Budget?

>>6295
Preferably under £100 but maybe up to 150 if they're really worth it.

>>6294

Give me an idea of level of walking and conditions.

For normal British 'extreme' conditions I recently picked up a pair of Lowa Camino GTX (pictured) at the absolute bargin bin price of £120. Gore tex lined, Vibram Soles, and I'd like to quote you a line from the warrity book "age related signs of wear can appear after some time. We therefore recommend that you have your LOWA product checked by us or a specialized retailer after six years."

For Alpining I have a pair of La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX B3s like everyone else seems to.

If you're talking about hiking boots, and you want to spend up to £200, get Altbergs.
Actually factually made in England, and everyone who's ever wore them swears by them. Their combat style boots are also good if you want something high-legged and sometimes you can get lucky and pick up a good pair of army surplus.

If you want something that's just a casual/city boot. I'd struggle to suggest any specific brands, and it really depends what style you want. Clarks are utter shite now. Go for something with full-grain leather and a proper welted sole. (be careful because lots of manufacturers put a fake stich in just for show and the sole itself is just glued on.)

These are pretty nice: https://heinnie.com/5-11-apex-6-wedge-boot

>>6297
Mostly urban walking. I like brown leather. Both those things you mention sound like a nightmare to clean mud off. Specialist retailers for repair? Nah.

>>6298
Those are more like it. I'll have a look at ranges, thanks.

>>6299

>Specialist retailers for repair?

I think you're missing the point there that A)it takes six years of use for cosmetic damage to appear and B)it's covered under warranty.

>>6301
Walking on tarmac wears down rubber pretty quickly, and I'd guess that normal wear on the sole isn't covered by the warranty.

>>6299

>Specialist retailers for repair? Nah.

I think you missed the subtext, 'you might want someone to look at them after six years' implies they very much expect them to be functional after that time.

>Mostly urban walking

Ah. Yeah go with what the other lad said, anything I pitch you would be inappropriately technical, since I suspect you aren't looking to scale a glacier or explore a volcano any time soon in them.

Can I wade into this thread (I'll get my coat) and ask about wellies? The middle class in me assumes you just buy Hunters and be done with it, but is there a better wellington out there? It'd be mostly for standing in a river while maintaining said river bed, but them being capable of walking around marshy lands on a shoot would be a distant plus.

>>6303
No need to be so passive aggressive about it m8, sounds like we've hit a sore spot there. You should take some compeed plasters with you when you're exploring volcanos

>>6303

They're technical and the soles aren't easily replaceable. As >>6302 mentions, I wear out my soles in two years or under.

>>6305

>No need to be so passive aggressive about it m8, sounds like we've hit a sore spot there.

I wasn't.

>>6307
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

>>6299
>Mostly urban walking
>nightmare to clean mud off

Reading this thread I really don't get what you want. For anything urban or walks down a country path I'd, at most, recommend picking up the cheapest Hoggs of Fife:
https://www.fifecountry.co.uk/footwear/mens/waterproof-hikers/hoggs-rambler-hiker-0904
Which will last you years or alternatively you can move up the range as they specialise in the kind of gear for country walks, farming and shooting.

But even that's much too heavy for urban. I get that you're going for some sustainability angle (?) but you're not going anywhere and if the sole needs replacing then the rest of the boot is likely near end-of-life.

>>6297
>Gore tex

Never been a fan of this myself. Water will eventually get in for any situation requiring it and when that happens you will quickly learn that waterproofing works both ways. Lowa got popular as a more comfortable boot for military/security work but the S8 assault/cadet were fine if you bothered to break them in.

>>6309

I want something good for walking a lot in, mostly on tarmac but sometimes through fields, that I can polish and clean myself because that way when the sole needs replacing, the rest of the boot isn't near end-of-life as I've taken care of it. I'm picturing something like this.

>>6308

You are really eager to start a fight aren't you lad. I don't understand why.

>>6309

>Never been a fan of this myself
One of the selling points to me has never been the Gore tex itself but the fact that they have a massive list of requirements for manufactures before they are willing to give them the branding, I perceive it as a form of guaranteed quality control.

Got given a couple of pairs of Blakläder work boots for a job a few years ago and they've served me fine ever since. I'm a fucking cripple though so their primary use is (was) walking to work when it's pissing it down and occasional trail walks.

