manage stock if we were selling mix and match pairs. However only a retailer could really answer that question.