Quality Pair of Boots

[Bandeen]

Hey all,

Looking for a few points on foot wear, I used to wear kinda old clapped out boots and 3 weeks ago had a slip and broke my ankle... kinda wondering if decent boots would have made the difference.

Anyway in the slip 1 boot was ruined so on the hunt for a new pair. Preferably with some decent / stiff ankle support if possible.

The only down size is I can be a 9 or a 10 depending on company :/ But that a side a make or style of boot would be a great help to start with... then can go about it from there.

Oh yea prefer black too :P

Cheers for any input folks!

[Roxy]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

One word...Magnums. You can't go wrong. Lots of threads about boots around this forum if you have a browse

[Bandeen]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Cheers, I have heard of that make before, I will have a look

Yea sorry about that lapse on my part I didnt even think about the search lol, i blame the fact its 3am lol

[mafu10]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Altbergs mate, all the way. Bit pricey but they will last you for ever. I wear mine day in day out at work for years and also for airsofting. I've had them re soled rather than buy new ones because the leather is still in perfect nick. I can't recommend them highly enough, a lot of my colleagues wear magnums at work and they have to be new ones every 18 months or so, they seem to fall apart. For airsoft they are probably alright, I know people swear by them but I would never buy anything but Altberg.

[grey]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

I've got a set of Converse Warriors, they're probably the best £70 I've ever spent
So warm, comfortable, completely waterproof and they feel like a pair of trainers in terms of weight and flexibility. Plus the side zip is great, you can get them on in seconds

[Bandeen]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Oh yea meant to saw waterproof is another must as our site being in scotland usually see's rain alot :D

Cheers for the suggestions so far peeps, I will look into all

[darksidedsam]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

German Army/ Bundeswehr Model 2000's
Very comfortable.

[Mav_UK]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

There's not really an answer to the very old question of "Wot am best boots?1".

As you can see, each poster above offers a different idea of what they think is best and that's because whatever boot manufacturer/model they said suits them.

There's only one way of finding which ones are going to suit you best and that's to look into what each offers in the way of fit, support, aesthetics, features, size, purpose etc. and obviously - try them on.

Sooo, what I'll offer is not what I find best (I have about 7 or 8 different pairs of boots and only two of them are the same manufacturer) but list some brands that, in my opinion you may want to look into, including some that have already been posted.

Civvy:
Asolo*
Meindl
Scarpa*
Karrimor
Salomon
Merrell*
Mammut

Military:
Lowa*
Meindl
Magnum
Altberg*
Adidas*
Bates
Danner*
5.11
Oakley
Converse

It's not an exhaustive list - but those are brands that, off the top of my head, are reputed as being "good". * indicates personal experience and recommendation from me.

[WestyIII]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Personal experience, from airsofting, hiking, and general outdoorsy stuff. Between Magnums and Lowas, I'd now go Lowa everytime. I have a pair Lowa Mountain GTX's. Fantastic ankle support, mine are the goretex waterproof ones as well. They arn't exactly lightweight though!

[ThePesH]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

British army Pro Boots - for about 50 pounds you have heavy duty army boots with goretex membrane - full water resistance.

[michael3484]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Most people in my section wear Lowas or Altbergs and a few wear Hanwags. Anything else for sustained periods of use in some pretty bad condition, arent good enough. back to the first post on here about magnums, the worst boots i think i can find. they are flimsy cheap and non-supporting. For ex i use Lowa Combats as they have massive ankle support. They are heavy but you soon get used to it. If not the Alt Berg Field and Treks are good too. What ever you do dont get magnums, i know from many years experience with troops that they dont work as well as most other boots.

the list Mav UK put up is pretty good.

[Snowdrop]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

As Mav said, it's all very well saying I love xyz boots, but really, take the brand names and go into a shop and try them on to see what works for you. Just because someone loves Lowas doesn't mean they are right for you.

[crzyhorse88]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

LOWA all the way man - I bought a pair of LOWA GTX Combat boots 8 years ago, they cost £145 at the time (I know pretty expensive), but they are Goretex and Thinsulate Lined, Fully Waterproof, they have ankle support, ankle relief(slight angle internally to take pressure off ankle), they have climate control(cool in the summer, warm in the winter), they have a steel shank in the soles(don't feel any rocks through the soles), they have a comfort rating of -20degC, which I can verify cause I always wear them in the winter. I use these practically every week or two for airsoft, have been up several mountains in Scotland and Wales in them, have also stood up to my ankles in water for 30-40 mins at a time when fishing and my feet are always dry, can't praise these enough. I also have a pair of ALICO Combat Boots which are pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the LOWA's. Anyone else with a pair of these will also verify this praise.

[michael3484]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

have a comfort rating of -20degC, which I can verify cause I always wear them in the winterAnyone else with a pair of these will also verify this praise.

Up to a point, ive had mine years and just got back from 5 days in the worst scottish training area. So i agree with the plus and for your average airsofter they would be amazing. However if you do longer events then heres a few things to bear in mind. They are heavy, they are a B1 boots so you can put a crampon on them. They are warm to -20 as long as they are not wet and if you do get the goretex lined boots wet on the inside then you will never get them dry in the field. Day 3 of the ex i was just on, water went over the top assaulting a position across a ditch, up to the waist in sh!tty water and its still in there now im back in the block.

The only thing you can do, GO into a shop and TRY THEM ON! dont by online unless youve tried them first.

[nickcasement1990]

Re: Quality Pair of Boots

Lowas mate