Mountain Warehouse boots only last 2 years with reasonable care. My most recent Berghaus walking shoes have made it aproximately 2 years so far. I don't often pay more than £120 a pair.

>>6304
I can't reccomend any brands, but the next time I buy wellies i'll be getting half a size larger than my foot and padding out the space with thick socks. My current Dunlop onces give me awful blisters (Yes, i should have known. I also picked up a pair of their deck shoes which are equally shite).

>>6313
Dunlop wellies have been a disappointment, I get through a couple of pairs a year.
Swampmaster are currently doing the job for me - polyurethane instead of Dunlop's PVC, and they're bigger around the calf which suits me fine. I'm definitely with you on getting oversize and packing out, but if I'm pushing hard (wheelbarrows in deep mud), my socks get sucked off no matter what, annoying.

>>6304

For your purposes, I'd suggest fishing waders. They look ridiculous, but you never have to worry about water overflowing your boots.

>>6315

>>6315 but you never have to worry about water overflowing your boots.
Of course, when you do slip, sit down and fill the fuckers with fifty gallons of freezing water, that's a true delight.
But yeah, waders exist for a reason. I've got a pair for pond maintenance, but I'd not want to walk around in them. Perhaps ones that aren't shonky Chinese ones off Amazon are better, though?

>>6317

>Perhaps ones that aren't shonky Chinese ones off Amazon are better, though?

The better ones are basically gore-tex trousers welded to a good pair of wellies. Pricey, but perfect for a waterfowl shoot.

I've been doing my walking in my backup work safety boots for a few months now, due to reluctance to buy new walking boots without trying them on. It's been fantastic and I might not go back - I'm sure purpose built technical boots would be better, but my workboots are marketed as military/uniform patrol boots so I suppose there's logic to them being comfortable for long, craggy or muddy trail walks.

This isn't really a recommendation, more just idle thoughts, coupled with the expectation that there'll be some expert on here who will tell me I'm giving myself arthritis or toe cancer by doing this.

>>6319

I've been looking for goth footwear I can wear to clubs but isn't terrible for dancing in. What do you think those things are like?

>>6320

I wear (wore, pre furlough) those exact boots, Magnum Rigmasters, for sometimes a 12 hour day, and they're so comfortable and easy to put on that I often stick them on to pop out to the shops instead of trainers. They're really, really good - and I shouldn't really be telling you this because they don't make them anymore and I don't want the stock to disappear for when I need more.

The Rigmasters have composite plating over steel, which is useful if you go through scanners all the time, but is also much lighter than steel plating, adding to the wearability. These ones have a side zip too making them very easy to take on and off. You could 100% dance in them, though to be honest the plastic looking toecap and such might detract from their goth aesthetic, but that's down to your taste I suppose. They are safety shoes are heart though, so are quite rigid. Comfortable, but not flexible.

Magnum make lots of non-safety uniform boots too, which would be even more suited to your cause and look pretty gothy -

https://magnumboots.co.uk/collections/uniform

You will be able to find them cheaper on third-party sites.

>>6321

>have composite plating over steel

That's "instead" of steel, not "over the top of" steel.

>>6320
Not him but get yourself some surplus jungle boots. Just don't use them for traipsing around freezing cold fields for obvious reasons.

Now that this thread has me thinking about it; what are some good city boots/shoes? I walk roughly 4 miles in London conditions for exercise so I've just been using some sturdy trainers but last night the ice when I was walking over a bridge made me feel very uneasy. I fucking hate ice, lads.

What I don't want is something too heavy/bulky as I'm just on a stroll, work/milsec boots I feel would be both OTT and I'd look a bit of a twat (or I might get mistaken for a terrorist).

>>6324

Timberlands or similar would be the "style" choice, while remaining practical. But, there's only so much you can do for ice without having little metal spikes on your soles. Even in proper non slip safety boots, ice is still going to fuck you up.

You can get plastic ice treads that attach to your shoes/boots but that would almost certainly make you look a twat.

>>6324

Adidas Terrex are very good trail shoes and water proof, they cost about £70.

On the subject of hiking books, I have a pair of goretex hunting boots made by a company called Lacrosse that, allegedly, retail for £200-250 but I got them from an outlet store for £70. They have lasted me 10 years of hiking in all weathers and still don't leak, so I'd highly recommend them.

