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Hi folks,

 just a quick update in case anyone else is looking for the same thing.

 I bought some Quechua Arpenez 500 Novadry shoes from Decathlon in the UK. I wasn't hoping for much as they were only £45 and I was going to see what was available in Ecuador.

 As it seems, I don't need to bother. These shoes are incredibly comfy and even with some torrential rain the only bits that got wet were my toes... and only because they are not quite as breathable as Gor-tex.

 So, I've saved myself £70. The soles are great, plenty of grip in both mud and the dry grit roads and above all very comfortable. My mother is sending me another pair over for when these wear out!

In case you decide to take a look, go down to your local Decathlon; their web page is horrendous and doesn't work - I'm a web developer but I promise I haven't let my professional judgement get involved

Hi everyone,

 I was about to leave a first post in introductions but I've got a question (or advice hunt) so I thought I'd better get straight to it.

 I'm back off to Ecuador in a month and will be there for 2-3 years. The last time I was there I had some Gore lined Brasher boots which I still have but after 7 years they are just giving up on the soles and don't look so hot.

 The terrain is either incredibly dry and stoney/harsh gravel or really wet (dirt track, bad tarmac, jungle floor) and I would love to keep my feet as dry as possible. My feet are in good shape and I want to keep them like that so trainers have been side lined and I'm looking for good quality trekking footwear again. I will be walking 7- 12 miles a day.

So, I had a quick look at Meindl Maine XCR's locally but the only review I could find kept going on about having three pairs and the soles splitting..... Meindl soles splitting???

Does anybody have any experience with these shoes or could recommend something similar that would fit the bill? Obviously as cheap as possible would be great but my budget is around £100.

Any advice gladly accepted, especially as I don't recognise half the brand names around these days (Innov8?) Thanks all.