Product Reviews
You are looking at: Home : Product Reviews

Meindl Borneo Boots

Vorsprung dürch, er, boots really...


Posted: 19 October 2000
by Jon

Meindl Borneo Boots (three-season / trekking boot)

Price: £110.00

Features: Oiled Nubuck hydrophobic leather upper, anti-wicking thread used for stitching, DIGAFIX lacing system, double density Vibram sole, full rand.

Instant luxurious comfort plus superb durability. Thunk...
If the Meindl Borneo were a car, its doors would shut with just that satisfying Germanic 'thunk' you'd expect from a Merc or a BMW. They really are that good and after a year's hard use including some ruthless backpacking in the Peruvian Andes, still going strong.

Comfy straight out of the box due to the luxurious ankle padding and soft leather lining, they're simply very, very capable three-season boots. The highish ankle offers reassuring support to anyone wary of walking or particularly, backpacking in lower cut boots and a series of air vents in the collar claim to ventilate the inside of the boot. Whether this works or not, and we'd be hard pushed to say for sure, its hot weather performance is definitely improved by the lack of a waterproof breathable lining making them a good option for treks which include hotter zones.

Down below, the medium stiff mid-sole offers decent stability on uneven ground and the Vibram outsole does the usual reliable wet or dry, decent friction gig. A full rand helps protect the water-resistant Nubuck upper from abrasion.

Our only slight query is over the level of cushioning from the sole on hard surfaces, though its no worse than most other walking boots.

As long as you have standard issue UK feet - broad and medium volume - the Borneo is a spot-on, high quality 'fit and forget' extra for the fellwalking or trekking foot. It would probably take a flexi crampon for short distances, but that's not really its raison d'etre. For an extra tenner you can have the Burma Gore-Tex, basically the same boot with a water-proof, breathable Gore liner to keep the bog out of your socks.

Verdict: These boots drip comfort and quality. The lack of a waterproof lining makes for comfort in warmer conditions, they break in quickly and last for ages. If they fit and match your needs we can't think of a good reason not to buy a pair.

Performance

Value

Let's stomp over to the Meindl web site alternatively you can e-mail the UK importer or phone for information: 015395 60214

Pushed for time: Vorsprung dürch Teknik as the ad men say. The Meindl Borneos are built with all the precision and quality of a German car. Luxurious padding, instant comfort, good warm weather performance, a very capable sole and durable contrauction including a protective rand. High ankle offers confidence to those who worry about lower boots, but without detracting from comfort. There's no waterproof liner to make you sweat when the sun's out, but water resistance is still good from the treated leather. Simply an excellent fellwalking and trekking boot for the standard issue British foot.

 

Your Opinion Here:

If you'd like to add your own experiences of this product please e-mail us with a summary and we'll post them here in this handy space at the bottom of the page. If you have questions you can mail us direct, Ask Richard Gear or try a posting to our gear forum.


Previous article
Death On The Eiger - Joe Simpson
Next article
Nepal Tourism Hit As Visitor Numbers Drop


TwitterStumbleUponFacebookDiggRedditGoogle


Discuss this story

Excellent boot. Wore them for 24 hrs straight covering 50miles and got 0 blisters with one pair of socks. Afterwards my feet wore sore but the next were absoulutly fine. The MFS (moulded foot system) creates a realy god hld on the foot very quickly but the leather does take a little longer to break in. The tongue in particular is rather hard and take quite a while the break in (a few other people have metioned this to me). all in all tho probally the best pair of boots i have owned.

Posted: 16/02/2009 at 08:57

Welcome to the forum Nick

Borneos are a superb boot - i've had a pair for 12 years and had great adventures in them. Just replaced them with some scarpa new treks, which are a tad lighter and fit my feet well but often stroke the retired borneos in respect and rememberence !!!!

  


Posted: 16/02/2009 at 09:19

Yes, welcome indeed Nick, great first testimonial post there too!

Posted: 16/02/2009 at 09:21

See more comments...
Talkback: Meindl Borneo Boots

First Name:
Last Name:
Nickname:
Email:
Security Image:
Enter the code shown:

I agree to the site's Terms and Conditions & Code of Conduct:


Latest posts