We check out the budget-priced, suede / fabric waterproof walking boot with UK-specific fit from the guys at Contour.
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Contour Trail Boot - First
Look
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Price: £59.95
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Weight: 1306 grammes
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Features: Fabric /
suede walking boot with waterproof / breathable Hydroban
lining, high cushion contour sole, rubber toe buffer, laces,
tongue. Available for men, women and sprogs.
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Light, comfortable, waterproof, reasonably priced.
A tad bendy underfoot
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The Concept Contour are a UK specific brand which mostly uses
cast-off Scarpa designs and manufactures in eastern Europe, generally
Roumania, though the Trails are made in Bulgaria. The new Contour
Trail is intended as an affordable, year round, lightweight , low
level walking boot complete with waterproof / breathable lining.
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Not a bad looking boot for 60
quid - note the Hydroban badge looking vaguely
Gore-Texy...
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Features Pretty much a simple, classic lightweight fabric boot
complete with waterproof lining, a toe bumper to, erm, protect the
toe section from abrasion and a new 'high-cushion' Contour sole.
In Action You get instant comfort with the light-feeling
Trails. The inside of the boot is nicely padded in a way that a lot
of budget boots often aren't and the UK-specific Contour last makes
for a good fit for standard issue, medium volume British feet.
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Contour's own brand sole offers
reasonable allround grip plus excellent underfoot
cushioning
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The comfort continues down below. The new Contour sole used for this
model is light but also very cushioned on hard ground, more like a
trainer than a boot, which along with the soft uppers makes for a
boot you can simply throw on and forget.
It certainly doesn't feel cheap either. The lace eyelets have a
neat contemporary look, materials look reassuringly decent and proper
regular stitching holds it all together. So far so good, but the
training shoe comfort is backed up with training shoe levels of
stiffness in the sole. There's loads of longitudinal flex which is
great for comfort, but there's not a huge amount of lateral stiffness
or support.
For that reason, while we'd happily wear the Trail for low level
walking and on high moorland walks, we'd be less happy using it on
predominately rocky ground or for backpacking unless you're happy
with flexy footwear. We also found the waterproof lining a bit sweaty
on very hot days, but that's true of any waterproof / breathable
lining we've tried up to and including Gore's top of the line XCR
Gore-Tex one.
Proof
that reasonably priced boots don't have to be cheap and nasty. The
Trail's padding and last make them super cushy on the feet and the
grippy sole also offers oodles of welcome cushioning making them a
comfortable boot for all-round walking on anything except rocky
mountain ground and with a heavy pack. They're light too making
all-day walking less fatiguing.
They're not as laterally stiff as more serious boots and the
lining can get sweaty when the going gets hot, but overall, a decent
boot at a decent price. Available for men, women and kiddies too.
Know more or want to?
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