>>6325 You can get plastic ice treads that attach to your shoes/boots but that would almost certainly make you look a twat.

I fell over on the ice yesterday, badly enough that I had to toddle over to minor injuries. Fuck's sake. I _knew_ it was slippy, just stopped paying attention for a moment.
Can you get boots with winter tyre tread? Those small tread blocks with the slits in do fantastic things for cars.

>>6327
It's a pair of these yer wanting. Permagrip soles; Timpsons, £19.99.

Where do you get those cool military boots that go up to like, just under your knee?

The only tall boots I can seem to find are the big daft gothy looking ones, but that's a bit too loud for me, even if I am an edgelord at heard. I want something a bit more subtle, but still a bit high school mass shooter looking.

>>6618

Grinders and Solovair do classic DM-style boots in 14, 20 and 30 hole styles. Pictured is a 20 hole boot, which goes up to the mid-calf.

>>6618
What on earth are you doing that requires and foot and leg protection beyond what's offered by a regular boot and denim combo?

>>6623
>What on earth are you doing that requires and foot and leg protection beyond what's offered by a regular boot and denim combo?

>>6618 is clearly a cool trendy edgelord like me

>>6619

Just what I was after, cheers.

>>6623

Napalm Death pits.

>>6623
Far right marches.

>>6623

Do decent hiking shoes in the £60 to £80 range exist?

I've tried looking for a while now, but it seems the options are either to pay £30 for a pair of Karrimor shoes that'll probably fall apart in no time or spend £120 to £250 if I want something quality like Meindl, Scarpa, Haix, Altberg, etc. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground, maybe Adidas Terrex? I've recently ordered a couple of pairs from Merrell and returned them because they weren't as great in person. I think that just about only leaves Salomon?

>>6931
I got good milage out of of a cheap pair from Hoggs Of Fife':
https://www.hoggs.co.uk/footwear/hiking/rambler-hiking-boot

>>6932
>>6309
Fuck I think I've done nothing with my life since I posted the last time.

>>6931

>pay £30 for a pair of Karrimor shoes that'll probably fall apart in no time
my pair of Karrimor were damaged beyond wearable within 2 weeks (eyelets had ripped out), I walked up a fairly standard muddy path up a hill in a woodland park, and across a beach, it was a short enough time I got them fully refunded, they are just as bad as you imagine.

>>6931

They used to be alright, I have a set of Karrimor that were about £40 five or six years ago, and I only wear them when I go on "proper walks", so that's maybe once every month or two. But that's still quite a lot of usage over the years, and they've held together good as new.

That said I feel like there is no "will last a long time" option for footwear anymore, it's either pay a lot for something that falls apart within two years, or pay less for something that falls apart within a year.

>>6619
Solovair also do 10 and 11 hole derby boots, they even come with decent laces. I've not had to replace the soles, yet, but any good cobbler should be able to do it (Timpson's promised!).

>>6936
>Cobbler
How is a cobbler cheaper than buying new, these days? How would they make a living charging a mere £20? I'd emagine closer to £50 for another year of wear, but that's bordering on the original price per year anyway.

>>6937

Obviously it isn't really. Re-soling makes sense if you're buying posh shoes and looking after them, but that's an expensive way to keep your feet dry.

My work boots only last about six months, but they're twenty quid a pair. I could buy more expensive boots and get them re-soled after a year, but the uppers would be fucked by that time anyway. My posh brogues are on their third set of soles, but that only seems reasonable because they were daft money to start with.

>>6937
If you don't have a last, then yus. Doesn't have to be posh, just well made.

Would buying military surplus boots be a good idea, e.g.

https://www.militarymart.co.uk/products/haix-scout-bundeswehr-german-army-gore-tex%C2%AE-boots?variant=44337199972572

>>6988
I have some Swiss leather ones and I like them. Well, I would if my right foot wasn't a freak of nautre, mishapen and malformed and seemingly a completely different size to my left. However, they fit my, normal, left foot just fine.

>>6988

In general it's a pretty good idea, particularly if you can float around some military forums to see if anyone's given them nicknames like The Toe Manglers or not.

I'm not sure I'd buy used boots though, mostly because they will have been broken in by someone else's feet and I'd be concerned about how comfortably they would then fit mine. I don't know how much of an issue this is in modern boots made of technical material, but buying used doc martens certainly turned out to be a false economy for me.