Which lightweight boot??

Hey all,

I require a lightweight relatively waterproof walking boot.  It needs to be flexible enough so that I can jog in them but stiff enough so I can manage 20 miles over rocky terrain.

Looking at various reviews I'm down to the Berghaus Pro Rush mid @ £80 or the Inov-8 Roclite 390 @ £90.  I'll be using them every two to three weeks for hikes / jogs between 20 - 50 mile over terrain including fields, roads and rocks.  

I've heard the Roclites are not that durable but I imagine that's based on someone who walks a couple of times a week.  Would they last a year or two doing the above?

Any advice would be much appreciated, especially from from people that have worn the boots.   If there are any other boots that stand out then thoughts on those would be good as well.

Cheers

Baz

AKU Icaro GTX? 

A friend has been using a pair for a year for everyday use (works outside)and really rates them

I have recently bought some AKU Lhasas for winter walking - seem pretty good so far.

I have the Berghaus Pro Rush mid and I find them to be a comfortable lightweight boot.  I have not tried running in them myself (although the sole is flexible) and I am not doing the distances you are planning to provide an informed comment on durability but I would agree with Parky and suspect you will go through more than 1 pair of any boot in a year.

Just one other comment if you plan to buy the Berghaus online - they are made to European sizing and some UK companies quote the UK size conversion. It is worth checking the European size as although I usually go for one size greater than my size 9, I found the "size 9" to be perfect as it was a european size 44 (not 43).

It might be better, for your feet and your wallet, to buy 2 different pairs. Use a trail shoe for some, and a stiffer boot for others. You'll probably go through 2 pairs in a year anyway.

Personally, i would just use a pair of trail shoes.

Barry Wills wrote (see)

I've heard the Roclites are not that durable but I imagine that's based on someone who walks a couple of times a week.  Would they last a year or two doing the above?

Inov-8s are famous for falling to pieces. Here is just one (eight page) catalogue of woe from a fellrunners forum - definitely lads that walk more than a couple of times a week. You can find loads of other similar complaints if you look about. Here's someone whose brand new Roclites started to fall to bits after a few days of walking the GR20. While they last they are good, but you'd need to be pretty lucky to get 2 years out of a pair. Not many folk use mids for jogging though. Or waterproof shoes for that matter.

Fit is everything - the 'best' boot is the one that fits you properly. There's little point in getting recommendations from other people as it's extremely unlikely they have exactly the same shape feet as you!

The best thing you can do is to go to a shop (or shops) that has a decent boot fitter and a good range of boots. I'd even recommend that you don't read reviews, and don't seek opinions from others, as that may encourage you to buy a boot that doesn't fit you as well as it should...

Cheers for the advice guys.

 Unfortunately the event I'm entering next year (the Severn Trent Mountain Challenge) is generally a walking event so they stipulate ankle high boots.  To win it you have to jog at least 10 miles of it though.

If the Pro Rush Mids are a touch too stiff and supportive I reckon the roclites are probably the way to go.  In terms of fit my left foot is a full half a size smaller than right so I've never been able to find boots that fit perfectly.  Hopefully a thick pair of socks will do the trick. 

I've managed to find the 370s (non gtx) version for £70 so might plum for these as they're a bit cheaper.   If they do fall to pieces they'll be heading back to the shop sharpish for a refund and then I'll be adding 1 star reviews on here for them!

 Cheers Again.

I agree with the advice already given about getting two pairs - trail shoe and mid.

If you are sure that you want to get the one pair, then  you could look at the Salomon Fastpackers.  These are mids based on a running shoe (the XA Pro 3D) but are a bit tricky to find in shops to try on.  I find them to be a good 'boot' for winter conditions, but again, like others, I'm not sure I would want to run in a mid.

You could also try a shoe (more flexible for jogging) and use with gaiters (eg Keen Targhee and many others).  I've used full gaiters and found it works well, as long as you spend the time to get them to fit tightly. 

For all footwear with a Goretex/Event/etc lining, it might be a bit of a lottery how long it remains watertight ...certainly over 1000 miles.

But as others have said, whatever the option, fit is everything.  

Barry said,

"Unfortunately the event I'm entering next year (the Severn Trent Mountain Challenge) is generally a walking event so they stipulate ankle high boots."

Do keep up RobP.

I've just got a pair of Salomon Fastpacker Mid GTX, which may be the nearest to what you want. They are light but have good flexible soles. There's a brief description on my blog: http://blogpackinglight.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/christmas-presents/

 So far they've been very good.